Peter Lammer sprinkles seasoning on a freshly caught fish. He roasts meats and vegetables on a sizzling grill. He’s the chef at Johanneskeller, his restaurant in Salzburg, Austria. Once, doctors told him his career was over. But a helpful invention—and a good friend—brought him back to the kitchen.
Lammer has loved cooking ever since childhood, when he would watch his grandma prepare food. As an adult, he became a chef. Then he got into a motorcycle accident.
He underwent multiple surgeries and six years of physical therapy. Even so, doctors told him he could no longer work on his feet. That was bad news since his bustling routine required long hours in a busy kitchen.
When he tried to stand and work, he realized the doctors were right. He felt pain in his injured leg.
“All the experts said that I would never be able to do a standing job again,” says Lammer.
But he wasn’t ready to give up his life’s work.
Lammer reached out to his friend, Bernard Tichy. Tichy runs a zipline adventure business. He’s also a carpenter and an amateur metalworker. With Tichy’s mechanical know-how, the pair cooked up a kitchen work solution.
The final result: a C-shaped swivel chair that hangs from rails on the ceiling. Lammer sits on an adjustable bicycle-style seat. It takes the weight off his bad leg. Unlike crutches or a wheelchair, this device keeps his hands free to work. He can glide through the kitchen and spin from workstation to workstation. He moves more gracefully than most chefs do on their feet!
“The first prototype was actually the signpost for me back to having joy in life and the future,” says Lammer. “I knew that things could only go uphill from then on, and everything else that the others said was not true.”
The two friends believe this device is one of a kind. If they wanted, they could make money by selling the patent for their design. But they would rather make sure the people who need it can afford it.
For that, they formed a company called Standing Ovation. Their company has received support from Austria’s government.
“Now I have my shop and my passion,” says Lammer.
Lammer had the courage to ask his friend for help. The solution they created can help even more people with disabilities get back to the work they love. Think of ways you can help someone else today—or ways you can ask for help. It might turn into something bigger than you planned.
Why? With the right help, problems and challenges can become opportunities to help others.
