MANSFIELD – Christopher LeVangie is a young man on his way up.

Two-and-a-half months ago, LeVangie, the 24-year-old son of Donatella LeVangie, so impressed the staff at the Renaissance Hotel at Patriot Place in Foxboro that he was hired on the spot to bus tables 20 hours a week at the hotel’s high end restaurant.

In that short space of time, he’s already received a raise and been given a chance to learn cooking alongside the restaurant’s executive chef.

LeVangie’s mom said that while some employers were hesitant to offer him a job, she knew her son would succeed if given a chance. “We’ve always had high expectations for Christopher,” said LeVangie, who was told he had Down syndrome when he was an infant. “We have a saying we like to use. ‘Don’t dis my abilities.”

Read the full story here.