{"id":494,"date":"2016-02-24T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/?p=494"},"modified":"2023-05-27T04:39:01","modified_gmt":"2023-05-27T04:39:01","slug":"austin-a-true-underdawg-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/austin-a-true-underdawg-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Austin: a true ‘underdawg’ story"},"content":{"rendered":"

Austin Underwood<\/a> excitedly instructs how to prepare his famous spaghetti with pink sauce.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet the pasta boil first, then you cook the sauce,\u201d Austin Underwood said, running down his recipe. \u201cThen you mix it with the pasta, it\u2019s that easy.\u201d<\/p>\n

True to his brand, this \u201cunderdawg\u201d didn\u2019t allow his down syndrome get in the way of his aspirations to become a chef. Overcoming adversity is nothing new to the 37-year-old Texas native.<\/p>\n

\"austin\"Austin Underwood.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he was 21, we found a vocational program in Roswell, New Mexico,\u201d Jan Underwood, Austin\u2019s mother recounts. \u201cAustin told them he wanted to be a chef, but he doesn\u2019t know how to read.\u201d<\/p>\n

His tenacity was undeniable, so he was instructed on how to be a prep chef. Slowly but surely he adapted and by the end of the semester he was full on running the Eastern New Mexico University stir-fry station.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s when he really got into cooking,\u201d Jan Underwood said.<\/p>\n

The bug never wore off. Since then, Austin\u2019s work has always involved food in some way or another, working at small restaurants and everywhere from McDonalds to Albertsons<\/p>\n

Currently, Austin works at Campisi\u2019s, an Italian eatery. Getting the job was serendipitous to say the least. When the restaurant opened up a few years back, Austin and his family decided to give the new place in town a try. After all, it was only a block from home. Before the check came, Austin asked the owner for a job.<\/p>\n

Austin serves as the host, and is popular with co-workers and patrons alike.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m a greeter, I help people to their seats,\u201d Austin Underwood said. Among locals, Austin is popular to say the least.<\/p>\n

\"ScreenAustin and his patented “Dawgsauce”<\/p>\n

Soon, Austin will be undertaking the biggest food endeavor of his life with Austin\u2019s Underdawgs<\/a>: a food trailer serving grilled franks by Austin himself. Austin will also be selling a spicy and sweet barbecue sauce aptly named “Dawg Sauce” through his website, further getting his brand out there.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an undertaking of him wanting to own his own business, and me, I want to help expand vocational opportunities for people with disabilities,\u201d Jan Underwood said.<\/p>\n

Once the business gets it\u2019s footing, it will be donating some of its profits to the Each and Everyone Foundation, which seeks to develop programs for disabled people much like the one Austin received in Roswell.<\/p>\n

The launch of the food trailer is a little more than 40 days away. Until then, Austin will keep cooking for loved ones and being an inspiration to everyone he meets.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s like the Mayor of Ft. Worth,\u201d Jan Underwood said. \u201cHe\u2019s pretty direct, very savvy. Like a celebrity.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Austin Underwood excitedly instructs how to prepare his famous spaghetti with pink sauce. \u201cLet the pasta boil first, then you cook the sauce,\u201d Austin Underwood said, running down his recipe. \u201cThen you mix it with the pasta, it\u2019s that easy.\u201d True to his brand, this \u201cunderdawg\u201d didn\u2019t allow his down syndrome get in the way […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[146,145,143],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-494","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-amazing-chefs","category-featured-product-artisan","category-the-daily-tout"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=494"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7594,"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/494\/revisions\/7594"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=494"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=494"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foodiedaily.alipsmith.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=494"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}