“Some people are cut out for yachting and others are not,” said Suzy Ludlow, a former stew who is now the owner of Expresso, a drive-through coffee shop in Ft. Lauderdale. “I am in the latter group. My hair doesn’t get tidier than this.”

After giving yachting a shot in the early 1990s, Ludlow and her partner, John Robichaud, stumbled upon Laura’s coffee shop. Two years later, Laura left the shop and handed it over to Ludlow and Robichaud. It was the start of what would become the well-loved Expresso coffee bar, located on South Andrews Avenue right across the street from Maritime Professional Training.

“We have always been interested in food and hospitality, so when we got the chance to turn our passion into a full-time career through Expresso, we grabbed it,” Ludlow said. “John and I work very well together. We are like yin and yang.”

The luring aromas from Expresso have attracted MPT students for years.“MPT students sure need their coffee fix in the morning,” Ludlow said of her consistent stream of maritime customers. Kerry Salmeri, student service manager at MPT, has been going to Expresso every morning for the past two years.

“I start my day with a double espresso named after John’s friend, Kai,” she said.The drive-through line outside Expresso sometimes goes backs up onto Andrews Avenue, but it never deters her.

“The service is so quick,” she said, “and John remembers his regular customers by what they drink.”

“We have been blessed with the same regular customers who have consistently supported us over the last 18 years,” Ludlow said, including customers from Broward General Hospital and lawyers in the area. “We offer a more personal café experience compared to the corporate type of outlets. Expresso is definitely on the mom-and-pop side of the spectrum.”

Ludlow rekindled her passion for cooking during her stint as a stew aboard three vessels, whilst Robichaud tested his deckhand abilities around South Florida aboard the 118-foot M/Y Indiscretion.

With an array of breakfast and lunch treats such as bagels, fresh fruit salad, humus and black bean dip, homemade quiche and tomato/basil/mozzarella salad, Expresso offers more than coffee. “We ensure that there is always something fresh in the kitchen,” Ludlow said.

And its java offerings are extensive as well and includes roasts hailing from Bolivia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Brazil, to name but a few. They also sell coffee by the pound for yachties who need a regular fix while at sea.

“I love everything about Expresso,” Robichaud said. “Our attorney is a customer, our doctor is a customer, our business is our family and all our friends have come into our lives through Expresso.”

Both Ludlow and Robichaud agree that Expresso is not a major money-making venture, which is why both of them have side enterprises. Besides the part-time catering business they manage, Ludlow runs a fitness class at the TIDO Martial Arts Studio on South Federal Highway and Robichaud rents bicycles to yachties.

Robichaud started his bicycle rental enterprise in partnership with Mike French of International Yacht Training last year.

“At first it was meant to be more of a networking strategy to promote Expresso and IYT, but then it really took off,” Robichaud said. They now own more than 40 bicycles, all available and ready for the upcoming season.

“We like being busy,” Ludlow said. “Most importantly, we love what we do, because we get to make people happy every day.”

About the Author

Franki Black