ABC7 reviewed surveillance video that captured the moment three men attacked Saucy Porka's Chef M while he was getting home from work back in October.
He says one man had a knife, stabbing him in the back in the Back of the Yards neighborhood.
"One guy had a knife and stabbed me three times," he said. "And then I think, only, 'he kill me.'"
Chef M says he has no idea why anyone would attack him.
He says his injuries were so severe, they nearly took his life and landed him in the hospital.
"I've been in the hospital for eight days," he said.
The Oct. 24 attack also damaged the nerves in his hands. The damage has kept him from doing what he loves: being in the kitchen.
"It takes the people that love you the most, to tell you that you need to take time for yourself," said Saucy Porka owner Amy Le.
Le says she has worked with Chef M for over a decade. He helped build her business from a food truck to three locations: two in Chicago and one in St. Louis. But being without him means she is forced to close the location on the corner of Franklin and Van Buren.
"It's the people you work with every day that become your family, and it's your whole life. And to watch it close after 13 years, even though we have the other location, it's still an end to this chapter that you've built," Le said.
"All my coworkers, they don't know, like, everything, the recipes. They don't know everything like me," Chef M said.
Since the announcement of the closing, customers have poured in support. So far, they have raised over $11,000 this past week. It will all go toward Chef M's medical expenses.
He says he does not know if he will ever be able to cook again. For right now, he is glad he can still come home to his family.
"It's so sad when I think about my child growing up without father. This is, wow, thank God, I'm still here," Chef M said.
Saucy Porka is also selling the chef's signature spices to help raise money for his medical expenses. Chicago police say there are no updates on the case as of yet.
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