Tim Butler

Coming Up

At the Culinary Institute of America, Tim Butler got the kind of base that shows up later as control: timing, structure, and a working vocabulary for pastry. The next stage came in Thailand, where he refined that craft as a pastry chef and learned to move with a different set of ingredients and expectations. The line from there to New York City is clear in the kitchens he entered: Aquavit and Restaurant Daniel, both environments that reward precision and discipline. Since 2010, Butler has been executive chef at Eat Me in Bangkok, where the role has become the frame for his broader approach. The job is not just oversight; it is the place where his background in pastry, his international experience, and his taste for flexibility meet in a single kitchen.

Where They Are Now

At Eat Me, Butler works outside the habits of a fixed template. The cooking is built to move across borders, which is why the menu can make room for ingredients and flavours without being locked to a single tradition. That freedom is deliberate, but it still depends on restraint: the food has to land with enough clarity to keep the room comfortable while still leaving space for surprise. The dining room follows the same logic. Butler asks guests to relax and share dishes, which changes the rhythm of service and pushes the meal toward something more open and communal. The restaurant’s style sits in modern, international, Asian-influenced cooking, with the emphasis on movement rather than rigidity.

Signature

Tim's signature dishes include gambrel rosso tartare, grilled prawn tartare, and savory ice cream. Together they point to a kitchen working with contrast: raw and cooked, cool and direct, familiar structure and a less expected finish.

In Their Words “What we’ve always promised our customers is that Eat Me will be a friendly restaurant serving exceptional food. We have no limitations.” “Unlike traditional restaurants, we are free to experiment with the ingredients and flavours we love.”

Honors

Tim's honors include New York's Rising Star Chef (2007).