Interview with Kevin Barthelemy, executive chef and owning partner
Q: How did you get involved in this business?
A: I was working in Vail and took an opportunity to race in the American Ski Classic. The caterer had put out some decent cuisine, so I was curious if they might be hiring. I spoke with the manager (my future business partner Stephen Tanner) and I was hired to help them with a few functions in Vail and in Denver. My experience and love for catering established a solid working relationship. Stephen and I expressed the same desire to start our own catering company to surpass everyone’s expectation, to redefine catering. Hence, Elevated Catering was born.
Q: What distinguishes you from other businesses in your category?
A: Our passion for what we do is to the point of absurd. We pride ourselves in creating custom menus for our clients. We listen to and execute every detail down to the client-specific seasoning of a dish. In order to accomplish this, nearly all of our product is hand-made and from scratch. Our goal is to create culinary experiences that are on the same level of well-respected restaurants.
Q: What do you like best about your line of work?
A: Helping people celebrate. I’ve always loved cooking because of the joy it brings to everyone. In catering, I get to experience an even deeper connection with our guests and the food I’ve customized just for them. It’s very rewarding.
Q: What is your business’ biggest challenge?
A: Matching the palettes of 200, 400, 500 guests with just one event’s menu. I like to push the envelope of what is possible to execute in catering. However, I also have to consider our guests understanding of my creations, making sure that the food is not too intimidating. It’s also very challenging to drive catering cuisine forward while respecting our clients’ budgets. It’s a bit of dance, but I embrace the challenge of creating something unique from a limited resource. My ultimate goal is to create the best value for any penny spent.
Q: Something people might be surprised to learn about you or your business:
A: I’m quite the atypical chef. I’m not a yeller and a screamer and my kitchen crew finds that refreshing. We accomplish so much more with mutual respect than with intimidation. Catering to this level is an incredible amount of work. You have to be a glutton for punishment, but that work deserves to be rewarded when executed properly. I love my kitchen crew, they’re a passionate group of chefs, and cooking without passion is just a job.
Profile
Business: Elevated Catering
Address: 4535 Thompson Court
Hours: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday
Founded: 2010
Contact: 720-629-4638, ,
Employees: 40
