Michael Symon
Michael Symon is a Cleveland native and chef known for his bold and flavorful cooking style. Growing up in a Greek and Sicilian family, he developed a passion for food and cooking from a young age. After attending culinary school, Michael honed his skills at some of the country’s top restaurants before opening his own establishments and sharing his exuberant and approachable cooking style in other areas of the culinary world.
Michael’s television career spans over two decades and includes a wide range of appearances and hosting gigs. He made his debut on the Food Network back in 1998, and since then, he has been a regular on the network with shows like “The Melting Pot,” “Sara’s Secrets,” “Symon’s Dinners,” “Cook Like an Iron Chef,” and “The Next Iron Chef,” which he won in 2008, earning him a permanent spot as an Iron Chef. In 2011, he joined the cast of ABC’s “The Chew” as one of the show’s five hosts, where the show ran for seven seasons and won a Daytime Emmy Award. Michael also hosted “Burgers, Brew and Ques” on the Cooking Channel, where he traveled throughout the United States tasting the best of America’s classics. Michael’s most recent shows include “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out” filmed in his very own back yard, “BBQ Brawl” with best pal Bobby Flay, and “BBQ USA” where he checks out some of the nation’s most prestigious BBQ competitors.
Michael Symon’s restaurant career spans over two decades and has earned him numerous accolades. Michael was named a Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine in 1998, earned The James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Great Lakes in 2009, and was the first and only chef to host the annual Farm Aid Benefit Concert in 2009. He opened his flagship restaurant Lola in Cleveland in 1997, which quickly became a cornerstone of the city’s dining scene for 24 years and was featured on Gourmet Magazine’s “America’s Best Restaurants” list in 2000. In 2008, he brought his meat-centric cooking to Detroit’s Westin Book Cadillac with Roast, which was named Detroit’s Best Restaurant and one of the ten best steakhouses in the country by Playboy. Symon’s Mabel’s BBQ, which opened in 2016, introduced a new style of mustard-based barbecue to Cleveland and was recognized nationally as USA Today called their ribs the best in the U.S. He opened Angeline at the Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City in 2017, which was named Atlantic City’s best new restaurant.
Michael published his first cookbook, Michael Symon’s Live to Cook Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen, in 2009, sharing home cook‐friendly recipes that draw on the flavors of his heritage. Since then, he has released xxx more cookbooks including Carnivore, 5 in 5, 5 in 5 For Every Season, Playing with Fire, Fix It with Food, and Fix It with Food: Every Meal Easy. Carnivore, 5 in 5 and Fix It with Food made The New York Times Book Review best sellers list.
