Biography

Michael D. Symon (born September 19, 1969) is an American chef, restaurateur, television personality, and author.

He is seen regularly on Food Network on shows such as Iron Chef America, Burgers, Brew and 'Que, 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 hosted, appeared or competed on many other shows.

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, cooking against Iron Chef Masaharu Morimoto. On August 27, 2007, Symon appeared in the "Cleveland, OH" episode of the television series Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.

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.

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 was 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, and the show Food Feuds, which featured Symon, premiered October 10, 2010.

In September 2011, Symon began co-hosting The Chew on ABC networks, a daily talk show that is centered on food-related and lifestyle topics. Symon has been the host of the television series Burgers, Brew and 'Que since 2015. On December 14, 2021, Symon became the new host of Throwdown! on Food Network which previously starred Bobby Flay.

While competing in the reality competition TV series The Next Iron Chef, he reported on his experiences for Fortune, posted on CNN Money. He has made numerous contributions to periodicals such as Bon Appétit, Esquire, Food Arts, Gourmet, Saveur and O, The Oprah Magazine. He has also written a number of cookbooks.

A native of Cleveland, OH, Symon is the chef and owner of a number of restaurants in the Greater Cleveland area, including his flagship Lola, Mabel's BBQ and burger franchise BSpot. He is credited with helping to "save" the restaurant scene in Downtown Cleveland. He also owns Michael Symon's Roast (also known as Roast) in Detroit, Michigan. On May 6, 2017, he opened Angeline (named after his mother Angel) at the Borgata in Atlantic City, New Jersey.