Five months ago, friends Junior Hernandez and Rory Couch found themselves unemployed and trying to figure out what to do next.
“I’ve been cooking for 20 years and my buddy Rory has been barbecuing for as long as I can remember,” Hernandez said. “I got laid off and owning a food truck, it’s one of those things where it takes a partner. If you try and do it by yourself, you might forget to do something. I knew that I was going to need some help.”
And thus Fat Head Meats was born. The Odessa business has since gradually taken off, and the two longtime Permian Basin residents are happy about the way things have gone since opening.
Business was slow at first. , Hernandez said he and Couch made about $13 on the first day.
“We just stuck with it,” Hernandez said. “We didn’t give up. Things turned around. We moved to a new location. From there, people started noticing us. With that blessing, a lot of our friends started to come and see us.”
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They’ve been able to make ends meet and so far, and Fat Head Meats now employs five people and has given back to the community since its opening.
“We got so blessed that we had to help the community,” Hernandez said. “We started doing what we can. We’re laying the foundation. We’re doing as much as we can but we’re laying the foundation with what we can do.”
Like Hernandez, Couch is no stranger to the area, playing his high school football at Permian and making all-state during his senior year in 1995 as the Panthers advanced to the state championship game that season.
For Couch, working with his longtime friend has helped things go smoothly.
“Junior and I have been friends since we were kids,” Couch said. “I went off to play ball in college and I already knew what he was about and that he had been cooking for a long time.”
That partnership has helped them through the tough stretches that came in the first months of the business.
“Some days I didn’t want to do it and some days he didn’t want to do it but we stuck with it and supported each other,” Hernandez said. “That’s the great thing about having a partner. We ended up growing. Catering has helped us out. Friends and families have helped us out.”
As far as helping out with the community, Hernandez says that’s been a serious matter, saying that they don’t hesitate to try and help someone in need if they can.
They set up a give back day where a percentage of sales can contribute to an organization or someone in need.
“That’s what keeps us going,” Hernandez said. “Sometimes it’s not about the money. Our resumes are good. We know a bunch of people in the community. Helping the community is what keeps us going. That’s what we’re doing. We don’t want to do anything else.”
Couch has been happy to help give back to the community.
“It’s been a rough year for me, but I’m still happy,” he said. “We’re working and earning it. It feels good. We’re proud. We just want everyone to smile. We’re just trying to help people out.”
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