Tim Reading grew up in a small town near Boston and discovered his passion for cooking through his high school’s culinary program. During high school, he worked as a dishwasher at a local country club, where he eventually became a line cook. Tim attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, and while he was in school, completed an internship at a two-Michelin-starred restaurant Gourmet Restaurant Lerbach in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. After graduation, Tim returned to Boston and worked under Michael Schlow at his four restaurants—Via Matta, Doretta, Tico and Alta Strada—and progressed from line cook to chef de cuisine within the next five years. He moved to Houston in 2018 looking for a new culinary challenge, which he found as executive chef of Hugo Ortega’s Caracol. During COVID, he started a business as a private chef and then opened Ixim Restaurant in Bravery Chef Hall. In early 2022, Tim joined Underbelly Hospitality as executive chef of GJ Tavern, where he plans to showcase his global experience and classic French technique in an expanded menu.