Zoë was formally trained as a pastry chef at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) in New York. Since then she has been the executive pastry chef at several Twin Cities' restaurants, working with nationally recognized chefs including Andrew Zimmern. Her work has been featured in the Minneapolis Star Tribune several times, calling her desserts "endlessly delicious… the best in town… appealing, inventive and flat-out gorgeous…"
Zoë began teaching and presenting in 1997. She was asked to teach Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty how to bake Christmas cookies on NBC affiliate KARE 11-TV. Since then she has made several appearance on television, national radio and featured in newspapers all over the country. She teaches at Cooks of Crocus Hill, Whole Foods, The University of Minnesota and other cooking schools around the country.
She participated in the exclusive Baking and Pastry Arts Invitational Retreat for America's leading pastry chefs, sponsored by the CIA and Food Arts Magazine where she worked with the leading chefs in the country.
Zoë is the co-author, with Jeff Hertzberg, of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day. The book has been widely acclaimed in newspapers and magazines nationally, including the New York Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune and many others. She and Jeff are currently writing their second cookbook, due out in October of 2009.
Zoë is a product development consultant for General Mills and a number of restaurants.
Baking Your Own Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: A lecture and demonstration of the methods from the author’s best-selling bread cookbook.
How to Write a Best-Selling Cookbook: Jeff and Zoe Francois developed a simple concept, and went on to write one of the best selling cookbooks of 2008 with Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.
Jewish Recipes from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: A lecture and demonstration, focusing on Jewish recipes.