Distinctly Montana Magazine

W W W. D I S T I N C T LY M O N TA NA . C O M 81 day nine doctors told him his left hand was infected and if left in place could kill him. He had to make the extreme choice to have his hand and forearm am- putated. He also lost four ribs and several muscles in his torso, as well as a large part of his scalp. At the time of his ac- cident, he and his friend and business partner, Jen- nifer Jane, were working on a celebrity chef show. When they started the Montana Mex food brand in 2010 Jen told Eduardo she would only be in- volved if he started a TV show about being a chef. ey filmed a promotional video and got the attention of the Food Network, who planned to start producing the show. Eduardo and Jen got an agent and inves- tors, and were on the brink of breaking out with their show, to be called Active Ingredient. It would star Eduardo as a celebrity chef, cooking gourmet meals in the outdoors, to support the Montana Mex brand. eir first production meeting with Food Network was scheduled for October 17, 2011. Instead, that was the day Eduardo had his left hand and forearm amputated. Eduardo's ordeal has since been told in film, Charged: e Edu- ardo Garcia Story (see sidebar), released in 2017. It's a documentary survival story instead of a Hollywood-style drama, starring the real people instead of actors. is realism gives the film a lot of punch and power. It has also allowed Eduardo to begin reaching a much wider audience with his positive message. "We have to focus on self so we can be strong healthy humans in positions to help others" Eduardo told me. "You have to be pretty solid." It's hard to imagine a person coming out of what Eduardo en- dured with a positive attitude. But Eduardo exudes positivity. "We all have the power to choose our attitude" he told me. "Life is the greatest gift on Earth." Growing up in Montana, he says, gave Eduardo a thick skin. "Life can be textured and tough anywhere, but the outdoor ele- ments and extreme nature of the Montana seasons lends it to creating calloused individuals both inside and outside. If you are from Montana you have an affinity for the outdoors and engaging with Mother Nature, and this gives you toughness." Living in Montana's Paradise Valley offered Eduardo that outdoor lifestyle. He skied and snowboarded at Bridger Bowl and Big Sky and still does. He started out in the food industry working at Chico Hot Springs during high school. "I found I had a natural affinity for the job and the lifestyle. ere has to be an ability to work under pressure." He went to cooking school at the Art Institute of Seattle and soon real- ized how important food really is. He began to see cooking as a way of life and a way to help people by providing healthy food. While in college Eduardo was offered the job as a chef on a yacht called Dorothea. He traveled the world for two and a half years on Dorothea, then worked on other yachts including one called Blind Date, owned by investor Peter Hochfelder, who became Executive Producer of the Charged film. He returned to Montana to start his cooking show and Montana Mex food brand of seasonings, sauces and cooking oils. M O N T A N A 2017 Montana Community of the Year Livingston Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Bureau DiscoverLivingston.com M O N T A N A Visit Your year round destination on the banks of the Yellowstone River! PHILLIP BARIBEAU BTICU University of Utah.

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