image description — Well-known chocolatier Tarah Warner is moving into her own storefront to have her own kitchen and bring more of her truffles to downtown and beyond.

Well Known Pittsfield Chocolatier Opening Storefront on North Street

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
11:46AM / Friday, August 28, 2026Print Story | Email Story

A storefront has been Warner's lifelong dream, and it will help her to get her kitchen back.

PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Well-known chocolatier Tarah Warner is moving into her own storefront to have her own kitchen and bring more of her truffles to downtown and beyond.

Truffles by Tarah will soon be opening her own place at 123 North St., formerly housing Italian restaurant Brooklyn's Best.

A storefront has been Warner's lifelong dream, and it will help her to get her kitchen back.

Warner has currently been operating out of her home kitchen with a cottage kitchen and cottage wholesale license. She has currently been selling at pop-ups and events.

"Literally, at my breaking point, I don't have enough room to cook for myself. My boyfriend likes to tease me. I'm a classically trained chef, and I don't cook for him because I have less space than this table is to prepare any meals because everything else belongs to the business." She said,

"My dining room table is in my basement, and I have shelves. When you walk in my kitchen, it looks like a restaurant. So it was finally time. I'm literally busting into the seams. So this is a chance to expand. I know where I want to be. I know what's working and what I think will continue to work, so it's just the next step in the progression of the business, which is really exciting."

Born and raised in Berkshire County, Warner is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., with a degree in baking and pastry. She has worked as a chocolatier for over 14 years, including for some time at Mielke Confections in South County before it closed.

She explains each bite is a taste of the Berkshires as she uses local ingredients to curate her truffles. She said she has sourced and partnered with places like Berkshire Mountain Distillers, High Lawn Farm, No. Six Depot Coffee, and more.

"I try to use as many locally sourced ingredients to flavor them to be a taste of the Berkshires in every bite. So I'm hoping to continue that as I grow and expand the business. That also might mean it might turn into more Massachusetts or local in every bite rather than just specifically the Berkshires, but I'm really excited to be able to expand."

Warner came across the space after discussions with Downtown Pittsfield Inc. Director Rebecca Brien, who helped make inquiries on her behalf to see if it would be an available storefront.

"She and I have been in talks for a long time about keeping an eye out, and she knew from the get-go that I wanted to stay in Pittsfield, preferably on North Street. So when she heard that Brooklyn's Best might be leaving, she started making inquiries."

Warner explained that the landlord, Steve Oakes, has been very supportive of her and her adventure.

She said she is redoing the space with new flooring, taking the walls to half walls for people to be able to see her making the chocolate, repainting, and more to clean up the space and make it her own and enjoy a little pick-me-up when wanted or needed.

"What I'm hoping for is a beautiful place for people to have a little indulgent treat. There's always the holidays, but chocolate's an everyday experience, an extra everyday luxury. I'm close enough if somebody's having a bad day at the office. Come over on your lunch break. That's a lot more socially acceptable than going and getting a martini for lunch."

The new storefront will also help her expand her reach with her online chocolate sales; currently she can only ship in Massachusetts.

While the place will be a grab-and-go, she hopes people will enjoy the other local businesses around her as well as in her store with her Berkshire Corner.

"Other local small businesses can sell their products in my store. I am a firm believer of as you go up the ladder, don't pull up the ladder behind you. Put your hand down and help the next person. And these are the businesses that are hopefully going to get big enough where they need a storefront and want to come to Pittsfield and want to be a part of this."

While the holiday seasons will be busy, she says she would like to bring events for people to enjoy when business is slower. She also plans on hosting ticketed after-hours events for chocolate and wine pairings and the history of chocolate, where it's a little bit of lecture class and a little bit of eating,

"A lot of millennials and folks in general, they want experiences; they don't want stuff. So, a couple of bucks, night out, get some chocolate out of it, and learn something."

Warner says she hopes to be open in mid-October if everything goes to plan with permitting and is thinking of being open Wednesday through Sunday, with holiday seasons having extended hours.

"I'm really excited to do this. This has been a lifelong dream of owning my own business, and I'm really excited to serve Berkshire County and be a part of people's celebrations or helping them turn around a bad day, kind of thing. So I'm just really excited to be a part of this, and specifically be a part of the downtown."

Tags: new business, chocolate, North Street,

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Lanesborough Property Tax Rate Up 5%

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
01:25PM / Wednesday, November 11, 2026

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board on Monday approved a single tax rate that will increase the average homeowner's property bill by at least $670.

With a rate of $18.20 per $1,000 valuation, the average single-family home valued at $373,784 will see a $668 increase, and the average commercial property, estimated at a value of $577,990, will increase by $1,125 per year. This rate is 91 cents higher than last year's $17.29 per $1,000 valuation.

"Historically, as part of their annual budget policy, the Select Board and Finance Committee has endorsed a single tax rate option, providing no exemption or discount to a particular property class or group, voting a residential factor of one, which is what we'll do tonight, affirms a single tax rate and proportionate sharing of the tax levy burden between all classes of property," Principal Assessor Ross Vivori explained during the joint meeting with the Finance Committee and Board of Assessors.

This year's levy is $11,760,845, which is a 11.28 percent increase from last year, or $1,192,521.

The town's total taxable value is $648,200,324; about $541 million in residential, almost $9 million in industrial, about $52 million in commercial, and about $44 million in personal property. It is 5.7 percent higher than the previous year.

For fiscal 2027 the max allowable levy is $12,313,803, the town is levying $11,760,845, leaving an excess levy capacity of $552,957. There was more than $6.5 million in new growth, which was described as contributing about $112,855 in tax revenue at the prior year's rate.

Finance Committee member Al Terranova suggested that the rate may change if revenues, such as from the state, changed.

"I just don't want people to look at this and, 'Oh my goodness, I'm going to pay $600 more a year,'" he said. "They would just pick out that one number, because you don't know what the actual number is."

Select Board Chair Deborah Maynard said all the figures are based on the tax recapitulation sheet, which includes estimated revenues and state cherry sheet numbers.

"But there's no way around that, that's the number we're paying," added Select Board member Jason A. Breault. "That's the tax rate."

Ross said property values are rising because people are paying more for homes, but that's not driving the tax rate — town spending is.

"If the [property] value goes up and nothing else changes, the tax rate stays the same," he said. "What's driving the tax rate up is the budget ... everything's gone up and you've got raise the money to operate the town. It is what it is."

In better news, the board accepted what Accountant Angela Garrity agreed was a "healthy" amount of free cash at $949,833.

The board also heard from the public about putting a moratorium on data centers and battery storage facilities at its next meeting as well as Old State Road residents asking about the speed bump removed at the intersection of Target and Old State Road.

The residents said two years ago they had asked for the speed bump and were wondering why they were not warned it was being removed.

The three people said they were afraid to cross the street for their mailbox or walk their dogs. They also said it is very hard for them to leave their driveway at the intersection.

The Select Board could not respond during public comment, but at its last meeting, it decided to remove the speed bump based on information from police that it was "useless" as a deterrent and from Emergency Medical Services Director Jen Weber that it was dangerous when transporting patients.

An ad hoc committee with Weber and Police Chief Robert Derksen and board members Breault and Jeff Walters to discuss the best options on reduce speeding in some areas. Maynard reminded people that community members wanting to serve are being asked to submit citizens' interest form with the town.

Lastly, Alison Dixon from Berkshire Regional Planning Commission and Berkshire Environmental Action Team's Executive Director Brittany Ebeling presented two Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness action grant projects.

One project is the road stream crossing prioritization and assessment program for town-owned bridges and culverts to prioritize crossing replacements. Dixon explained that undersized culverts were identified as a vulnerability in the town's MVP and hazard and mitigation plan. The project is expected to span two years and will notify nearby landowners before field crews work around culverts and bridges. Community members were also invited to share knowledge about crossings they believe have been problematic.

The second project will cover ghost dams. BEAT and BRPC will be working with watershed organizations and a youth team from Greenagers over the next two years locating and documenting unmapped, human-made dams, also called ghost dams, which may pose flood risks. The goal is to create a Berkshires-wide map and connect towns and landowners with information and resources for flood-resilience planning.

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