Our History

In 2010, I was already toying with ideas for vocational job training and help for individuals with IDD. I established a non-profit, the Each and Everyone Foundation, to focus on job training, advocacy and support for adults with intellectual developmental differences. The development of The Mingus Job Accelerator was developed to give others a chance to explore their passion, become gainfully employed and hopefully make a living wage within their own community. Vocational on-the-job training is paramount for Adults with intellectual differences, giving them the opportunity to gain practical job experience in various skill sets which can lead to job placement within the community. 

These ideas led me to Mingus, Tx.  Our family owned the property where my great grandparents and grandparents immigrated from Italy in 1906. A place where need and legacy could collide. A setting where individuals gain skills for job placement and  stay in tiny houses to gain independent living skills. 

Thus, Beneventi’s Italian Restaurant and The Mingus Job Accelerator were born. Renovations on the 160 year old building began in the fall of 2019 and we opened June, 2020 at the height of a global pandemic. 

Owning a restaurant was not in my plans at age 72, but I guess, neither was having a child with Down Syndrome at age 26. It all works and it works with all the hassles, headaches, trials and tribulations one can endure. It’s hard, it’s also easy, it gives me energy while leaving me exhausted at times. It’s a wonderful road to travel. I am forever grateful that I was chosen to make this journey and I took full advantage of the ticket price.