With his talent, passion and charisma, Montana-born chef Eduardo Garcia may always have been destined for stardom.
But his story of overcoming a life-changing injury to continue his work has catapulted him to a level of fame that has an altogether more meaningful dimension. Getting his first job cooking at Chico Hot Springs at age 15, Eduardo quickly fell in love with the craft.
He went on to attend the Art Institute of Seattle, at the same time as working in kitchens, and then became a chef on a private yacht. 11 years of traveling the world later, Eduardo returned to Montana to launch his own brand of seasonings, sauces and kitchen essentials – Montana Mex.
With an outdoor cooking show, Active Ingredient, also in the pipeline, his future looked certain. But then, while out hunting, Eduardo was electrocuted by a buried power line as he tried to retrieve the claw of a dead bear caught in a metal can.
He was alone, and was immediately knocked unconscious by the force of the electricity. To all intents and purposes, he could have been left for dead. But, waking up from an unconscious state, he hiked three miles for help and was airlifted to hospital. This talented chef had to have part of his left arm amputated, among other significant surgeries – a devastating injury for someone so reliant on carrying out such detailed work with his hands.
With the support of professionals and his loved ones, Eduardo chose to find a way to recover and continue his work, learning to use a prosthetic left arm; a development that led him to become known as ‘the bionic chef’.
With the support of professionals and his loved ones, Eduardo chose to find a way to recover and continue his work, learning to use a prosthetic left arm; a development that led him to become known as ‘the bionic chef’ .
Eduardo continued his mission to combine food with his passion for nature, but with the added element of determination that comes from overcoming such a momentous obstacle.
This tragedy in turn generated new projects that would never have come to pass had he not suffered and overcome his huge setback. A film about his life, ‘Charged: The Eduardo Garcia Story’ , was released in 2018.
The five- part TV series Hungry Life was released the same year, and saw Eduardo traveling the world on cooking adventures in wild landscapes.
Ultimately his victory led to his becoming a celebrated motivator, speaker and media personality, as well as the superstar chef he was always born to be. Find out more at chefeduardo.com.