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Tara Berman runs a management and strategy-consulting firm, the TaraPaige Group, which specializes in advising retail hospitality enterprises. Berman is a 2002 graduate of ICE’s Culinary Arts and Culinary Management Programs. Berman completed her externship at Keller’s French Laundry in California — one of the best experiences of her life — then came back to New York City to work as a line cook at Citarella. She kept close ties with the French Laundry during that time, however, and became part of the opening team of Per Se, as culinary liaison. She had initially turned the position down because she wanted to continue cooking on the line, but Per Se chef de cuisine Jonathan Benno convinced her otherwise. After about a year, she became the opening manager of the group’s Bouchon Bakery, where she handled everything from financial planning and operations to packaging and staff training. She founded her company in 2007 so she could continue growing. Now, she loves working with entrepreneurs and seeing their excitement as they move from blue prints to end results, as she helps them along the way with financial planning, operations, branding, and all the building blocks to a solid business.