Eduardo's a chef. But he doesn't spend all his time in the kitchen — no way.
He takes off each day from his Montana home to explore the wilderness and gather all the fresh, wild ingredients he wants to use in his next meal.
Eduardo gathers food to use in his next tasty meal. All images by Saucony.
For many years, he was always on the go, working on boats as a private chef. Every chance he got, he was off to explore, soaking up as much of the local culture as he possible could. His way of getting to know each new locale? The food.
Food, he says, is his “language to connect with other people."
Take a look at how he does that, here:
Side note: Wowww, did you see those dishes he's making? Needless to say, they look amazing.
But as Eduardo describes in the video, cooking isn't the only thing that keeps him ticking.
'Cause he's not just a chef, he's also a runner and an explorer.
"Running is part of my recipe, it's part of my equation," Eduardo explains. "You pick up this rhythmic cadence of your heart, in tune with your ... spirit and your soul." Running, he says, is his way of staying connected to the outdoors.
And in turn, that relationship with nature is what inspires his culinary creations — what's in season? What can he forage today? Gathering wild, fresh ingredients is his favorite part of cooking. Well, second to sharing his delicious food with friends.
“Every day," he says, "is like another opportunity to push a little harder and to figure out how to milk more out of my life. Daily."
"To run is to keep me in the outdoors," he says.
In 2011, Eduardo lost an arm as a result of a backcountry accident.
But despite having his hook-handed prosthetic for only a few years, it certainly doesn't hold him back.
In fact, he prefers the hook to the five-fingered prosthetic he wore for a few months. "When you're cooking ... it's a dance almost," he told Katie Couric in an interview. "When I had the hand, I just didn't feel fluid, whereas with the hook ... I just rock and roll again."
Eduardo talkin' about life.
When Eduardo was first learning to use the prosthetic, he said, “It's definitely been an exploration. … It's OK to screw up, it's OK to not get it right, it's OK to not be as efficient as you were. You'll get it, you'll get it, you'll get it."
“Food and meals should enrich our lives, not just our bodies."
Eduardo's passion for exploring and foraging is one that he simply can't keep to himself. He loves to spark up conversations with friends, teach them about foraging, and share his energy with others.
Safe to say, his enthusiasm is infectious.
