Using ssl_verify=true within a Chef run?

[joemillerr]

I am attempting to configure the client to run within a Chef run using an internal CA issued certificate. To do this I must set the environment variable SSL_CERT_FILE but I can't seem to get this environment variable to be present during a Chef run. While I know its not really an issue that is unique to this particular gem I was hoping since the Chef team supports this gem you would have some insight into using it within a Chef run.

The specific error I receive is the following:
OpenSSL::SSL::SSLError ---------------------- SSL_connect returned=1 errno=0 state=error: certificate verify failed

Which is resolved by flipping ssl_verify=false

This is the first time I have come across needing an environment variable in a Chef run and its proved to be very difficult. I have tried exporting it in /etc/profile and /etc/bash.bashrc - I've tried a Ruby ENV variable within the run (wrapped in a ruby block also) - I've tried both the "magic_shell" and "bash" cookbooks to set it but nothing seems to set the environment variable. I have also placed the cert in question in "/etc/chef/trusted_certs/" which I thought was akin to placing a cert in the "ssl" directory in a normal Ruby installation, making Chef's embedded Ruby aware of this cert during the run. I've also added the cert to the OS's store. I am running Ubuntu 14.04.

Any help is greatly appreciated.