A moving and profound testimony from Eduardo Garcìa, who was forced as a child to move from Mexico to the United States to work in the fields with his family. After a dark period marked by prison, the death of his father and estrangement from his son, he is now a successful entrepreneur in the restaurant industry, owning 11 restaurants together with his wife Gaby and his partners, loyal and dutiful employees.
The News
Born in Guanajuato, Eduardo Garcìa is a strong man, carrying on his shoulders the echoes of an intense and troubled past. He has been through a lot in life; at age 9 he left his hometown, along with his mother and brother, for California, where his father, who had emigrated long before, was waiting for them. Raised amid hardships and challenges, he knows what it means to sacrifice, accustomed to scrambling from an early age to establish himself.
He worked like a war machine in the fields of the United States together with his family; at that time they were constantly moving along Route 85 in search of new opportunities. Reason being, it was virtually impossible for him to finish his studies and graduate from high school. At the age of 16 he found a job as a dishwasher in Atalanta with the help of a cousin. Later the chef proposed him to prepare salads at the counter “I was noticed by a Puerto Rican chef who suggested that I introduce myself to Brasserie Lecoz, of Eric Ripert, the same as Le Berardin in NY” declares Eduardo to El Pais.
"Initially they were not interested, I looked too small for them. But when I came back with a fake ID they gave me a second chance, I had never seen a kitchen like that! There were guys dressed in white, telling about their experiences around the world. There I was making rabbit terrines, pork pate, foie gras torchons, soups. I was operational from seven in the morning until eleven at night, every day, juggling two occupations to survive. I progressed in performing my duties, and every six months I advanced in level. Three wonderful years until I ended up in prison". He continues “I was almost 19 years old and some neighborhood friends asked me to participate in a robbery, unfortunately the police identified my Mustang, so I spent four years in Smith State Prison, in the state of Georgia”.
After his release he was deported to Mexico, after all, he was still an immigrant. Six months elapsed before he found the courage to cross the border again, moved by a phone call alerting him to the health condition of his father, who was suffering from cancer. "My stay in the U.S. lasted seven years; I obtained a (forged) social security card and was hired at a restaurant in the Sedgwickr group, earning $3500 a week, breaking my back from four in the morning. Meanwhile, my father died and my eldest son was born, until in 2007, Jennifer Velásquez, the director, accompanied by three ICE agents told me, 'Eddie, I'm here for you.'"
"From that moment on, I never saw my son again once I returned home. They told me that if I tried again to return to America they would sentence me to 20 years in federal prison. Following more holes in the water, I googled who was the best in the country in the field, Enrique Olvera's name came up. I called him the next day, and after a brief interview in Mexico City, he confirmed that I could be part of the team. At that juncture I met Gaby, my wife, and in 2011 we decided together to open Maximo, with only $400 in our pockets. Now we own 11 restaurants, each with its respective brand. The partners we work with are our own employees; we don't want to enrich those who already have a lot, but those who really need it."
