What does it take to put on an event in the Hamptons (and beyond) these days? Vanessa Gordon, founder of East End Taste has worked with brands and private clients to create memorable experience for her clients for over a decade. She tells The Daily everything you need to know about putting together the perfect event.
Tell us a little about East End Taste and what services your provide! East End Taste is a Hamptons and California-based event planning, production, staffing and multimedia company. We work with brands, private clients, agencies and venues on everything from intimate dinners and luncheons to wellness events, brand activations and larger-scale experiences. Our services can include concept development, venue sourcing, production, staffing, guest-list strategy, PR and media outreach, photography and video, rentals, vendor sourcing and on-site coordination.
Your business partner is Edberg Espinoza. What are your backgrounds and what’s your working relationship like? We come from very different backgrounds, which is actually one of the strengths of our partnership. My background is in teaching, media, hospitality and event production. I founded East End Taste and the Hamptons Interactive Brunch, and over the years I’ve produced everything from intimate luncheons and private dinners to brand activations and larger experiential events. Because I’ve lived and worked in the Hamptons year-round most of my life, I also bring a very local understanding of the market, its venues, vendors, media landscape and the nuances of producing events in this seasonal destination.
What about Edberg? He is originally from Venezuela and has a background in technology and marketing. He’s also a former professional tennis player and a current professional pickleball player who teaches across racquet disciplines. He divides his time between the Hamptons and Silicon Valley, which gives us strong perspectives on both coasts. He also lived in Italy for a period of time while playing tennis professionally. I travel to Italy frequently, and that was something we bonded over very early on. Our working dynamic is very complementary. I tend to approach an event through storytelling, hospitality, guest experience, media and the small details that make something memorable. Edberg brings a very strategic and entrepreneurial way of looking at concepts, along with his technology, marketing, sports and wellness background. We also both have a love for creative writing.
How did you two meet? We met playing pickleball in Southampton in the spring of 2025. We struck up a conversation about a mutual desire to create a wellness event in the Hamptons centered around pickleball. He spearheaded something like this in the past few years in Santa Cruz. Edberg told me about his background in technology, marketing and events, and I shared my experience producing the Hamptons Interactive Brunch and creating luncheons and other experiences for clients. We immediately realized there was a lot of overlap in our approach to business. We became friends first, continued bouncing ideas off one another, pun intended, and eventually became business partners.
How does your editorial background fit into your work today? My editorial background drives my creative approach to event planning and production. I also bring a unique angle where I see all sides of the event, but more importantly, how the event’s legacy, if you will, will be carried long after the event e…