Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Tarah Warner. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Tarah, so great to be with you and I think a lot of folks are going to benefit from hearing your story and lessons and wisdom. Imposter Syndrome is something that we know how words to describe, but it’s something that has held people back forever and so we’re really interested to hear about your story and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
Impostor Syndrome is the worst! It gets everyone including NASA astronauts, best selling authors, actors, and chocolatiers. I had the dream of owning my own business for most of my life but never thought I would be able to. Once I started following that dream and starting Truffles by Tarah, the anxiety and impostor syndrome reared its ugly head. The best way I combat these anxieties is by reminding myself how far I have come, my professional accomplishments (as well as my personal ones), and look at the social media for my business to see how may people like and support what I do. If those tools don’t work (and they normally do) … I eat one of my truffles! It’s hard to say bad things about myself when I taste the chocolates I make.
Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?
I am a small business owner and chocolatier. Truffles by Tarah make uniquely flavored chocolate truffles that are a taste of the Berkshires in every bite! I always had a sweet tooth, which I inherited from my mother. Growing up food was something you ate so you could get to dessert. My mother baked with my sister and I often. Somehow, my sister does not (and should not) cook or bake and I became a chef. I have worked in food service since I was 13 years old and I have only ever had one job that was not food service related (I worked at a car wash part time one summer while also working in a restaurant.) It wasn’t until I had done two years of “traditional” collage before I realized that it wasn’t the path for me. The first time I saw the Culinary Institute of America campus it was foggy and gray and it looked like Hogwarts for food. I was so excited to go there and learned so much. Oddly, chocolate wasn’t on my radar as a career. I wanted to be a bread baker, and after graduation got my first job in Baltimore, MD and worked for a couple of years baking bread. The crazy hours, the physicality of professional break baking (every wrestle 30 or 40 pounds of bread dough?), and an injury made me think about taking a year off from bread and try something new. A local kosher chocolate shop needed help, I only had one chocolates class at CIA, and I thought it would be a fun “gap” year. It was so much fun! I also had a palette that lent itself to chocolate and its flavors. When the kosher business closed, I went to another shop where I worked for almost 6 years. I moved back to MA just before the pandemic closed interstate travel (and the world) in 2020. I ended up working for another candy and chocolate shop, enjoying being around sweets and the things that made people happy during trying times. When they closed, I jumped to working savory, but always missing chocolate. The open kitchen at the restaurant made it easy for me to make chocolates at home and share them with coworkers and regulars. When a regular asked where he could buy them, I decided to open my own business. Over a year later, Truffles by Tarah has many fans, has been a part of many celebrations, and has gone from a “someday dream” to a business that can sustain itself! My biggest challenge is growing the business and the “behind the scenes” of running a business. Culinary school is great for learning techniques and the chemistry behind baking … not many classes deal with opening and running a business. I have also worked for a few different chocolate and sweet shops as the head chocolatier but not a business decision maker. I have also watch several of those shops close, for one reason or another, and I try to learn from those mistakes. Truffles by Tarah is currently in 3 stores, but I am hoping to expand that reach further this year.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As a food based business, my love of all things cooking and baking is an important skill and area of knowledge! I have a natural ability to sell and connect with people. Not everyone is a born salesperson, but going to networking and practicing is the only way to grow this skill. A great challenge to become better at sales is pick your least favorite thing and try to sell that product. Another important skill that everyone should build is actually running the business, the paperwork, the marketing, etc. It will make you a stronger individual and can help keep your business running the way you want it when you hire.
One of our goals is to help like-minded folks with similar goals connect and so before we go we want to ask if you are looking to partner or collab with others – and if so, what would make the ideal collaborator or partner?
Truffles by Tarah prides itself being a taste of the Berkshire (Hills) in every bite! We are looking for both wholesale partners as well as food producers who want to showcase their product with chocolate! Wine and spirit shops, candy shops, and small independent markets are perfect for a wholesale client.
Contact Info:
- Website: TrufflesbyTarah.com
- Instagram: @Truffles_by_Tarah
- Facebook: Truffles by Tarah LLC
Image Credits
Autumn Phoenix Photography
