In Conversation with Ted Reader aka The Godfather of the Grill

Few Canadians have built a career quite like Ted Reader. Known for his larger-than-life personality, live-fire cooking, and decades in the culinary world, Reader has spent much of his life on the move — from ski-bum adventures in British Columbia to culinary school, fishing lodges, restaurant kitchens, and eventually building a home and family life in Etobicoke.

For this inaugural edition of Movers & Shakers, we spoke with Ted about the places he’s lived, the things he’s carried through every move, why he believes in hiring professional movers, and what “home” means to him now.

TSM: What’s the first place you ever lived on your own?

Ted Reader: “That would have been Whistler, British Columbia, 1983. I had a little apartment outside of Whistler Village — well, it was a room in a house with a bunch of other ski bums.”

Reader grew up in Paris, Ontario, but after finishing high school, he packed up a suitcase, his skis, and his boots and headed west.

“I took a half-year off and went skiing,” he said. “Loaded up a suitcase, a pair of skis and my boots and off I went.”

TSM: Was moving west always the plan?

Ted Reader: “Yeah, that was the plan. Then I came back and went to culinary school.”

That early move kicked off a life defined by travel and reinvention. Before settling down, Reader lived all over Canada, including Banff, North Bay, Toronto, and remote fishing and hunting lodges.

“When I was a little kid, we lived in Georgetown, Brockville, Cooksville, and then Paris,” he explained. “Then out to Whistler. Then culinary school. Then up to the North Bay area out in the woods working at a fishing and hunting lodge. Then back out west to Banff.”

TSM: Who was the worst roommate you ever had?

Ted Reader: “That would probably be the first place I lived.”

Like many first apartments, the Whistler house came with a few hard lessons.

“There was a guy who would just walk into your room. There were four of us living in this house. He’d take your food. After a little bit, you start locking your door and stuff like that.”

TSM: Is there something you’ve carried through almost every move?

Ted Reader: “Yeah, I’m looking at it right now — my Sansui receiver from 1978.”

Reader laughed while explaining that the vintage stereo still works perfectly.

“Some things have just stuck with me and moved along,” he said. “Collectibles, kitchen gear, knives, pots, pans.”

And while the old receiver may currently be sitting in his garage, he’s not quite ready to part with it.

“It still works beautifully,” he said.

TSM: Did you ever move because of a relationship?

Ted Reader: “No, I didn’t move because of love.”

But his relationship with his future wife did shape his life geographically.

“When we were living together, she went to law school in Windsor for three years,” he said. “I would go down to visit, but that was it.”

Eventually, the couple settled in Toronto before buying the Etobicoke home they still live in today.

TSM: Did you ever have a move where everything went wrong?

Surprisingly, Reader says no.

“No, never did,” he said. “When we moved into the house, we had a great moving company. They assisted with packing up stuff and put everything exactly where we wanted it.”

In fact, the experience left him firmly in the “hire professionals” camp.

“I’ve never asked anybody to help me move, and I don’t like being asked to help people move,” he laughed. “You’ve got stuff, you’ve got to figure out how to move it.”

He added that professional movers exist for a reason.

“That’s what moving companies are for. They specialize in getting your stuff from one place to another.”

TSM: What place has felt most like home?

Ted Reader: “This place. The house we live in now.”

After years of constant movement, Reader says stability became more valuable than novelty.

“It’s comfortable. I feel good every time I drive into the driveway,” he said. “It just felt right.”

The Etobicoke home also made practical sense during the busiest years of his culinary career.

“It was close to the airport because I was traveling three or four trips a month back then,” he explained. “I’ve always traveled a lot with business.”

TSM: If you had ten minutes to pack one box that represented your whole life, what’s going in it?

Ted Reader: “Photos of my kids and my wife and my family. That’s what matters.”

Well — almost.

“There’s one grill I would take,” he admitted. “It’s called the German Grill. It’s a charcoal grill. They don’t make it anymore. It makes the best steaks I’ve ever cooked.”

TSM: What does “home” mean to you now versus when you were 20?

Reader didn’t hesitate.

“Comfort. Warmth. Companionship with my wife and my children. Really, that’s all that matters.”

After decades spent working in high-pressure kitchens and traveling constantly, he says calmness has become essential.

“My working life in kitchens was always chaos,” he said. “When you come home, you just want a place where you can crack a cold beer, have some smiles, and enjoy your loved ones.”

For a man whose career has revolved around feeding people, entertaining crowds, and constantly being on the move, the answer felt surprisingly simple: home is the place where the noise finally stops.

Want to taste some of Ted's delicious BBQ? Check out his restaurant, The Joint, when visiting the Eldorado Golf Club in Whitby, Ontario.

Stay tuned for our next entry of Movers & Shakers, featuring Canadian Cannabis Education Queen, Reverend Kelly from the KGL Network!