They say, when you do something you love, you never work a day in your life. While that may not exactly be true, all the work internationally known chef Debra Ponzek has put into her gourmet food store and restaurant over the years has certainly brought lots of joy to her and her patrons.
“When we first started, we wanted to appeal to families, bachelors, commuters and singles—just trying to make their daily life a little bit easier,” Ponzek recalls. Inspired by a gourmet food store she visited in the 1980s, she opened Aux Délices in 1994 to create a place where customers could see a restaurant-quality menu, get helpful guidance from staff and pick up made-from-scratch meals to go. “It was really important for me to have [the staff] be…rather than just order-takers, really part of helping you put together your meal.”
Following Her Heart
Ponzek grew up with a love of cooking, but pursued biomedical engineering at Boston University after high school as a more practical application of her talents. She soon came to realize her love of numbers and science could be applied in the kitchen, which is where her true passion lay. She left BU to attend the Culinary Institute of America and landed her first job in New Jersey under Chef Dennis Foy. A few years later, she moved to New York where she worked at legendary French restaurant Montrachet. Then, after seven years as a head chef in New York City, she opened Aux Délices in Riverside, CT. As a young working woman, she knew the value of healthy, convenient, gourmet meals and her ability to tap into her customers’ needs grew from there.
Aux Délices quickly became known for its responsiveness to customer requests. “We were able to really make things that people wanted—like a certain soup the next week, or if a lot of people were looking for the same thing, we’d try it and see how it goes,” Ponzek shares. Some of the most popular items, like turkey tetrazzini, rice dishes, and chicken tenders, were added because of customer demand—even if they weren’t part of her original repertoire. “Coming from a French restaurant, I didn’t even cook rice,” she remembers.
Evolving
Over the years, Aux Délices has adapted the store’s packaging, which was originally designed for oven-only reheating, to include microwave-friendly options for busy families. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic brought new challenges and changes. “We sort of ended up going with a little bit more of a grab-and-go model,” says Ponzek. “We try to keep up with the times and with what people want but still keep true to our original intentions.”
The business expanded with new locations in Darien, CT, in 2004 and Westport, CT, in 2012. “We started with a staff of six people when we first opened, and now we have almost 140 people that work for us,” she says. “I’m pleased that we learned to take it at a good pace.”
Sharing Her Passion
Amid these openings, Aux Délices opened a kitchen in Stamford, CT, which has allowed the business to centralize production of certain things on the menu, like sauces, mayonnaise and soups, all of which are made from scratch. It has allowed Aux Délices to provide consistency across its locations so customers in Greenwich get the same quality and product that they get in Westport.
The Stamford location is also where the Aux Delices Cooking School, founded in 2003 with now retired director Lynn Manheim, currently offers kids’ classes and camps taught by Brenda Ryan. It is just one of the many ways Ponzek, the author of four cookbooks, shares her love of cooking with others. Each of her cookbooks, The Dinnertime Survival Cookbook, The Summer House Cookbook, French Food, American Accent and The Family Kitchen, shows home cooks how to make easy and delicious meals for families, whether surviving the work week, entertaining, or cooking with the kids.
“I always find it helpful to think about at least three meals for the week,” says Ponzek, mother of three, when considering her best advice for cooking at home. She emphasizes the importance of a well-stocked pantry. “Having condiments—whether homemade or store-bought—on hand makes things easier and elevates your home cooking. And don’t be afraid to prepare ahead; restaurants do it, and it’s a great skill to learn.”
Making Memories
As Aux Délices enters its fourth decade, Ponzek has loved becoming an intricate part of the Gold Coast community in Connecticut and New York. Some of her most memorable moments have been her appearance on David Letterman when she won the James Beard Award for Rising Star Chef in 1992, the time she cooked with her daughter Remy on CBS’s morning show, her live demonstrations at our Greenwich Wine + Food Festival between 2012 and 2022, and sharing her recipes and advice for home cooks in the pages of our food section.
Looking ahead, Ponzek is excited for the future. Plans include expanding catering, home delivery, and refreshing the stores with new branding and renovations. “We’re always looking to expand our reach… doing home delivery meals or meals that you prep yourself.” But no matter what the future holds, Ponzek says, she has enjoyed becoming part of people’s lives. “I see kids that worked for us who are now married and have their own families,” she says. “I’ve seen a woman who came in with her newborn, and now has a 30-year-old. It’s so fun for me to see that.”
To mark the anniversary, Aux Délices will host special events, including charity days, raffles, and festive giveaways all this month in December. Updates will be shared on their website and Instagram (@auxDélicesfoods), inviting the community to join in the celebration. “After all these years, I’m so grateful,” she says. “We’re so happy that we are still going strong, and it just couldn’t be a better feeling for us.”
