Ted Reader is a Canadian chef and author of several cookbooks. A native of Paris, Ontario and a graduate of George Brown College’s culinarymanagement program, Ted credits his mother as well as his grandfather for giving him a passion for cooking. Watching Celebrity Cooks on TV after school, he would enlist his mother's aid in preparing the same dishes at home. Growing up to hold positions in local restaurants, he eventually became executive chef at the Skydome Hotel at Rogers Centre in Toronto. He would later hold a five-year tenure as executive chef of President's Choice, where he helped develop such products as the PC Real Jerk Wings and PC Thick and Cheesy Burgers. Still living in Toronto, Reader is a huge proponent of the barbecue, a veteran of several television shows, and the author of numerous cookbooks. For nine years Reader was the featured grill chef on the series Cottage Country and he was also a team chef with Cart Racing for three seasons. He was the Chef for drivers Adrian Fernandez and Roberto Moreno during this time. He is the author of several cookbooks including Sticks and Stones: The Art of Grilling on Plank, Vine and Stone, which was awarded the Silver Medal in the Cuisine Canada 2000 Cookbook Awards. Other cookbooks include, Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Grilling, Napoleon's EverydayGourmetPlank Grilling, and Napoleon's Everyday Gourmet Burgers which are Canadian best sellers. Reader also has a line of sauces and products, called Ted's World Famous BBQ. Products include "Beerlicious BBQ Sauce", "Crazy Canuck BBQ Sauce", "Pineapple Rum BBQ Sauce", "Apple Brown Betty BBQ Sauce", "Orgasmic Onion", "Bone Dust" and "Maple and Cedar Planks". Reader has also made regular guest appearances on Citytv’s Breakfast Television, Toronto’s AM 640, and is a part of Rock Mornings with Craig Venn and Lucky on 94.9 The Rock. In 2010, Reader attempted to set a world record for the largest hamburger. He grilled a 268 kilogram burger in downtown Toronto as part of a promotional tour for a cookbook.
