COORDINATOR OF CHAOS
Curly Parsley is a boutique hospitality consulting firm based in New Jersey, serving the NJ and NYC metropolitan areas. Founded by Tania Kalian, the firm bridges the critical gap between "back office" discipline and "front of house" execution. Positioning herself as a "Coordinator of Chaos," Tania specializes in operational management, financial structuring, and strategic problem-solving for independent restaurants and hospitality groups.
Tania's career began at age 14 in her cousin's restaurant in NJ, where she worked various positions throughout high school. She later graduated from the University of Vermont with a BS in Business Administration, concentrating in Entrepreneurship. She wrote her senior business plan for a healthy fast-casual restaurant, and has been working in hospitality ever since.
After college, Tania’s love for the restaurant industry, combined with her business education, led her to to her first “real life” job as a Controller for restaurant clients, some of which included The Meatball Shop, No. 7 Sub, Galway Hooker and Fiddlesticks. She was soon hired to work as an in-house bookkeeper for The Meatball Shop, and quickly grew into their Director of Finance and Human Resources. Wanting to learn a little of everything, she eventually stepped away from her finance role and began working in operations, gaining hands-on experience managing staff, taking care of guests, and even cooking on the line when necessary. After 4 years at The Meatball Shop, she decided it was time to learn from another operation.
Following a one-year stint at Juice Press, Tania felt that being restricted to just one position was no longer satisfying her “Coordinator of Chaos” cravings for constant challenge and problem solving. She has since consulted for various restaurants, working on projects ranging from financial reporting to employee training programs.
Most recently, Tania created Nettie’s House of Spaghetti in Tinton Falls, which she successfully owned & operated for 6 years prior to stepping away in 2024.
Today, Tania leverages her owner-operator experience to assist a diverse portfolio of clients—from fast-casual brands to fine dining—providing high-level financial direction paired with operational reality checks.
