Michael Symon
Encyclopedia
Michael D. Symon is a James Beard Foundation Award
-winning American chef, restaurateur
, television personality, and author
. He is seen regularly on Food Network
on shows such as Iron Chef America
, Food Feuds
, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate
, as well as Cook Like an Iron Chef on the Cooking Channel
and The Chew
on ABC
. He has also made numerous contributions to magazines and periodicals such as Bon Appétit
, Esquire
, Food Arts, Gourmet
, Saveur
and O, The Oprah Magazine
.
Symon is credited as helping to "save" the restaurant scene in Downtown Cleveland
. He is the chef and owner of number of restaurants in the Greater Cleveland
area, including his flagship Lola, Lolita, Bar Symon, and The B Spot. Additionally, he owns Michael Symon's Roast (also known as Roast) in Detroit, Michigan
. Symon describes his cooking as "meat
-centric."
and is of Greek
, Italian, and Eastern European ancestry. He was raised in North Olmsted, Ohio
, attending St. Richard School in North Olmsted and St. Edward High School
in Lakewood
, graduating in 1987. A wrestler
, he broke
an arm during practice and was unable to continue competing. He took a part time job at Gepetto's Ribs on Warren Rd. as a cook.
He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America
in Hyde Park
, New York
in 1990.
restaurant in Lakewood. In 1993, he moved to Piccolo Mondo as chef, developing a small yet devoted following. He subsequently moved to Caxton Cafe.
In February 1997, Michael and his then-fiancée (now wife), Liz Shanahan, opened Lola in Cleveland's trendy Tremont
neighborhood. It is named after his aunt. The restaurant garnered rave reviews and was named one of America's Best Restaurants in Gourmet magazine in its October 2000 issue. In 2005, he converted Lola into Lolita, and reopened Lola in downtown Cleveland
the next year.
On April 15, 2006, Symon opened a third restaurant, Parea, which in Greek means "a group of friends" or "company," in New York City
. The restaurant, which featured upscale Greek food and was located on East 20th Street near Park Avenue
, was run by Jonathon Sawyer, who tutored under Symon at Lolita. It was located next door to the Gramercy Tavern. Symon partnered with Telly Hatzigeorgiou, George Pantelidis, and Peter J. Pappas. Although he gave the food a 2-stars rating (very good), New York Times food critic Frank Bruni noted that the sound level reached "piercing heights." By many accounts, the food was good, as the restaurant was even listed on "100 Tastes to Try in ’07" in Food & Wine magazine. However, the New York restaurant scene considered his flavors not "vibrant" enough, and it was chided that it "might improve after Mr. Symon gets more experience in the New York restaurant world." It closed in 2007, and was acquired by Stavros Aktipis who renamed it Kellari's Parea.
Symon opened Roast, a restaurant at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Michigan in autumn 2008. Roast was named the 2009 Restaurant of the Year by the Detroit Free Press.
He opened a restaurant on July 1, 2009, called Bar Symon in Avon Lake, Ohio
featuring casual concepts on tavern food. Soon after, he opened a similarly themed restaurant named The B Spot in Woodmere, Ohio
.
In October 2009, the Cleveland Cavaliers
announced that Symon would contribute menu items to be prepared by foodservice
firm Aramark
at the Quicken Loans Arena
. Two existing restaurants were renamed after Symon's bar-bistros, Bar Symon and The B-Spot, and some of his signature dishes were made available as suite catering
offerings.
On October 19, 2010, Symon announced that he would be closing the Avon Lake location of Bar Symon. He later announced two more The B Spot locations, one in Strongsville
(opened April 6, 2011) and another in Westlake
(late 2011).
. During the summer of 2009, he promoted the Food Network's videogame Cook Or Be Cooked for Nintendo Wii
, which was released on November 3, 2009.
Symon was one of the rotating hosts of Food Network's show Melting Pot. He appeared on Sara's Secrets with Sara Moulton
, Ready, Set, Cook, and FoodNation with Bobby Flay
. In 2005, he appeared on Iron Chef America
, where he lost to Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto
in Battle Asparagus.
On August 27, 2007, Symon appeared in the "Cleveland, OH" episode of the television series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
While competing in the reality competition TV series The Next Iron Chef
, he reported on his experiences for Fortune
, posted on CNN Money. On November 11, 2007, after a head-to-head match against John Besh
, Symon was declared the winner of the entire competition. On November 18, 2007, Symon won his first battle on Iron Chef America
.
On April 21, 2008, the Food Network announced that Symon would take over as host of Dinner: Impossible
, the network's third most popular show. He hosted the show for ten episodes until host Robert Irvine
was reinstated. Although it was not announced publicly, Symon knew it was a temporary gig "from the start."
He appeared along with several other Food Network stars on Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Disasters, a program dealing with dinner mishaps which first aired November 17, 2008. He appeared in the very first episode of the network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate
, which featured his restaurant Lolita.
Cook Like an Iron Chef, a Cooking Channel
show starring Symon, debuted in July 2010. He described it as "a show for the people who've watched Food Network forever and are ready to learn something more advanced or more creative."
Symon's latest show, Food Feuds, premiered October 10, 2010. He travels to various locales and performs a direct comparison competition between local food rivals.
Symon works as a "spokeschef," representing cookware companies Vita-Mix
and Calphalon, appearing at housewares shows and other demonstration events.
On February 14, 2011, Symon appeared in a skit on the late-night talk show Conan, in which a young couple had won a "romantic" Valentine's Day dinner date on the set. Conan O'Brien
announced that Symon would be presenting them with their dinner—which he did, in the form of a Taco Party Pack from Taco Bell
.
's 2001 book, The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection. The second part of the three-part book focuses on Symon's quest for culinary perfection.
In 2009, Symon collaborated with Ruhlman to write his first cookbook, Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen (ISBN 978-0307453655). The foreword is written by fellow Iron Chef Bobby Flay
. It was published by Clarkson Potter
and was released on November 3, 2009.
He was named a National Rising Star in 1997 by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. In 1998, he was named one of the Ten Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine
magazine.
In 2006, Symon was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award in the "Best Chef Great Lakes" category. He would be nominated again in 2009, finally winning the prestigious award. It was one of the few moments when Symon was "speechless."
In 2007, Cleveland Magazine
named him Best Local Chef for Lola and Lolita.
In 2010, the "Fat Doug" hamburger was named top burger at the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival
, beating out a burger from Bobby Flay
as the "best burger in America." The burger, which is topped with pastrami
, Swiss cheese
and coleslaw
on a brioche
bun, is featured on the menu at The B Spot.
James Beard Foundation Award
The James Beard Foundation Awards were established in 1990 and are often called "The Oscars of Food." Held on the first weekend in May, the Awards honor the finest chefs, restaurants, wine professionals, journalists, cookbook authors, restaurant designers, and other food professionals in the...
-winning American chef, restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
, television personality, and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He is seen regularly on Food Network
Food Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
on shows such as Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, Food Feuds
Food Feuds
Food Feuds is a weekly series hosted by Iron Chef Michael Symon that premiered on Food Network October 10, 2010. The show features food rivalries or "feuds" between local restaurants in cities around the United States.-Synopsis:...
, and The Best Thing I Ever Ate
The Best Thing I Ever Ate
The Best Thing I Ever Ate is a program on the Food Network which premiered on June 22, 2009 . The program originally aired as a one-time special in late 2008...
, as well as Cook Like an Iron Chef on the Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel is a television specialty channel that airs recurring programs about food and cooking, owned by Scripps Networks Interactive. It is a spinoff of Food Network, also owned by SNI, but focuses more on instructional shows rather than "reality style" and contest programming that Food...
and The Chew
The Chew
The Chew is an American talk show/cooking show that airs in the United States on ABC as part of the network's weekday daytime lineup, centering on food-related and lifestyle topics. The program also airs in Canada on the stations of the Citytv television system.It premiered on September 26, 2011 ...
on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
. He has also made numerous contributions to magazines and periodicals such as Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit describes itself as "a food and entertaining magazine" and is published monthly. Named after the French phrase for "Enjoy your meal", it was started by M. Frank Jones in Kansas City in 1956...
, Esquire
Esquire (magazine)
Esquire is a men's magazine, published in the U.S. by the Hearst Corporation. Founded in 1932, it flourished during the Great Depression under the guidance of founder and editor Arnold Gingrich.-History:...
, Food Arts, Gourmet
Gourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....
, Saveur
Saveur
Saveur is a gourmet, food, wine, and travel magazine that specializes in essays about various world cuisines. The publication was co-founded by Dorothy Kalins, Michael Grossman, Christopher Hirsheimer, and Colman Andrews, who was also the editor-in-chief from 1996 to 2001...
and O, The Oprah Magazine
O, The Oprah Magazine
O: The Oprah Magazine, sometimes simply abbreviated to O, is a monthly magazine founded by Oprah Winfrey and Hearst Corporation.-Overview:...
.
Symon is credited as helping to "save" the restaurant scene in Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
. He is the chef and owner of number of restaurants in the Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland
Greater Cleveland is a nickname for the metropolitan area surrounding Cleveland, Ohio and is part of what used to be the Connecticut Western Reserve.Northeast Ohio refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below...
area, including his flagship Lola, Lolita, Bar Symon, and The B Spot. Additionally, he owns Michael Symon's Roast (also known as Roast) in Detroit, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. Symon describes his cooking as "meat
Meat
Meat is animal flesh that is used as food. Most often, this means the skeletal muscle and associated fat and other tissues, but it may also describe other edible tissues such as organs and offal...
-centric."
Early life
Symon was born in Cleveland, OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and is of Greek
Greek American
Greek Americans are Americans of Greek descent also described as Hellenic descent. According to the 2007 U.S. Census Bureau estimation, there were 1,380,088 people of Greek ancestry in the United States, while the State Department mentions that around 3,000,000 Americans claim to be of Greek descent...
, Italian, and Eastern European ancestry. He was raised in North Olmsted, Ohio
North Olmsted, Ohio
-Business:Moen Incorporated, a fixture and faucet company, is headquartered in North Olmsted. CommutAir, a regional airline, has its operations center in North Olmsted....
, attending St. Richard School in North Olmsted and St. Edward High School
St. Edward High School (Lakewood, Ohio)
St. Edward High School is private, all-male Catholic, college-preparatory high school located in Lakewood, Ohio, a western Cleveland suburb. It was founded in 1949 and is operated in the by the Midwest Province of the Brothers of Holy Cross, Notre Dame, Indiana. It is one of three remaining...
in Lakewood
Lakewood, Ohio
Lakewood is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is part of the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area, and borders the city of Cleveland. The population was 52,131 at the 2010 making it the third largest city in Cuyahoga County, behind Cleveland and Parma .Lakewood, one of Cleveland's...
, graduating in 1987. A wrestler
Wrestling
Wrestling is a form of grappling type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. A wrestling bout is a physical competition, between two competitors or sparring partners, who attempt to gain and maintain a superior position...
, he broke
Bone fracture
A bone fracture is a medical condition in which there is a break in the continuity of the bone...
an arm during practice and was unable to continue competing. He took a part time job at Gepetto's Ribs on Warren Rd. as a cook.
He graduated from the Culinary Institute of America
Culinary Institute of America
The Culinary Institute of America is a non-profit culinary college located in Hyde Park USA, founded in 1946. The CIA also has branch campuses in St. Helena, California, and San Antonio, Texas, as well as a campus in Singapore. It is a not-for-profit academic institution of higher learning...
in Hyde Park
Hyde Park, New York
Hyde Park is a town located in the northwest part of Dutchess County, New York, United States, just north of the city of Poughkeepsie. The town is most famous for being the hometown of U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1990.
Chef and restaurateur
Symon worked the Cleveland restaurant scene, working at Player's, a MediterraneanCuisine of the Mediterranean
Mediterranean cuisine is the food from the cultures adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea.Whether this is a useful category is disputed:The idea of the ‘standard Mediterranean’ .....
restaurant in Lakewood. In 1993, he moved to Piccolo Mondo as chef, developing a small yet devoted following. He subsequently moved to Caxton Cafe.
Tremont, Cleveland
Tremont is a neighborhood in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. Tremont is one of the oldest parts of Cleveland, and is home to restaurants and art galleries. The district sits just west of the Cuyahoga River and south of the Ohio City neighborhood. Tremont is home to numerous historic churches...
neighborhood. It is named after his aunt. The restaurant garnered rave reviews and was named one of America's Best Restaurants in Gourmet magazine in its October 2000 issue. In 2005, he converted Lola into Lolita, and reopened Lola in downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland
Downtown Cleveland is the central business district of the City of Cleveland and Northeast Ohio. Reinvestment in the area in the mid-1990s spurred a rebirth that continues to this day, with over $2 billion in residential and commercial developments slated for the area over the next few years...
the next year.
On April 15, 2006, Symon opened a third restaurant, Parea, which in Greek means "a group of friends" or "company," in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The restaurant, which featured upscale Greek food and was located on East 20th Street near Park Avenue
Park Avenue (Manhattan)
Park Avenue is a wide boulevard that carries north and southbound traffic in New York City borough of Manhattan. Through most of its length, it runs parallel to Madison Avenue to the west and Lexington Avenue to the east....
, was run by Jonathon Sawyer, who tutored under Symon at Lolita. It was located next door to the Gramercy Tavern. Symon partnered with Telly Hatzigeorgiou, George Pantelidis, and Peter J. Pappas. Although he gave the food a 2-stars rating (very good), New York Times food critic Frank Bruni noted that the sound level reached "piercing heights." By many accounts, the food was good, as the restaurant was even listed on "100 Tastes to Try in ’07" in Food & Wine magazine. However, the New York restaurant scene considered his flavors not "vibrant" enough, and it was chided that it "might improve after Mr. Symon gets more experience in the New York restaurant world." It closed in 2007, and was acquired by Stavros Aktipis who renamed it Kellari's Parea.
Symon opened Roast, a restaurant at the Westin Book Cadillac Hotel in Detroit, Michigan in autumn 2008. Roast was named the 2009 Restaurant of the Year by the Detroit Free Press.
He opened a restaurant on July 1, 2009, called Bar Symon in Avon Lake, Ohio
Avon Lake, Ohio
Avon Lake is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The population was 18,145 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Avon Lake is located at .According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land....
featuring casual concepts on tavern food. Soon after, he opened a similarly themed restaurant named The B Spot in Woodmere, Ohio
Woodmere, Ohio
Woodmere is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Cleveland. The population was 884 at the 2010 census.-History:...
.
In October 2009, the Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a professional basketball team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They began playing in the National Basketball Association in 1970 as an expansion team...
announced that Symon would contribute menu items to be prepared by foodservice
Foodservice
Food Service or catering industry defines those businesses, institutions, and companies responsible for any meal prepared outside the home...
firm Aramark
Aramark
Aramark Corporation, known commonly as Aramark, is an American foodservice, facilities, and clothing provider supplying businesses, educational institutions, sports facilities, federal and state prisons, and health care institutions. It is headquartered at the Aramark Tower in Center City,...
at the Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena
Quicken Loans Arena , is a multi-purpose arena, in downtown Cleveland, Ohio, United States....
. Two existing restaurants were renamed after Symon's bar-bistros, Bar Symon and The B-Spot, and some of his signature dishes were made available as suite catering
Catering
Catering is the business of providing foodservice at a remote site or a site such as a hotel, public house , or other location.-Mobile catering:A mobile caterer serves food directly from a vehicle or cart that is designed for the purpose...
offerings.
On October 19, 2010, Symon announced that he would be closing the Avon Lake location of Bar Symon. He later announced two more The B Spot locations, one in Strongsville
Strongsville, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 43,858 people, 16,209 households, and 12,383 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,779.6 people per square mile . There were 16,863 housing units at an average density of 684.2 per square mile...
(opened April 6, 2011) and another in Westlake
Westlake, Ohio
Westlake is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,729 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and is located 12 miles from Cleveland's downtown.-Geography:Westlake is located at...
(late 2011).
Media appearances
He often appears on behalf of Food NetworkFood Network
Food Network is a television specialty channel that airs both one-time and recurring programs about food and cooking. Scripps Networks Interactive owns 70 percent of the network, with Tribune Company controlling the remaining 30 percent....
. During the summer of 2009, he promoted the Food Network's videogame Cook Or Be Cooked for Nintendo Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
, which was released on November 3, 2009.
Symon was one of the rotating hosts of Food Network's show Melting Pot. He appeared on Sara's Secrets with Sara Moulton
Sara Moulton
Sara Moulton is an American chef, cookbook author and television personality.Moulton is a food editor for Good Morning America, a morning news and talk show broadcast on the ABC television network...
, Ready, Set, Cook, and FoodNation with Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...
. In 2005, he appeared on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
, where he lost to Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto
Masaharu Morimoto
is a well-known Japanese chef, best known as the third Iron Chef on the Japanese TV cooking show Iron Chef, and an Iron Chef on its spinoff, Iron Chef America. He is also known for his unique style of presenting food....
in Battle Asparagus.
On August 27, 2007, Symon appeared in the "Cleveland, OH" episode of the television series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.
While competing in the reality competition TV series The Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef
The Next Iron Chef, is a limited-run series on the Food Network now in its fourth season. Each season is a stand-alone competition to select a chef to be designated an Iron Chef, who will appear on the Food Network program Iron Chef America....
, he reported on his experiences for Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, posted on CNN Money. On November 11, 2007, after a head-to-head match against John Besh
John Besh
John Besh is the owner and executive chef at restaurant August in New Orleans, Louisiana , and owns six other restaurants: La Provence, The American Sector, Lüke , Besh Steak , and Domenica in the Roosevelt Hotel...
, Symon was declared the winner of the entire competition. On November 18, 2007, Symon won his first battle on Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America
Iron Chef America: The Series is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the...
.
On April 21, 2008, the Food Network announced that Symon would take over as host of Dinner: Impossible
Dinner: Impossible
Dinner: Impossible is an American television program broadcast by the Food Network. The first episode aired on January 24, 2007. Food Network began airing the eighth season on March 3, 2010....
, the network's third most popular show. He hosted the show for ten episodes until host Robert Irvine
Robert Irvine
Robert Irvine is a celebrity chef who has appeared on a variety of Food Network programs, including Dinner: Impossible, Worst Cooks in America, and Restaurant: Impossible.-Career:Irvine began his cooking career upon enlisting in the Royal Navy at the age of fifteen...
was reinstated. Although it was not announced publicly, Symon knew it was a temporary gig "from the start."
He appeared along with several other Food Network stars on Dear Food Network: Thanksgiving Disasters, a program dealing with dinner mishaps which first aired November 17, 2008. He appeared in the very first episode of the network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate
The Best Thing I Ever Ate
The Best Thing I Ever Ate is a program on the Food Network which premiered on June 22, 2009 . The program originally aired as a one-time special in late 2008...
, which featured his restaurant Lolita.
Cook Like an Iron Chef, a Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel
Cooking Channel is a television specialty channel that airs recurring programs about food and cooking, owned by Scripps Networks Interactive. It is a spinoff of Food Network, also owned by SNI, but focuses more on instructional shows rather than "reality style" and contest programming that Food...
show starring Symon, debuted in July 2010. He described it as "a show for the people who've watched Food Network forever and are ready to learn something more advanced or more creative."
Symon's latest show, Food Feuds, premiered October 10, 2010. He travels to various locales and performs a direct comparison competition between local food rivals.
Symon works as a "spokeschef," representing cookware companies Vita-Mix
Vita-Mix
Vitamix is a company that produces blenders for home and commercial use, including food service. The Vitamix household and professional series models have a 2-horsepower motor, and are used by top chefs and culinary institutes around the globe....
and Calphalon, appearing at housewares shows and other demonstration events.
On February 14, 2011, Symon appeared in a skit on the late-night talk show Conan, in which a young couple had won a "romantic" Valentine's Day dinner date on the set. Conan O'Brien
Conan O'Brien
Conan Christopher O'Brien is an American television host, comedian, writer, producer and performer. Since November 2010 he has hosted Conan, a late-night talk show that airs on the American cable television station TBS....
announced that Symon would be presenting them with their dinner—which he did, in the form of a Taco Party Pack from Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
.
Books
Symon was featured in fellow Clevelander Michael RuhlmanMichael Ruhlman
Michael Carl Ruhlman is an American author. He has written 12 books of mostly nonfiction, the best known of which have been in collaboration with American chefs.-Personal:...
's 2001 book, The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection. The second part of the three-part book focuses on Symon's quest for culinary perfection.
In 2009, Symon collaborated with Ruhlman to write his first cookbook, Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen (ISBN 978-0307453655). The foreword is written by fellow Iron Chef Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...
. It was published by Clarkson Potter
Crown Publishing Group
-External links:*...
and was released on November 3, 2009.
Product Line
In 2011, Michael partnered with kitchenware company Weston Products on his official specialty kitchen product line, the Michael Symon Live to Cook Collection by Weston.Awards and honors
In 1995, The Plain Dealer Sunday Magazine named Symon as Cleveland’s hottest chef.He was named a National Rising Star in 1997 by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine. In 1998, he was named one of the Ten Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine
Food & Wine
Food & Wine is a monthly magazine published by American Express Publishing. It was founded in 1978 by Ariane and Michael Batterberry. It features recipes, cooking tips, travel information, restaurant reviews, chefs, wine pairings and seasonal/holiday content and has been credited by The New York...
magazine.
In 2006, Symon was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award in the "Best Chef Great Lakes" category. He would be nominated again in 2009, finally winning the prestigious award. It was one of the few moments when Symon was "speechless."
In 2007, Cleveland Magazine
Cleveland Magazine
Cleveland Magazine is the largest monthly magazine focused on Northeastern Ohio, with a circulation of 45,000. It was founded in 1972. The inaugural April 1972 issue featured a young Dennis Kucinich, a frequent profile subject of the magazine...
named him Best Local Chef for Lola and Lolita.
In 2010, the "Fat Doug" hamburger was named top burger at the Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival
Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival
The Food Network South Beach Wine and Food Festival is an annual wine and spirits events showcasing many of the world's top chefs, spirits producers, and culinary personalities. The event is hosted by Florida International University's School of Hospitality and Tourism Management...
, beating out a burger from Bobby Flay
Bobby Flay
Robert William "Bobby" Flay is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur and reality television personality. He is the owner and executive chef of 12 restaurants: Mesa Grill in Las Vegas, New York City, and the Bahamas ; Bar Americain in New York City and Uncasville, Connecticut; Bobby Flay Steak...
as the "best burger in America." The burger, which is topped with pastrami
Pastrami
Pastrami , is a popular delicatessen meat usually made from beef and, traditionally in Romania, also from pork and mutton. In Israel, "Pastrama" is the term used for sliced chicken and turkey. Like corned beef, pastrami was originally created as a way to preserve meat before modern refrigeration...
, Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is a generic name in North America for several related varieties of cheese which resemble the Swiss Emmental. Some types of Swiss cheese have a distinctive appearance, as the blocks of the cheese are riddled with holes known as "eyes". Swiss cheese has a piquant, but not very sharp,...
and coleslaw
Coleslaw
Coleslaw, sometimes simply called slaw in some American dialects, is a salad consisting primarily of shredded raw cabbage. It may also include shredded carrots and other ingredients such as fruits and vegetables, apples, onions, green onions, peppers and various spices.-History:The term "coleslaw"...
on a brioche
Brioche
Brioche is a highly enriched French pastry, whose high egg and butter content give it a rich and tender crumb. It is "light and slightly puffy, more or less fine, according to the proportion of butter and eggs" It has a dark, golden, and flaky crust, frequently accentuated by an egg wash applied...
bun, is featured on the menu at The B Spot.
Personal life
Symon is married to Liz Shanahan, who has also been a collaborator on his restaurants. Symon has an adult stepson, Kyle, who was two years old when Symon and Shanahan met.External links
- Symon Says blog
- Symon's restaurants' websites
- Plain Dealer profile
- Michael Symon at the Chef and Restaurant Database