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.
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.
