Nobody got Ty Pennington’s autograph.

All other members of the “Extreme Makeover” design team were missing in action, too.

That doesn’t matter to Kathy Askelson and Mindi Askelson, co-owners of the Savory Skillet cafe in Austin — They got to feed the entire ABC television show’s production and work crew during construction of a new home for Dick and Susan DeVries in Hayward Township, Freeborn County.

Pennington, the show’s host and star, may have skipped visiting Austin, but the show’s mascot, a gnome called “Sherman,” was a guest of the Askelsons and taken to some of the sights in Austin during the filming of the show episode in October.

“We can say ‘Sherman’ was here, and we have the pictures to prove it,” Kathy said.

The hugely popular ABC show’s crew visited Freeborn County in September and October.

The premise of the show is to find a family in extreme need of new housing and then enlist volunteers to build a new home for the family.

The results of eight days of filming began Sept. 30, when they first knocked on the DeVries family’s front door and announced plans to build them a new dream home. The episode will air at 7 p.m. Sunday on Austin ABC affiliate Channel 6.

When Askelson learned from a food salesman that the “Extreme Makeover” crew was coming to the area, she inquired how the Savory Skillet could become involved.

It took a series of telephone calls to put Askelson in touch with the show’s producers, who gladly welcomed her offer to cater a meal during the home construction and television show filming.

The Savory Skillet was chosen to serve a meal Saturday night, Oct. 4.

“We have never catered a meal like that before,” Askelson said. “We decided to serve them authentic Minnesota comfort foods.

“We had to prepare 3,000 meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, all-American corn, salads and 1,000 of our famous cookies for dessert,” she said.

Volunteer workers from five construction companies and Riverland Community College carpentry class students, as well as the show’s own filming crew, dined on the meal.

Askelson had no problem finding her own volunteers to help prepare, transport and serve the meal. “Everybody wanted to come along,” she said. “We ended up taking 17 people.”

Sysco Foods donated the meatballs, potatoes and gravy for the meal. That helped reduce the Savory Skillet’s costs, which were estimated at $3,000 if it was a for-pay catering gig.

What did the Savory Skillet crew get in return?

“Everyone was very much appreciative of our food,” she said. “Many came back for seconds or thirds, they were working so hard to get the home done in time for the family.”

The ABC show’s crew gave the Savory Skillet crew “Extreme Makeover” T-shirts.

“It was a lot of fun to be involved in a project such as this,” said Askelson. “The amazing part was to see how fast they built that house. We were there over the weekend — October fourth through the sixth — and all you had to do was turn around and they had something else done. It went so fast.”

Plus, the Savory Skillet got to host the gnome mascot, Sherman, thanks to Tina Feuerhak’s intervention.

“We took the mascot to the Spam Museum, the Paramount Theatre and all over town,” Askelson said. “Wherever the show goes, they like to take Sherman to local attractions and have his picture taken for their scrapbook and we were lucky enough to have him visit Austin,” she said.

Tonight, all of the Savory Skillet volunteers will be holding their own “Extreme Makeover” party at Chauncy Apartments when the show airs.

There will be many memories to recall.

No Ty, but a gnome named Sherman and the satisfaction of helping a family in need.