Debra Ponzek

Debra Ponzek was born and brought up in Morristown, New Jersey.[1] She studied engineering at Boston University, but dropped out and decided to pursue a career in cooking and attended The Culinary Institute of America in New York City where she graduated in 1984.[2] She would later return to the Institute to give the commencement address to the students in 2015.[3] As part of an externship, she worked in Chatham, New Jersey, at the Tarragon Tree restaurant and at Toto Steakhouse in Summit, New Jersey.[1]

Following graduation, she began working under Drew Nieporent at his restaurant Montrachet as a sous chef.[3] Nieporent was an advertising executive who had spotted her when she worked at Toto Steakhouse.[1] She went on to become executive chef at Montrachet for seven years, during which time the restaurant was praised by the food critics of New York City.[3] While there she won the 1992 James Beard Foundation Award for Rising Star Chef.[4] She appeared on the Great Chefs - Great Cities television series, preparing three dishes.[1] Ponzek departed Montrachet in 1994, and opened her own restaurant, Aux Délices in Greenwich, Connecticut.[3] She has since expanded this to multiple sites, and runs cooking classes out of her central kitchen for the restaurants.[1]

• Official website