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Aaron Gleason – A Musician’s Journey

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Photo by Chad Kraus

The arts are the creative thread that connect Aaron David Gleason’s family. Having a mother who is an award-winning actress, a father who is a noted acting teacher, and a grandfather who hosted a beloved game show, Gleason was destined to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. And he loves it!

“I never thought of any other approach to the world than being an artist. Musician is a subset of that,” said Gleason, 46, singer-songwriter and founder of the indie-rock band Pleasantville along with singer-songwriter Emma Freeman who he met years ago while performing in The Fantasticks at Westchester’s ARC Stages.

The duo recently released its new full-length album, “These Embers”. “ARC Stages is a magical place. Stephanie and Adam Cohen work their fingers to the bone to make that place an ‘Arc’ where people can find community, love, safety, and art,” he said. Gleason’s wife, Stacey Bone Gleason, wears many hats there, serving as Arts Manager, director, and teaching artist.

Photo by Chad Kraus

For Gleason, reconnecting with Emma was the perfect collaborator to provide backup vocals. “What I would get back from her blew my mind. It became clear that this music was about my life now, and the people and community in it: hence, the band’s name, Pleasantville,” he said. The band recently performed at the Pleasantville Music Festival, along with Falafel Taco, Lucy’s, and ARC Stages. Videos for their album were filmed in and around Westchester, including Westchester Table Tennis Club, the local football field, Second Mouse Cheese Shop, ARC Stages, and more.

Gleason describes his music as focusing on original melodies and disarmingly honest lyrics that reflect his challenging life experiences. “I created Pleasantville and music out of the hardest time in my life. Hurricane Ida destroyed my house and mental health. I never thought I’d make music again,” he admitted. For Gleason, music is more reality than reality and the music that poured out was, “like finding water in the desert.”

Despite “These Embers” being his fifth album, he sees himself continually evolving and always keeping his music fresh and innovative. “I never rest on my laurels. Emma is a brilliant collaborator because she’s so pure and unbothered by distraction. She’s all about the art,” said Gleason, pointing to “Time Bandit” as the CD’s most unique song and first one he wrote for Emma to sing. “It’s about my relationship with my dad. All the love, frustration, wants for him, understanding of him. It’s raw and to the point. It’s also a complete story that ends with hope and humanity.”

Photo by Chad Kraus

Gleason’s family played a large role in propelling him toward his destination. He’s the son of Joanna Gleason, singer, director, and Tony-award-winning actress for Into the Woods, and Paul Gleason, Los Angeles acting coach. His grandfather is Monty Hall, host and producer of Let’s Make a Deal. “I grew up in Hollywood, California, an 80s kid when it was a bit more hippie and less expensive. It was the remnants of the 60s, now playing out with those retired performers now being teachers. I was lucky that they taught me,” said Gleason of Mildred Chase, his piano teacher and Renate Druks who taught him art composition. “Both are fairly well-regarded artists and they’re as real and vital as any members of the community.”

Surrounded by celebrities, Gleason maintains a fun-loving, oftentimes humorous personality with a professional drive to perform. “I don’t feel I’ve accomplished anything. I always think I’m one song away from accomplishing something. I had 25 years of hard lessons,” said Gleason who attended Emerson College and USC Film School, then pursued music full-time. In the 2000s he sang lead vocals in the band The Midnight Radio then performed under Aaron David Gleason.

Gleason credits his mother for being his steady support system, the family’s pillar of strength, and for shaping him into the artist he is today. “She’s one of my best friends, mentors, confidantes. When I arrived in New York 16 years ago, I was in a bad place. My work as a performer was erratic and that briefly hurt my reputation. She gave me some hard pep talks, but helped me with love and kindness,” he shared. “My mom turned me from a high ceiling but erratic performer, to a hard-working artisan who cares more about the greater project than himself.”

In 2021, mother-son worked together on “Hell or High Water”, an original autobiographical solo show at 54 Below in Manhattan that Joanna directed. Gleason also credits her for his life in Westchester with his wife and son. “She ran all over with us looking at houses while we were nine months pregnant! She’s the matriarch and we owe her our family’s sense of community, closeness, and family.”

Photo by Chad Kraus

Gleason’s father was also influential. “My dad is an artist, to his bones. He gave me the greatest gift – artistic rigor. He looks at colors and asks: What would that blue taste like? What would it sound like? I’m a student of observation, and my dad is the best observer of all,” said Gleason, also commending Monty Hall as more than a grandfather. “He practically raised me. Advice? Mostly to take leaps of faith and ‘go for it.’ He loved being proactive, whether that was in charitable situations, performance, life. His life was built around community. As far as business, he thought of entertainment as a fraught business. But he loved my music. And mostly he loved and encouraged my writing.”

Outside of music, Gleason enjoys life in Pleasantville, calling it THE spot in Westchester. “I love the local restaurants and businesses,” said Gleason who is also a trainer at Lifetime Fitness in Chappaqua. “I enjoy helping people be more hopeful and empowered about their health.”

Looking toward the holidays, Gleason basks in the jubilant season. “I plan to take a break from writing every day and dedicating my life to eating cookies and doing yoga in the snow,” he laughed. But music remains top of mind. “I always love seeing my wife sing Christmas songs at the Tappan Reformed Church.”

For Gleason life is good. “I couldn’t be happier,” he said, “I just moved my father to The Club in Briarcliff and now the Gleasons are all on the east coast, something I never thought would happen and I’m incredibly blessed.”

Taste & Talk: Where women open bottles and open the conversation!

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(L-R): Jessica Reinmann (914 Cares Chairman), Lauren Gellert (Taste & Talk Founder) & Bobby Chipman (Dodd’s Wine & Spirits Sommelier)

What could be better than an evening of wine with local gal-pals? How about an evening of wine, friends and purpose-driven conversation!

Enter Taste and Talk, the brainchild of Chappaqua’s own renowned media executive and producer Lauren Gellert. As Gellert tells it, the idea for the group came to her very organically. She’d recently celebrated a milestone birthday with a trip to Italy and Greece and marveled at how relaxing it was to truly be free of demanding work emails and texts. So, after nearly three decades of five-days-a-week killer commuting and full-time in-office work, she decided it was finally time to step back and “just breathe”.

Just after the horrible Hamas attacks on October 7th, Gellert was feeling compelled to “do something.” A friend had invited her to a reinvent-yourself learning luncheon, and, despite feeling rather “coached out”, she decided to go for the camaraderie, food and wine – “I mean who says no to delicious Italian food and wine!?” She listened, but, more importantly, she observed: so many smart, engaged, interesting and interested women! It occurred to Gellert that she could create a women’s group similar in her own home – in fact, she had recently remodeled, turning what had once been her kids’ playroom into a stunning bar and gathering space, just perfect for salon get-togethers.

She pitched the idea to her husband and a few good friends over drinks one evening in that very same room, and everyone agreed it was a fabulous idea with great potential. And that was that. Gellert felt driven to raise money for the many Israeli families that had just lost everything – “I’m a producer, I’m a media person and I’m committing!” She refined her salon idea to include a charitable donation aspect. This too was an easy fit as the Gellert family has always been involved with charities and nonprofits and given back to their communities.

For partnership in the “taste” portion, she reached out to her local favorite liquor store, Dodd’s, in Millwood, and found immediate interest and support from in-house sommelier Bobby Chipman. Says Chipman, “Lauren and her husband are not only regular customers, but they’ve become friends. Of course, I was happy and excited to be asked to be part of her new venture. I usually bring four to six bottles of wine, and try to bring labels that are unique, different, not the usual top ten list or everybody’s go-to.” In other words, in keeping with the spirit of the gatherings, the tasting part of the evening is a learning experience too. Dodd’s offers twenty percent of the purchase price of any bottles tasted towards Gellert’s causes.

Lauren Gellert (middle) with Taste & Talk Panel, Renee Litt (left) and Dr. Brittny Howell (right)

Next came finding a speaker and topic. Given the October 7th prompt to action and Gellert’s intention to make the event a fundraiser, she chose to have all proceeds go to the Jerusalem Civilian Command Center, and priced attendance at $36 (known as double-chai*), an auspicious number in Jewish culture. She also discussed speakers with a friend who suggested reaching out to Rabbi Leora Londy of Temple Beth El of Northern Westchester in Chappaqua. Londy whole-heartedly supported the idea. Her topic suggestion for this event was How to Speak with Your Children About Israel and highlighted the importance of managing friendships and addressing the growing issue of hate speech in the community. It was a sensitive and challenging topic, but an incredibly important one. The evening was well-attended, and people expressed their gratitude for the forum mentioning they came away with a greater sense of community. In fact, Londy was such an engaging facilitator, Gellert had her back the following year, December 2024.

Londy called the gathering a “sacred space”, noting that women’s groups have the “opportunity to tap into a powerful dynamic that often gets lost in male-dominated conversations.” There were about two dozen participants, and the conversation and wine once again flowed effortlessly. Says Londy, “Lauren is a community builder, and I’ve appreciated being welcomed into her sphere and given the opportunity to share and discuss issues that seem to resonate with so many.”

Yes, turnout has been good, Gellert continued to hold Taste and Talk salons monthly and invited speakers on topics sparking great conversations; so, in true women’s networking fashion, word spread. Gellert definitely created something that seemed to fill a need. As she puts it, “you can get all of this online, whether you look at Ted Talks, YouTube videos or similar, but you can’t get the in-person authentic and organic experience that so many of us need and want, especially in a post-Covid world.”

All Taste & Talk salons feature female speakers and host participants from all over the tri-state area. Gellert has invited experts on topics as far ranging as women’s health, sex and relationships, spirituality, finance and entrepreneurship. The evenings present an opportunity to share experiences and thoughts, valuable and actionable knowledge, make new connections and, of course, taste a variety of wines (with a percentage of any bottle purchases going to charity).

In 2025, Gellert built an advisory board and named 914 Cares as the beneficiary of the year’s salons. Taste and Talk has become so successful that plans have evolved to expand and hold events in another three locales for a total of four salons in four locations in 2026. Gellerts home in Chappaqua will remain one of the salons, others will be located in Greenwich, CT, lower Westchester, and Los Angeles, California where her sister lives and will host as well. She hopes to continue to grow this purpose-driven salon to towns across the country, encouraging women to charity in exchange for an evening of thought-provoking speakers, wine tasting, and community connections.

Here is a “taste” of upcoming events

  • Savor, Shop, & Save Holiday Highlights – an event featuring local merchants including Shorty Love, Rocks, and Wonnaful, among others to learn about their businesses and shop for the holidays – December 3rd, 2025 at Gellert’s home in Chappaqua
  • The January Salon is set for January 8th in Chappaqua, January 14th in Greenwich, and February 5th in Los Angeles. It will be anchored by TEDx Speaker, Best-Selling Author, and Executive Coach Stef Ziev. The talk, It’s Your Turn-Radical Recalibration to Navigate Midlife, will focus participants on what the new year has to offer them as Stef dives deep into her TURN method and other ways to reinvent your midlife journey, personally or professionally.

For further information, please visit the website: tasteandtalk.org

*Chai is a Hebrew word meaning “Life” and is composed of two letters which, through the system of Hebrew numerology known as Gematria, add up to 18. It serves as a powerful symbol of existence, hope and resilience and is therefore considered a lucky number. Jews often give gifts or make charitable donations in multiples of Chai.

Color in Motion – Discover Pleasantville’s Walking Mural

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Pleasantville has always been known as a walking village. Whether catching a train, seeing a movie or grabbing a bite, residents enjoy the walkability of their hometown. Now that distinction is being celebrated in a larger-than-life way – through the new Walking Mural. The idea to create a mural in town originally came from artist Stuart Vance and Marlene Canapi, Chair of the Pleasantville Public Arts Committee (PPAC). The Walking Mural has been brought to life through the work of artists and a multitude of volunteers so the entire community can enjoy it in the way it’s meant to be – on foot.

Located on Jackson Alley in back of the Jacob Burns Film Center (JBFC), the idea for the project was sparked a few years ago. As Vance states, “Marlene and I had the idea of creating public art in Pleasantville. Jackson Alley cuts through the center of town and is a busy pedestrian thoroughfare and we wanted to celebrate Pleasantville as a walking area. The concept of the mural is very site-specific, it’s in a pedestrian-only area and it’s about walking.”

ArtsWestchester issued a request for proposals and 26 were submitted. As Pleasantville Mayor Peter Scherer states, “We sought community input on the finalists and were pleased that the winning submission was from Stuart Vance and Greg Nemec, a Pleasantville team. And our Assembly member, MaryJane Shimsky, provided a grant for Pleasantville, administered by ArtsWestchester.”

The mural itself depicts a variety of figures on an almost heroic scale – the largest figure being 13 feet tall. As people walk by, it’s as if they’re walking with the figures, making for an intimate experience. “The mural can only be seen by walking through the alleyway, we didn’t want it to be viewed from a distance or while driving,” says Vance.

Chad Kraus, a photographer and Pleasantville resident of over 25 years photographed the subjects for the mural at the JBFC’s Media Arts Lab. “I captured photos of their movements walking along a wall. The goal was to get as much of a diverse representation of the community as possible. As a Pleasantville resident, it’s special for me to be a part of this.”

The Walking Mural is the first (hopefully of many) public art pieces in Pleasantville, and the organizers want it to have a big impact on the community. Each of the 11 figures depicted on the mural has its own color palette and space with prismatic shapes behind them. They are abstract but when seen from afar, pull together and become almost photo realistic. “The meaning of the prisms celebrates all the different kinds of realities we both share and also live individually. It’s symbolic of the diversity of our community, living together harmoniously,” says Vance.

Greg Nemec co-created the Walking Mural with Stuart. “We came up with the concept, did the photoshoot and I digitally re-drew the images so that people could paint them on the wall. We transferred the images onto the wall using VR headsets,” remarks Nemec. He also brought in David McShane from Mural Arts Philadelphia to act as an advisor on the project. Nemec sees a bright future for Pleasantville as an arts destination. “People walk by as we’re painting and they’re already positive about it. The goal is to activate the space as an art space and have Pleasantville become known as a place of murals.”

The mural was presented at a ribbon-cutting ceremony last month. And completing it has been thanks in part to a myriad of volunteers. “We’re working with a young artist from Pleasantville, Devon DelCastillo, a recent graduate from the School of Visual Arts. She’s helping, painting and making sure things go smoothly,” says Vance. There was also a community-wide mural painting day held in September. Almost 100 people showed up to paint, which really helped progress the project.

Ultimately, the mural is about making others feel something. Vance believes Pleasantville can positively benefit from the Walking Mural. “Mostly it will make people happy when they see it. As a work of art, it fulfills its duty in that it surprises and delights and could engender a feeling of community – that’s my hope. For people to say yes this is us, this is who we are, this is Pleasantville.”

Holly Berfield’s Savory and Sweet Book Covers

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Photo by Holly Berfield

When Holly Berfield finished reading “Lady Tan’s Circle of Women” by Lisa See, images of Chinese scallion pancakes and jasmine tea stoked her imagination. An historical fiction set in 15th century China, See’s story about female bonding in the face of male adversity infused with authentic Chinese foods, prompted Berfield to head for her kitchen to make the pancakes and other edibles from the story. When done, she aesthetically arranged the foods around the book cover, photographed it and posted the fun and unique visual on her Instagram feed and blog “BookCookLook.”

Berfield, who is a professional photographer, lifelong bibliophile and aspiring at-home cook, recalls how the concept of connecting books with food first came to her some ten years ago.

“There was this delicious sounding dish called mesir wat, an Ethiopian red lentil stew from “Cutting for Stone” by Abraham Verghese. It sounded yummy and I wanted to try to make it.”

After cooking the stew, she framed Verghese’s book cover with a gnarly ginger root, a smattering of raw red lentils and an eye-popping sprig of green coriander garnishing the stew. Captivated with this new visual-literary composite she posted it on her Instagram page instagram.com/bookcooklook along with a recipe link and a short book review.

“This all happened organically, and I wondered if I could do it for a year and maybe for 100 books,” Berfield notes.

Today and 27,000 Instagram followers later, Berfield marvels how her creative lit-food genre has attracted a world of book lovers and inspired well-read culinarians. Links to recipes she sources for each post are on her blog and her Instagram page under “story highlights.”

Berfield’s drive for BookCookLook comes from her passion for stories and its characters.

“When I enjoy a book, I don’t want it to be over and photographing the cover with food is a way to keep the book and characters with me,” she explains. “It keeps me immersed in that book universe and I savor that feeling for a little while.”

As the growing number of book lovers signed on to BookCookLook, word spread. Then, about five years ago, Berfield got a call from Oprah’s Book Club.

Photo by Holly Berfield

“After the initial shock wore off, they asked if we could collaborate on creating holiday cookies themed to their book picks of that year,” Berfield recalls. “One of the books chosen was “Olive Again”, a sequel to Pulitzer Prize winner Elizabeth Strout’s “Olive Kitteridge” and we made olive oil short bread cookies.”

Foods paired with the “Olive Again” book cover included Olive Oil Sugar Cookies with Pistachio Glaze shaped as either Christmas trees or stars. The experience prompted Berfield to focus on holiday themed books in December.

Other opportunities offering exposure to BookCookLook included creating book-inspired holiday desserts for Bob’s Red Mill, numerous invites to book launches, and author chats at local bookstores. Just this past summer Berfield and her book club were featured on the nationally known show “Today with Jenna & Friends”, where they discussed a current Read with Jenna book selection.

From Law to BookCookLook

Berfield grew up in Harrison, NY and attended Washington University in St. Louis where she met her husband, Michael Berfield. She became a litigator after graduating from the American University Washington College of Law in Washington D.C.

After five years in the courtroom, Berfield knew it wasn’t what she wanted to do long term. She took her writing skills and her law experience and worked successfully in the law firm marketing field. “I really enjoyed working in a law firm environment and being creative,” she says. “I was writing press releases, holding rebranding events, creating websites. It gave me a creative outlet.”

In 2006, when her first son Benjamin was about two years old and her second son Isaac was still an infant, Berfield decided to take a break from marketing. (Today, both sons are in college).

“I started picking up my camera a lot as one does when they have young children,” she notes. “I was photographing nieces and nephews and my friends’ kids. Around 2010, I took up photography professionally and built a portfolio. It was a great thing for me to do and something completely different from practicing law.”

When Berfield moved to Armonk 13 years ago, not only was her photography livelihood well established but it was a way for her and her family to integrate into the community.

“I met young parents in the neighborhood with young kids and as I photographed children in the school and families in the community, my work became known by word of mouth. As the years went on, I was photographing family milestones, high school seniors, and kids on the football team. The kids were growing as my clients got older.”

Author’s Connections

For book lovers, one of the greatest thrills is to meet authors and get to know them. For Berfield, she not only gets to know authors through her connections with publishers and book agents, but she has attracted writers who reach out to her hoping she will read their book and tastefully embellish their cover with a relevant cuisine.

“Every time I hear from an author or an author sends me a book, I feel honored and excited to connect with them,” Berfield claims. “I’ve made a lot of author friends, which I appreciate.”

Sometimes the connection with a known author becomes especially endearing. Berfield paired the book “The Guncle” by Steven Rowley with an assortment of pies referencing Grant, the main character, and his love of pies. After seeing Berfield’s photo with three different types of pies surrounding his book cover Rowley replied to her Instagram account. “The thing about writing characters you love so much is that for half a second, I wanted to pick up the phone and call Grant to tell him all about this photo and how wonderful people can be. THANK YOU,” Rowley wrote.

The Moderne Barn Book Club

There are about 10 members in the book club Berfield belongs to and they meet monthly at the Moderne Barn Restaurant in Armonk. The restaurant became the moniker for the club now known as the Moderne Barn Book Club, a name they came up with when they appeared on the “Today” show.

“We meet monthly for about two hours at Moderne Barn because it’s such a feel-good place,” Berfield says. “They know our favorite table.” Berfield describes book club members as “really smart, dynamic and interesting women.”

The monthly book selection is chosen by a different member who suggests three books and are voted on. After reading, book discussions are what Berfield calls ‘productive conversations.’

“We don’t always agree on something about the book, and it’s helpful if people have different opinions. Some love it but hate a certain character or disagree with a character’s certain decision. It’s always fun, interesting and really stimulating.”

Book club popularity has surged since the 1990s and sources say there are around 500,000 book clubs in America today with about 5 -10 million members. For Berfield, knowing that others are reading the same book at the same time encourages folks to read more.

“For a lot of people, reading a book forces you to slow down, get out of your own head, invest yourself in a story for no reason at all and to appreciate a story for its own sake,” she explains. “Some people feel that unless you’re reading non-fiction, listening to a pod cast or the news, it’s a waste of time and you’re not learning something. But for readers of historical fiction, it can sometimes be a way to contextualize and process the news.”

Berfield understands why more and more people are reading novels. “There’s always going to be a market for escapist fiction where people say to themselves ‘I got to check out and read this rom-com.’”

Offering a safe environment to freely express oneself is the great benefit of belonging to a book club, according to Berfield.

“Discussing a book is a great exercise for people to learn about other people’s perspectives, which is something that’s not abundant these days. You can hear someone else’s point of view in a place where you trust the other people there.”
For the last ten years BookCookLook has been a gauge for Berfield to measure how her visual adaptations have become more meaningful to readers.

“My photographs have become lighter and brighter and are composed in such a way as to tell a story within the frame. The visual elements are a stronger connection to the story allowing for a multisensory way to connect to a book.”

As for the 10th year anniversary of BookCookLook – Berfield is excited to see where it will lead.

“Ten years is an important milestone in terms of growth and what it all means,” she notes. “It’s been very gratifying to see how this project has given me a chance to read and use my camera more intentionally.”

Overall, Berfield finds BookCookLook has been an extremely satisfying endeavor.

“I love when I’m reading a book, and I post it on my Instagram and somebody else says they are reading that book too. It creates a very unique connection. Ultimately people are looking for ways to experience stories more outside the page and to involve themselves in a more complete way in what they are reading.”

www.bookcooklook.com

Holly Berfields’ Top 10 Winter Book Suggestions

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The Frozen River
by Ariel Lawhon
A gripping tale – based on true events – of a midwife in the late 1700s who is determined to see justice served after a violent crime shakes her small Maine town.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
by James McBride
Filled with hope and kinship, a unique story about residents of a Jewish, Black and immigrant neighborhood who come together to protect a young boy in their community. This novel brings a message of solidarity and love that is so welcome during the holidays (or anytime)!

The Twelve Dates of Christmas
by Jenny Bayliss
This delightful romcom novel is set in a quaint English village, where a young woman embarks on a dating spree in a winter wonderland during the holidays.

Small Things Like These
by Claire Keegan
A moving story of what happens when an ordinary man begins to question the injustices around him, and whether he can rise above the complicity of his small Irish town.

These Precious Days
by Ann Patchett
This wise and wonderful essay collection by a beloved novelist reflects on life choices, mortality, and what it means to find deep and abiding friendship and love.

Wintering
by Katherine May
These fascinating essays explore the life changing power of rest, relaxation and a form of “hibernation” through various cultures and themes in literature and history.

The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living
by Louise Miller
A charming romance featuring a pastry chef who moves to Vermont to work at a charming small-town inn and opens her heart to new friendships and love.

The Matzah Ball
by Jean Meltzer
A frothy romance about the daughter of an Orthodox rabbi who is the covert author behind bestselling holiday romcoms, attempting her first novel about Hanukkah.

The Correspondent
by Virginia Evans
A favorite of 2025, this poignant novel – about a woman who finds connection and meaning through written correspondence – is composed entirely of letters. A beautiful reminder that letter and card writing is not just for the holiday season.

Demon Copperhead
by Barbara Kingsolver
Winter is the best time of year to be immersed in a sweeping, epic, unforgettable novel. This five-star Pulitzer Prize winner is a coming-of-age story that explores the cycle of poverty and addiction in America’s rural South.