Gourmet Boutique: Leader in Virtual Tasting Experiences | Our Virtual Tasting Educators have a Combined 40 Years of Industry Experience

Gourmet Boutique was born from Founder Anya Zelfond’s love of travel, culinary discovery, storytelling, and the magic of bringing people together through food. With a background in communications, culinary training, and creating meaningful connections through the senses, Anya founded Gourmet Boutique in 2003 with a simple idea: use the taste buds as a pathway to connection, curiosity, and conversation.

Her love of culinary education and the stories behind exceptional foods led her to create a unique platform where people can gather, learn, laugh, and connect through thoughtfully curated bites and sips of delight. Today, Gourmet Boutique offers fun, elegant, live hosted tasting experiences for modern teams, whether in person, virtually, or anywhere in between. Each experience blends delicious discoveries, engaging storytelling, foodie education, and thoughtfully selected products made withethically sourced and sustainably harvested ingredients by talented craft artisans and makers.

These experiences create memorable moments for client engagement, team building, executive board meetings, celebrations, and corporate gatherings, whether you need a delicious start, a refreshing pause, or a delightful way to wrap up the work agenda.

Along the way, Anya’s passion for health, wellness, and mindful living led her to become a certified yoga teacher and mindfulness coach, inspiring her to weave wellness and moments of mindfulness into Gourmet Boutique’s experiences. The result is a deliciously different way for teams to slow down, feel more present, restore their energy, and connect with each other and themselves.

At the heart of Gourmet Boutique is a simple belief: food can open the door to connection, and the right bite or sip paired with a great story can turn a gathering into a moment people savor.

Contact us to request Anya for your next event!

Adam is a true visionary in mastering the principles of pairing. He is a wine, cheese, chocolate, and spirits educator with over twenty years of experience teaching classes, conducting seminars, and consulting with people who are excited to explore the fine foods and beverages of the world.

What began as an educational curiosity at Boston University quickly exploded into a full-blown passion. From managing at a renowned specialty food shop in Cambridge to serving as a portfolio administrator for a respected local wine purveyor, Adam remained dedicated to constantly learning and sharing that knowledge and excitement with his students and clients.

Adam is also the author of a book dedicated to the principles of wine and cheese pairing, which was recognized with a nomination for the prestigious International Association of Culinary Professionals Cookbook of the Year Award.

Today, Adam brings his expertise beyond wine and cheese to the exciting world of chocolate, wine, and spirits pairings. His approach explores the principles behind what makes pairings work, helping participants develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of flavor.

Adam loves what he does, and we look forward to an amazing collaboration with him through virtual educational events exploring the delicious world of Wine, Chocolate, Cheese & Spirits pairings.

Contact us to request Adam for your next event!

Gourmet Boutique is super excited to add Valerie to our educator line up!

Chocolate expert and Harvard grad Valerie is a chocolate industry entrepreneur, pioneer, and activist. Creator of the original chocolate tours, which she expanded to cities across the US with a team of 50. Valerie is a highly engaging presenter with endless passion for ethically sourced and sustainability harvested cacao. We are thrilled that Valerie decided to join our all-star virtual chocolate educator line up.

Contact us to request Valerie for your next event!

Gourmet Boutique is thrilled to announce that Galina is joining our educator lineup!

After earning her degree from Babson College, Galina followed her passion to New York City, where she began her career in digital advertising. However, her true love for food and beverage quickly took center stage. Over the past 16 years, Galina has immersed herself in every aspect of the food industry. She’s collaborated with Vosges Chocolate Purple Houses, worked with global giants such as Nestle, Sabra and Heineken, and even served as a chocolate and tea buyer for Food Emporium. Her experience spans from service and retail to brokerage and manufacturing.

Galina’s dedication has led her to countless food shows around the world and tours of over 100 food and beverage manufacturers, both boutique and global powerhouses. Her deep-seated passion for the food industry and wealth of experience make her an invaluable addition to our team. When not consulting, Galina continues to expand her culinary horizons through gourmet travel.

Contact us to request Galina for your next event!