The best of times, the worst of times: Chef Justin Sutherland on the road to recovery
MINNEAPOLIS -- Justin Sutherland is one of Minnesota's most famous chefs, and in the past year has experienced the best of times and the worst of times. He says it's the people of Minnesota who helped him through.
He grew up in the Twin Cities, graduated from Minnesota State University in Mankato, was law school-bound, and made a sharp turn, going to cooking school in Georgia.
"I grew up in Apple Valley. And when I moved back from Atlanta I was like, why don't I give St. Paul a try, why not. And I never left," he said.
He's spanned the globe, competing for "Top Chef" and "Iron Chef." Now he has a new show called "Taste the Culture." And his world was turned upside down over a holiday weekend.
What started as a celebration on July 4 ended in terror. Sutherland was in a boating accident on the St, Croix. The boat's propeller ripped his face and shoulder. He was in the hospital 16 days.
"You know I always thought I lived life, loved life to the fullest, and then you don't really realize how much you really love life, until you almost lose it," Sutherland said.
Chefs and eaters united to raise thousands for his medical bills.
"Its hard to find the words to describe that, but its just powerful," Sutherland said. "It just shows you the lives you end up touching along the way, even in the smallest ways that I didn't even remember, that people remember encountering me through."
Sutherland is slowly regaining his ability to eat after having his jaw wired shut, which he says as a chef has been extra challenging.
He needs three more major surgeries on his jaw and arm but says he's prioritizing rest even with the launch of his new cookbook and autobiography, called "Northern Soul."
