Background | Executive Chef | Dedicated Staff

Background After ten successful years building the Picnic Basket Catering Co. name, we launched a sister company, called "Cravings Catering" to address the need for upscale social catering for everything from weddings to galas. Our clients told us they sometimes needed more than just great food - they needed a distinctive event and help with all of the	Michelle Talarico and Kathy Dreiling, co-founders, Cravings Catering
important details. Cravings provides a “kid gloves’ approach to special events, where every detail is carefully considered, such as staffing, china and glassware, help with alcoholic beverages and outside services such as florists, musicians, and photographers.

Our renowned Executive Chef
Jenna Hines was promoted to Executive Chef early in 2010 after serving as
Sous chef under Chef Jonathan Peterson the previous year. She is amazingly talented & creative, as well as an inspired and courageous leader. We are very proud to have her as part of our family.
Co:Owners
Kathy & Michelle

A few words from Jenna…about Jenna:
I am 23 yrs old, born and raised in Colorado Springs. I spent all my childhood days bothering my Mom in the kitchen… wanting to help stir and measure everything! I am blessed to have a family full of people who love to cook, and are great at it! My love for cooking really started when I was young and would watch my mother and grandma always cookin' away!  Then in middle school, I had a family friend in the culinary field that really helped spark my interest in cooking. From then on, I knew that I wanted to be a chef!
A year after graduating, I moved to Phoenix, AZ to pursue my love for cooking. I attended the Art Institute of Phoenix and spent two and one-half years there getting my associates degree in applied science for Culinary Arts. After school, I decided to move back home to Colorado Springs, which brings me to where I am now, The Picnic Basket!!! I have moved my way up from working in the cold kitchen to being the Exec.Chef. The hard work, fast pace, and dedication it takes for this job has made my love for cooking that much greater! I can’t imagine doing, or being anywhere else, other then here with the Picnic Basket family! I have learned so much and know that I will continue to learn and grow everyday!

Interests

1. Being an "Auntie" for the best niece and nephew in the world!
2. Basketball - played for 13 years competitively
3. Huge sports fan….go Broncos and Nuggets!
4. Very family oriented - family is my life
5. Music: can't sing, and can’t play any instruments, but can’t imagine life without it.
6. Camping: love love love camping. Being in the mountains.
7. Work: Having the best group of people I could ever imagine working with and for! Truly love my job and waking up in the morning knowing I love what I do and the people I am lucky enough to work with! I am very ambitious and eager to improve and learn more, and be the best possible chef, leader, friend, and person I can be for this company and life in general.
   

A quote I love: "Human beings, who are almost unique in having the ability to learn from the experience of others, are also remarkable for their apparent disinclination to do so."

catering testimonials

Cravings catering is a sister company of Picnic Basket for portable feasts and Buffalo Gals Grilling for catered picnics and New West BBQ. Please keep us in mind for all of your catering needs – we always appreciate your business.