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Prep ATX is offering food on-site while also providing kitchens to various food services. (Julia Keim/Prep ATX)
Prep ATX, located at 1300 East Anderson Lane, spans over 55,000 feet, making it the largest commercial kitchen in Texas. It provides a large space for different food and beverage businesses to operate, including traditional restaurants, consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands, prepared meal service companies, ghost kitchens, caterers and food trucks.
While some businesses will use the space solely to prep and cook, the public is welcome to purchase food from certain vendors on-site. Those vendors include Brooklyn Breakfast Shop, Taste of Home Dumpling, Austin's first potato donuts shop Potadough's and KIN ZEN.
CPG businesses operating at the location will include Chop Chop, Fresh Fronks, Comal Fajita House, Thanks Danks Jerky and Kimbala Chai.
View the full list of businesses with Prep ATX here.
This is the second Prep location to open in the U.S. after the original Atlanta location opened in 2014. Prep in Atlanta is the largest multi-purpose kitchen campus in the Southeast U.S. Prep also offers its vendors services like co-working and mentorship programs.
"We love being able to provide kitchen space and resources for every kind of food business under the sun," said Mitchel Jaffe, PREP's CEO and co-founder. "PREP ATX's main mission is to support the Austin culinary community, giving businesses a home base to grow and flourish."
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Chupie the Lykoi cat is now recognized around Austin after going viral on TikTok. (Claire Partain/Austonia)
The unusual kitty has recently gone viral on social media, garnering over 30 million views on TikTok and cheering up cat fans globally during the difficulties of the pandemic.
But according to owner and Austin resident Michelle, who asked not to disclose her full name for privacy reasons, this wasn't what she expected at all when she first made Chupie's Instagram and TikTok in January.
Chupie's claim to fame—aside from his overwhelming cuteness and love for all foods (except salsa and carrots)—is his unique genetics. Lykoi cats, named after the Greek word for "wolves" and often aptly dubbed "wolf cats," are the result of a mutation originally found in feral cat populations that have since become a pedigree cat breed.
He's gotten plenty of love—and plenty of bullying—for his wolf-like appearance. Michelle has been told he looks like anything from the weasel of "Suicide Squad" to Clint Eastwood as a cat.
"I think that a lot of people think that he looks like an ugly cat because he looks mangy," Michelle said. "But that's kind of what makes him special."
But Chupie doesn't have the disposition of a werewolf. In fact, the friendly cat can be seen kayaking, hiking and lounging around locales around Austin, from historic bar Nickel City to his favorite spot at South Austin's Little Darlin'.
@chupiedoesntgiveameow Wanna play some pool? ##fyp ##viral ##funny ##lykoicat ##werewolfcat ##adventurecat
♬ The Banjo Beat, Pt. 1 - Ricky Desktop
He's almost always well-behaved, too—that is, until food enters the picture.
Just a few days after making his Internet debut, Chupie first went viral for viciously gripping onto a bag of H-E-B buns. The post gained 1.3 million views.
@chupiedoesntgiveameow Give me your buns🥖👀##fyp ##trending ##catsoftiktok ##lykoicat ##funny ##viral ##funnycatsoftiktok
♬ Rasputin (Single Version) - Boney M.
Since then, similar videos of Chupie gripping baguettes, treats and other goodies have gained up to 11 million views apiece.
@chupiedoesntgiveameow Back at it again🥖 ##fyp ##tiktokviral ##lykoicat ##catsoftiktok
♬ Countdown - Snoop Dogg
Michelle and her husband have beencreating content nearly every weekend and are now busier than ever. Still, it's been a rewarding, if unexpected, life change, especially as she hears from fans worldwide who view Chupie as a bright spot in their life.
Michelle said that she's received countless positive messages from fans, many of whom struggled during the pandemic.
"I joke that he's a 'meowtivational speaker' because I really think that we sometimes live in really dark places, especially during COVID," Michelle said. "So if we can give them even a little part of their day, even if it's 10 seconds where they feel joy, then it's worth it."
That popularity has translated into real life. Chupie is celebrated by fans and newcomers alike nearly everywhere he goes. In an interview with Austonia, Chupie was almost immediately greeted by a fascinated stranger who was quick to scratch his head and take pictures, something Michelle said is a normal occurrence.
"Everybody knows him when I go places now," Michelle said. "People are like, 'Oh my God, is that Chupie? Can I feed him the crust of my pizza?'"
Chupie before getting a treat. (Claire Partain/Austonia)
Chupie after he gets a treat. (Claire Partain/Austonia)
"He's living better than me probably," Michelle joked. "We live our lives well together. But I've never done so many things in one weekend until I started making these videos."
So what's next for Chupie? Michelle hopes one day she can take her kitty on global adventures where he can meet fans. For now, she's busy making Chupie merch, sending out care packages and is looking forward to taking her pet to animal events like the POP Cats festival on Saturday.
"This has gone way further than I ever imagined, and it's about Chupie, but it's also about the 'I don't give a meow' attitude," Michelle said. "I think people need to take life less seriously, so it's nice to be an outlet for that."
