New York native Tiara Bennett has spent many years of her life in the kitchen. “I grew up in the kitchen and my grandma made everything from scratch,” the Brooklyn-born chef told the Legal Defense Fund. “It was always a joy to be in the kitchen with her. My lifelong dream was to open a bakery.”
In 2023, that dream came true with the opening of The Pastry Box, which became the first Black-owned restaurant in Manhattan’s East Village in 25 years.
But the road to launching her own bakery was not smooth sailing. While in her 20s, financial difficulties led her to abandon college without earning a degree. It was during this moment that she decided to pursue her dream…