RUBY DUKE
OWNER / GM / FARMER

Ruby graduated from The Rhode Island School of Design 1995 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Industrial Design. After working for 12 years in the field, at firms like Karim Rashid Design, Kmart and Sears holding company, Ruby learned that source materials are the foundation for high quality products. It was one of her motivators to vertically integrate her farm and charcuterie business.  Her design skills have also enhanced her business management from product design to branding and marketing. Ruby is a self-taught farmer and meat processor. One of her first wholesale customers was Dan Barber at Blue Hill Manhattan. His endorsement led to connections throughout New York’s restaurant and farming communities. She’s been mentored by industry leaders in farming, meat processing and charcuterie. She attended a weeklong intensive in butchery and charcuterie that helped her refine her skills. Ruby’s direct hands-on experience in the different roles of R&B’s staff, gives her a valuable perspective and leadership, reinforcing the strength of the businesses and their goals.

PAUL WETZEL
CHARCUTIER

Paul grew up on his family’s farm in Northern Ohio laying the foundation for his respect for livestock farming and whole animal butchery. Having been in the restaurant industry for over 25 years, Paul found his calling in the art of charcuterie and has continued to develop his mastery of this artful and technical process. Paul spearheaded the Whole Animal Butchery and Charcuterie program for 11 years at the renowned Danny Meyer restaurant, Manhattan’s Gramercy Tavern under the guidance of Chef Michael Anthony. During this time Paul continued to work and teach beginner butchery and Charcuterie at the Brooklyn butcher shop, Marlow and Daughter’s.  Following his tenure at Gramercy Tavern, Paul opened a charcuterie-forward restaurant in Ridgewood Queens ( with Gramercy Tavern, Alums Howard Kalachnikoff and Rafik Salim ) which he ran for three years until deciding to leave the city and join the dedicated team at Raven & Boar. Paul became acquainted with Raven & Boar during his time at Gramercy Tavern and was pivotal in selecting Raven & Boar’s Heritage Pastured pigs almost exclusively for their renowned charcuterie program. Paul has been part of impetus for Raven & Boar’s vertical integration into processing in-house in collaboration with owner Ruby Duke, introducing her to one of his mentors the master Charcutier Francois Vecchio who they both studied under. Paul’s respect for the history of meat preservation took him to France, Italy, and Switzerland where he traveled extensively to study, practice and learn their traditional methods of meat preservation.

MIKE UNDERWOOD
HACCP COORDINATOR / PRODUCTION MANAGER

Mike grew up in Upstate New York in a Greek-American family with a love of cooking and sharing food. Always feeling tied to the seasons and the outdoors, at seventeen he began gardening and raising poultry during his summers off from school. After finishing a Masters degree in music theory,  Mike headed to New York City to begin his professional relationship with sustainable food systems. While working at farmer’s markets selling grass-fed and pasture-raised meats, Mike discovered that communities with long-established culinary traditions were the best practitioners of whole animal utilization. This humility towards ingredients, to view them not as problems to be solved but moments to be celebrated, became a guiding principle in his relationship to food. During his three years as an operations manager for Sun Fed Beef & Pork, Mike learned that only through optimizing systems, attracting a dynamic team and sustainably scaling growth can a  small farm operate efficiently enough to guarantee its success. It is in this efficiency that Mike believes truly equitable food systems can be created and communities sustained. In 2021, Mike returned to the Hudson Valley to be closer to where his food was coming from. He works for Raven & Boar as a production manager, sausage maker and whole animal butcher.

ALLISON HESTER
OPERATIONS

Allison grew up on a cattle ranch in Southern Oklahoma leaving the Central Plains to become a third generation artist and sculptor IN New York City and earning a Masters of Fine Art in Studio Art from the School of Visual Arts. After 10 years of living in Brooklyn, ALLISON moved with her family to a familiar rural environment in Northern Columbia County, NY. Allison has over 27 years of management experience in a multitude of industries including fine art, fabrication, finance and food.