Lucia Bawot's motto is: “Make the invisible VISIBLE.”

After a decade of working with more than 12 leading companies in the coffee industry to form supply-chain narratives and communicate the values of their sustainability projects, in March of 2023, Lucia marked a new chapter in her professional career and independently published her debut book, “We Belong: An Anthology of Colombian Women Coffee Farmers.” This book is an artistic declaration with a humanistic approach that reveals the life stories of 25 Colombian women coffee farmers and pickers in their full spectrum. “We Belong” won 3rd Place in the Women’s Book category at the Gourmand Awards and 2nd Place/Honoree in the Best Coffee Book category at the Sprudgie Awards.

After the publication of her book, she discovered how much passion she feels for writing and crafting stories. Currently, Lucia is brewing up two book ideas. First, a guidebook to tackle the challenge of belonging, which aims to be a tool for women who have emigrated from their homes and are searching for a sense of belonging and identity. Second, a photography book titled "The Freedom Line" aims to showcase women who stopped dying their hair and are letting their grays grow.

Last but not least, Lucia is Colombian, a “montañera”, and has coffee roots that extend deep within her family. Even though she lives in the United States and has spent most of her life outside of her country, she takes refuge in and empowers herself through, the stories of her land, her family, and her childhood experiences.

Debra Ponzek, Moderator

Debra Ponzek was born and raised in Morristown, New Jersey.  She spent two years studying engineering at Boston University before deciding the restaurant kitchen was where she really wanted to be.  She switched schools and went to the Culinary Institute, graduating in 1984. She then started her externship at the Tarragon Tree in Chatham, New Jersey.  Next was Toto Steakhouse in Summit, New Jersey where she caught the eye of advertising executive, Drew Nieporent, who was opening a French restaurant called Montrachet in New York City’s TriBeCa neighborhood.  She started out in 1986 as sous chef and ten months later became the executive chef. At age 28 she was selected as one of the Ten Best American Chefs, and later as Chef of the Year by the Chefs in America Association.

In 1993, Great Chefs caught up with her at Montrachet, while she was still married to Great Chef Bobby Flay (she was the first of 3, all who eventually divorced Flay).  Debra prepared three dishes at Montrachet for the Discovery Channel’s Great Chefs – Great Cities series.

In December 1995, the first shop in Riverside Connecticut was opened. In the early years, Debra was the chef and ran the kitchen while her husband Greg managed the day-to-day operations of the store. After settling down with three kids in CT, it became apparent that many busy families often found it hard to consistently provide home-cooked meals while our kids were participating in all sorts of activities after school. Their goal became providing delicious homemade food, made with healthy ingredients, that was easy to bring home to your family. Since day one, they have placed value in ensuring everything is made from scratch – from their mayonnaise to their stocks, it is all prepared in our kitchen by the hard-working staff, who have now become a second family to Debra and Greg.

Aux Délices opened to a welcome audience and has continued to expand their offerings, and to always please their customers. Since the opening of the Riverside location, four more locations opened in Fairfield County including our cafe in the newly renovated Bruce Museum.