A young man is living proof that having Down syndrome doesn’t have to be an unstoppable barrier to achieving one’s dreams. Armed with a love of food and a thirst for success, one entrepreneur has launched a BBQ sauce business. He is even donating part of his profits towards helping others with Down syndrome pursue higher education.
For Matthew Hessburg, a 23-year-old from Grosse Pointe Park in Michigan, cooking has always been a passion. “From an early age, my three brothers and I have always had a strong relationship with food. We have always loved cooking, grilling, baking, or our favorite: eating,” he explained in an
Instagram post.
This inspiring young man didn’t let living with Down syndrome stop him from pursuing an education. He studied Hospitality and Restaurant Management at Western Carolina University. As part of his degree, he trained at Haywood Smokehouse, an award-winning restaurant. And according to his website, that experience was the inspiration for launching Matthew’s
Bonfire BBQ, his range of barbecue sauces that are available in two flavors, Carolina Gold and Blueberry Chipotle.
In another
Instagram post, Matthew described the “year-long process” involved in creating his sauces. “It required lots of experimenting with ingredients, taste testings with family and friends, and then final tweaks of our homemade sauces based on feedback,” the post read. But hard work didn’t stop the man who has been dubbed the “the hot and spicy guy.”
Matthew’s Bonfire BBQ officially launched on Sunday, Oct. 12, 2019, and it was a success. After a year of hard work and testing recipes, the young man finally saw his dream come to life. “When you believe it’s possible, you can achieve great things in life,” he told
Fox 47 News.
And his family couldn’t be any prouder of his achievements. “He has a blast just being who he is, letting other people know that they should feel comfortable in their own skin, and dream big like he is dreaming,” said Joe Hessburg, Matthew’s older brother, in an interview. While his mom adds that he “[a]lways keeps that shine in his heart. Get up every morning and be excited about who he is and what he has to offer to our community.”
Giving back is high on the priority list for this young man so much so that he has pledged to give a portion of proceeds from the business to the University Participant Program at his alma mater and Ruby’s Rainbow Scholarships—both programs designed to help other people with Down syndrome enter higher education. “It is important to give back and help other people,” Matthew said.
The barbecue sauces are only the first step in Matthew’s path for greatness, though. He plans on opening a grill restaurant in the future, one that features a large fire pit, or as he calls it, “the ultimate gathering spot.”
Aside from someone with a condition called Down syndrome, he is also a man who loves his family, a chef, and an entrepreneur. He also loves to share his success with others who live with the same condition. He aims to “help raise the means for others with intellectual disabilities go to college and live their dreams too,” as his
Instagram post says.
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