OUR PEOPLE

OUR FOUNDERS
Michele Talarico Profile Picture

Michelle Talarico

Owner/Co-Founder

KATHY Dreiling

Owner/Co-Founder

ADMINISTRATION TEAM

MERLE TAYLOR

Director of Finance and Human Resources

Jacqueline Hockett Profile Picture

Jacqueline Hockett

Office Manager

Sam Talarico Profile Picture

Sam Talarico

Organizational Development Manager

SALES TEAM
Lauren Bendure Profile Picture

Lauren Bendure

Lead Sales and Event Designer

Lauren Elle Lind Profile Picture

Lauren “Elle” Lind

Executive Assistant

Millie Mollica Profile Picture

Millie Mollica

Intern

CULINARY TEAM

Geri Hunt

Director of Culinary

Desiree Camargo Profile Picture

Desiree Camargo

Offsite Culinary Manager of Catering Events

Connie Martin Profile Picture

Connie Martin

Cold Kitchen Supervisor

SERVICE TEAM

Jennifer Chowning

Director of Operations

David Bell

Facilities Manager

Natalie Mix and Carol Art Profile Picture

Natalie Mix and Carol Arthur

Lead Service Captains

OFFICE SUPPORT
Rudy Profile Picture

Rudy “The Closer”

Office Support

OUR STORY

When Kathy Dreiling and Michelle Talarico chose the name  “Soup to Nuts” for the book they plan to write, they knew it would not be difficult to recount their craziest experiences of 30 years in the catering business. Voted the “Best Catering Company in Colorado Springs” for the past twenty consecutive years, Picnic Basket Catering Company had it is beginning in 1989 when two friends combined their love for food, fun and $300 each to pursue adventures in catering. Over the past 29 years, the company has grown into three distinctly different divisions in answer to the needs of their clientele; Picnic Basket Catering Company, Buffalo Gals Grilling Company, and Cravings Catering & Five Star Events.

Located in Southwest Colorado Springs, the business has been expediting events from their current facility since 1990, employing 27 full time staff and 52-part time serving staff. Our company’s culture is progressive, tolerant and family oriented.

Last year, the company traveled 30,000 miles along the Front Range and around the Pikes Peak Region to facilitate 2,147 events to feed over 135,000 guests. Weddings, Open houses, large corporate multiple day affairs, fundraisers, holiday parties, company picnics, corporate lunches, concessions, sporting events, movie shoots, family celebrations in beautiful venues, the great outdoors and client’s homes.

 

Michelle is from Northglenn Co. and attended Colorado College. She currently serves as Board Chairman for CSLI, Secretary for The Greenburg Center for Learning & Tolerance, and sits on the board of The Pikes Peak Hospice Foundation, Colorado Springs Conservatory, Care and Share and The Wine Festival of Colorado Springs. Michelle has been in the hospitality business since she was 15, first in Denver for Governors Park, then as a manager and part owner of the former Dale Street Café. She is the company spokesperson and a well-loved community leader. Son Sam is a very important part of her life as is her love and appreciation for her staff, vendor partners and family. Michelle loves sleep, country music and chocolate. She is extremely kind and very funny and likes romance novels.

Kathy is from Hays Kansas and received a BA in Communications from Fort Hays State University. She currently serves on the Board of Citizens Project and is a long-standing member of The Colorado Springs Executive Association. Playing music professionally for many years with the group “Appaloosa”, Kathy traveled extensively.

Singing, playing bass, guitar and percussion as well as serving as a commercial jingle writer and stable singer for several studios. Kathy handles marketing and finance for the company and enjoys the people she works with and the craziness of the catering business. As a self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, she loves how every day, every menu and every client are different in the catering business and no days are ever the same. Kathy is boots on the ground as a griller, field chef and event planner for all companies. She enjoys the great outdoors, her son Sam, Dog Rudy, hiking, challenging 4-wheel terrain and considers herself a true Buffalo Gal.

Other honors include…

  • The Colorado Springs Business Journal “Women of Influence” Honoree 2015-Michelle Talarico
  • Volunteer of the Year 2019-Michelle Talarico
  • Colorado Springs Executive Association Members
  • Colorado Event Alliance: Founding Board Member-Michelle Talarico
  • Colorado Springs Business Journal Best in Business “Catering” 2012-2020.
  • Colorado Meetings + Events Magazine – Best Caterer outside of Metro D
  • Juvenile Diabetes Research Society Gala: 2012 Honore
  • Colorado Springs Leadership Institute-Michelle Talarico
  • Gazette Readers’ Choice Awards Gold: 2009-2020:
  • The Independent “Best of the Springs” 1995-2020
  • The Colorado Springs Independent’s Indy “Inclusion Award” 2015 Honore
  • Continental Who’s Who 1998-Pres
  • The Knot Best of Weddings.
  • CASA Business Award 2009.
  • Top 100 Women Owned Business Colorado Biz 1999, 2002.