Michael Busse
Michael Busse

Co-Owner and Chef

Michael knew at a very young age that he wanted to become a chef someday. He pursued his dream upon graduating from the Academy of Culinary Arts outside of Atlantic City, Jersey and working for several caterers and restaurants. In 1994, he was offered a partial partnership to relocate from New Jersey to Colorado to…

Traci Busse
Traci Busse

Co-Owner

Traci wears many hats. With a degree in fashion merchandising and marketing Traci had to learn the in’s and outs of restaurant accounting many years ago. Traci works closely with our GM Erika on all the financial aspects of the restaurant. The accounting aspect often goes unnoticed, but it is a crucial part of the…

Erika Taggart
Erika Taggart

General Manager and Sommelier

Erika first moved to the Gunnison Valley in 2002 from New Hampshire as a ski bum for “one winter”. She fell in love with this beautiful place and decided to stay forever. Erika, like many of us in Gunnison, enjoys skiing, rafting, and camping with her husband and their three well-loved dogs. She first started…

Dan Becker
Dan Becker

Chef and Kitchen Manager

He is a 2005 graduate of Western State College with a degree in Kinesiology with an emphasis in education. Dan joined Garlic Mike’s kitchen staff in 2006 and very quickly moved up the ranks and moved into the chef position where he proudly builds a team of his own. When he’s not creating culinary delights…

Tami Somrak
Tami Somrak

Assistant Manager

Tami was born and raised in Crested Butte, Co. After graduating from Western State College, she moved to Columbus, Georgia, where she was a military wife for five years. She then raised a family in Parker, Colorado, until she moved back to Gunnison in 2018. After being gone for some time and wanting to meet…

Nathan Catchings
Nathan Catchings

Lead Server and Sommelier

Nathan is one of our in house Sommelier’s and has been with us for six years. He moved to the valley from Northern Virginia in 2018, and is also a student at Western Colorado University studying Mechanical Engineering with an Aerospace focus. Currently studying for the next level of his Sommelier certification in addition to…

Jessica Stolberg

Event Coordinator

Jessica moved to the Gunnison Valley in January of 2024 from Colorado Springs to work her event planning business full time. Jess is a Colorado native! She graduated in 2020 from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with her Bachelors in Communications. She has fallen in love with this town, particularly its breathtaking summers,…