Chef
Terry Wootan
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Austin, Texas, United States
i. Biography
His first education in barbecue came on the floor, not in ownership. When the place later returned to him, it was starting from near zero: “When I got [Cooper’s], it was an empty building with picnic tables. No inventory, no recipes, no nothing.”
Coming Up
A working knowledge of the house came early, and it mattered when the lease arrived in 1986. The date marks a hard reset: in 1986, he leased Cooper’s and took on a business stripped to essentials, then had to make it operational again. The work that followed was steady and exposed. Terry put it plainly: “In 1986, when I leased Cooper’s, I was wondering how I was gonna keep from going bankrupt.” That kind of line tells you what barbecue ownership can demand when cash is thin and the daily service has to hold.
Where They Are Now
Continuity is the craft here. Terry Wootan remains the owner of Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que (since 1986), and that long tenure is what ties the empty-building beginning to the present operation. What was once picnic tables and nothing else became a working barbecue house through repetition, repair, and the ability to keep the place moving. His own shorthand for those years stays blunt: “Cooper’s didn’t help much for a long time.”
In Their Words “In 1986, when I leased Cooper’s, I was wondering how I was gonna keep from going bankrupt.” “Cooper’s didn’t help much for a long time.”
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Terry
What is Terry Wootan's current role?
As of 2026, Terry Wootan is Owner of Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que.
Where did Terry Wootan work before?
Terry Wootan's earlier career included Cooper's Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que.
