My parents were both raised born and married in New Orleans, so no matter where I've lived, I'll always be a cajun boy. Shortly before I was born, we moved to Phoenix, where my father began his 20 year career working for Motorola. I was born there, but by the time I was just a few months old we had moved to Austin. I have always wished that we had gotten here just a little bit earlier, as I have lived here all of my life, and have absolutely no ties to Arizona at all.
By the time I was 3 years old we had moved to the country halfway between Bastrop and Austin. Every boy should have a chance to live in the woods. I learned to shoot a gun and bow, hunted rabbit, squirrels, birds, and fished every chance I had. I started out in the Cub Scouts when I was only 5, went through Boy Scouts all the way through graduating as an Eagle Scout when I was 16.
Before graduating from high school I only knew 2 things: Boy Scouts and Theatre. I attended summer camp at Lost Pines every year, and worked on staff there the last three. I was a swimming and lifeguard instructor, organized campfires, and orchestrated leadership training seminars for hundreds of boys. During the school year I was also involved with the school theatre program. I competed in U.I.L. One Act Play, taking Best Actor on several occasions all the way up to Region. I even performed at the Bastrop Opera House community theatre dozens of times as the leading boy. Then, I went to college. In 1993, Southwest Texas State University had already been notorious for being a party school for years. I was there as a BFA Acting Major. What? No audition I had ever been to cared either way if you had a degree in acting. No job I have ever applied for since wanted someone who had a degree in acting either. Long story short, after much debauchery, and late nights, I decided to get out of town. There was no point in getting that degree, so I dropped out of school to get my head clear.
I decided to go home, but not back to Bastrop. I decided to go to my home away from home, the place I had spent every summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas; New Orleans. My Grandfather had begun to loose his battle with cancer, so my mom and I moved in with him for a month or so until he passed away. After the funeral, my mother left went back to Texas and I stayed behind to try school again. By now, it was 1998 and I had been working in restaurants for 9 years, (an actor that waits tables? Unheard of!) so I decided to attend Delgado Culinary Institute and become a Chef. I continued to work in restaurants, on Bourbon Street as a waiter, and at South Shore yacht club as a bar manager. No matter what anyone ever tells you, there is no staying out of trouble as long as you work in the restaurant industry. While there, I met a few members of the Junior Mafia, and continued the same lifestyle I had been living at SWT. Clearing my head I was not.
After 2 years of N.O., I finally called my Mom and crawled home with my tail between my legs. I lived the sober life, I even took a job working for MCI selling long distance. . . for about 6 months. Then there was Earl. They called him the Tyler Rose. You may know him better as the infamous Earl Campbell. He decided to open a restaurant on Austin's 6th Street, I decided to get back into it. I moved out of my parent's house and back into Austin, and though I did manage to get into some trouble, I met some of the closest friends I have to this day. Rick, Jody, Missi, Donald, and the love of my life, Rachel.
I worked in several places after Earl's. Austin Java Co. at The Backyard, (a great venue) CRS, and finally, my new home away from home, Maudie's Cafe. I love those people. After living here for 30 years It was you Maudie's people that finally made me feel like Austin is my home. Well, I finally had to grow up and think about the future. The future of my life, my wife, and someday, my children. So here I am. After 15 years of working in bars and restaurants, giving up my dream of becoming a famous actor, and experiencing more in 10 years than most people see in a lifetime I can finally take a breath.
Now, I'm trying to take it as easy as I know how to. I work at a little fruit stand called Apple. I’ve been there for two years now and have taken to computer technical support like the natural. I’ve scrambled up the promotions ladder, and now I’m training on servers to support corporate customers. I even started my own company called Mouton Solutions, where I provide on-site technical support to restaurants and individuals. It’s been a slow start, but I’m optimistic.
