Double Tape Deck Radio
Before the professional kitchens, competitions and World Chocolate Masters, young Ruth Claase wanted a double tape deck radio. On her way home from school, she found an Easter egg mould and worked out how to make the money for the stereo she wanted. She made Easter eggs, sold them at her father’s dental practice and bought the Sony. The chocolate stuck.
Indian Ocean
In 1995, Ruth’s whole family moved from East London, South Africa to Tasmania, on the other side of the Indian Ocean. Ruth started working in professional kitchens and became a Commis Pastry Chef at the Hyatt in Melbourne. From there, the world got bigger. She worked with Albert Roux in Amsterdam, studied chocolate at Cacao Barry in Paris and was named Australian Pastry Chef of the Year in 2002. Selected twice for the Australian national team at the Culinary Olympics in Erfurt, Ruth and the team won gold in 2004. In April 2005, she married David in Grindelwald, Tasmania, becoming Ruth Hinks.
Scotland
Later that year, Ruth moved to the UK and became Head Pastry Chef at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh. Aiden was born in 2007, followed by Delphine in 2008. In October 2008, Ruth and David established Cocoa Black in David’s hometown of Peebles. The timing was hardly cautious: two young children, a new business and an ambitious idea of what Cocoa Black could become. David focused on vision and strategy. Ruth focused on products, standards and people. Together, they had something of their own to build.
First Loser
Ruth entered the UK Chocolate Masters in 2010. She finished second. Her description of second place is shorter: first loser. She knew why. With two young children and a new business demanding her attention, she hadn’t prepared as she should have. That bothered her more than losing. There were no excuses. She would enter again, but this time she would come back properly.
This Time, She Was Ready
Ruth prepared for her return to the UK Chocolate Masters on her own. She knew what had gone wrong in 2010 and wasn’t going to make the same mistake again. There was no shortcut. She just needed to do the work. In 2012, she returned to the competition. This time, she won. Ruth was crowned UK Chocolate Master, securing her place representing the UK at the World Chocolate Masters in Paris.
Best of the Best
Winning the UK title was only the beginning. Ruth spent the next 18 months preparing for Paris, around 25 hours every week alongside everything else life was throwing at her. Working with pastry chef Martin Chiffers, she studied the judging criteria and focused relentlessly on the competition. At the World Chocolate Masters, Ruth faced national champions from around the world. Over two days she produced a plated dessert, dipped praline, moulded praline, entremet and chocolate showpiece. Her target was the Top 5. She made it. It remains the highest UK finish at the World Chocolate Masters. By representing her country at the world final, she earned the title UK World Chocolate Master.
On the Radar
Paris changed Ruth’s profile. Television followed, with the BBC filming Cocoa Black for six months for The River, followed by Extreme Chocolate Makers and commissions including showpieces for Chatsworth House and Innis & Gunn. She became a UK Chocolate Masters judge alongside Michel Roux Jr., judged The Hairy Bikers’ Chocolate Challenge and later mentored makers on the BBC’s Make It at Market. Prince Edward visited Cocoa Black to make chocolates with Ruth and later returned to officially open the Chocolate & Pastry School.
Instructor
After Paris, Ruth retired from competition. She had spent years learning in professional kitchens and competing internationally. Now she wanted to pass that experience on. The Chocolate & Pastry School in Peebles gave her the place to do it. Ruth teaches professional techniques using professional equipment, making them accessible to people at every level. Nothing is watered down and very little is held back. As the School’s reputation grew, leading pastry chefs travelled to Peebles to teach, including Frank Haasnoot from the Netherlands, Hans Ovando from Spain and Melissa Coppel from the USA. Ruth still develops the School’s classes herself and teaches regularly.
Make You Better
Ruth’s approach to teaching is simple: wherever you start, she’ll make you better. From complete beginners to experienced professionals, she teaches openly, sharing as much as she believes each person is ready to take on. More than 25,000 people have now trained at the Chocolate & Pastry School. The same approach runs through Cocoa Black. Ruth has trained and developed many of the people around her, moving members of the Chocolate and Pastry teams between disciplines so they understand the different aspects of production. For Ruth, knowledge isn’t something to protect. It’s something to pass on.
Downtime
Away from the kitchen, Ruth runs, mainly half marathons, often with David, who occasionally takes on the full distance. Their races have taken them across Europe, including Barcelona, Reykjavík, Rome, Berlin, Budapest, Lisbon and Copenhagen. Running gives Ruth a reason to travel, see somewhere new and clear her head. Even then, work has a habit of following her. A new city means new patisseries, chocolate shops, bakeries and restaurants to find. Ideas can come from anywhere.
First Light to Golden Hour
Ruth’s day at Cocoa Black usually starts around 5am at The Chocolate Factory in Peebles, close to the River Tweed. She works alongside the Chocolate and Pastry teams, developing products and recipes, training younger members of the team and moving people between disciplines so they understand every aspect of production. She remains part of the working team rather than directing it from a distance. She fits in a run each day and is usually still working into the early evening.
Back Where I Belong
Over the years, Cocoa Black has created local employment for generations of young people in Peebles. “We get the cool kids.” They work in the shop and production kitchens and, for many, Cocoa Black becomes something of a rite of passage. Some stay much longer. Many of the people Ruth has trained have been with Cocoa Black for years. Chloe worked alongside Ruth for seven years before leaving to pursue something new. She later returned to the team. When asked why, her answer was simple: “I’m back where I belong.”
Full Flight
Ask Ruth what gives her the greatest satisfaction now and it isn’t a medal or a competition result. It’s seeing Cocoa Black in full flight. The shop packed on a Saturday afternoon. The riverside garden full of happy customers. The upstairs School full of life. Someone she trained becoming genuinely exceptional at what they do. A younger member of the team finding their feet. Chocolate and pastry leaving production exactly as they should. After everything that came before, the progression is simple: learn it, prove it, pass it on, then watch what other people do with it.