Michael Symon Biography

Michael Symon was born in 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio. Best known for his role as an award-winning chef on the Food Network, Symon always knew he wanted a future in cuisine. After graduating from New York’s Culinary Institute of America in 1990, Michael immediately began working in the Cleveland restaurant scene. Little did he know at the time that his future in the culinary arts would eventually become a future as a television personality.

Michael Symon opened the restaurant Lola in Cleveland in 1997. Very quickly Symon established a name for himself and his restaurant, finding the establishment highly rated in Gourmet magazine. Lola eventually became Lolita, and Symon opened the restaurant Lola in another area of Cleveland. A third restaurant, Parea, was opened in New York City in 2005, and quickly became a hot spot, making the list of the 100 Tastes to Try in Food & Wine magazine in 2007. Michael Symon opened a number of other restaurants in the coming years, including Roast (Detroit, Michigan, 2008), Bar Symon (Avon Lake, Ohio, 2009), and B Spot (Woodmere, Ohio, 2009.) Overall, Michael Symon’s restaurants have been enormously successful, and his reputation eventually garnered the attention of the Food Network.

On the Food Network, Michael Symon has appeared on Melting Pot, Sara’s Secrets, FoodNation, Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations, and of course the series Iron Chef America, where he frequently competes and wins just as frequently. In 2010, Michael Symon began hosting Cook Like an Iron Chef, and then Food Feuds, where he travels to different locations and explores local food rivalries in town.

Michael Symon has authored a few books, including Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen (2009), and recently launched a cookware line in 2011, the Michael Symon Live to Cook Collection by Weston. Symon’s achievements also include being recognized as a National Rising Star in 1997, by Restaurant Hospitality Magazine, and as one of the Ten Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine Magazine in the following year. Michael Symon can be seen regularly on the Food Network and occasionally makes live appearances.