Michael Symon is the American chef, restaurateur and Food Network television personality behind Mabel’s BBQ in Cleveland, Angeline at the Borgata in Atlantic City, and the Bar Symon airport restaurant group. Born Michael D. Symon on 19 September 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio, Symon trained at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating in 1990, before cooking at various Cleveland restaurants and opening Lola Bistro in 1997 with his wife Liz Shanahan, which became one of the defining Midwest fine-dining restaurants of the 2000s.
Symon won the second season of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network in 2007, becoming Iron Chef Symon on Iron Chef America from 2008. He co-hosted The Chew on ABC from 2011 to 2018. His current Food Network programmes include Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out (from 2019) and BBQ USA (from 2021), both continuing through 2025 and into 2026. His restaurant portfolio as of 2026 includes Mabel’s BBQ on East 4th Street in Cleveland (Cleveland-style BBQ), Angeline at the Borgata in Atlantic City (Italian-American), Bar Symon at multiple US airports, and Roast in Detroit. Mabel’s BBQ at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas closed on 12 September 2025.
TL;DR
- American chef born 19 September 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio, of Greek and Sicilian heritage
- Trained at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park (graduated 1990)
- Opened Lola Bistro in Cleveland in 1997 with wife Liz Shanahan
- Won The Next Iron Chef season 2 in 2007; Iron Chef Symon on Iron Chef America from 2008
- Co-host of ABC’s The Chew 2011-2018; Food Network BBQ USA and Symon’s Dinners ongoing
- Portfolio: Mabel’s BBQ Cleveland; Angeline Borgata; Bar Symon airports; Roast Detroit; Las Vegas Mabel’s closed Sep 2025
Michael Symon key facts
| Born | 19 September 1969, Cleveland, Ohio, USA (Greek and Sicilian heritage) |
| Full name | Michael D. Symon |
| Nationality | American |
| Training | The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York (graduated 1990) |
| Flagship restaurant | Mabel’s BBQ, East 4th Street, Cleveland, Ohio (Cleveland-style BBQ) |
| Other restaurants | Angeline (Borgata Atlantic City); Bar Symon (US airports); Roast Detroit |
| Television | Iron Chef America 2008-2017; The Chew 2011-2018; Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out; BBQ USA |
Early life and training of Michael Symon
Symon was born on 19 September 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio, into a family with Greek and Sicilian heritage. His Greek grandmother Mabel, whose name he later gave to his barbecue restaurant, was a formative influence through her home cooking and her refusal to let any member of the family cook without her supervision. The Cleveland mix of Eastern European, Italian, Greek and Midwestern American foodways shaped Symon’s entire later approach to cooking, and he has spoken frequently about the city as a creative centre rather than as a peripheral American market.
Symon enrolled at The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, graduating in 1990. After graduation he returned to Cleveland and worked through the early 1990s at a series of local restaurants including Players on Madison and The Caxton Cafe, where he met his future wife Liz Shanahan. The pair married in 1993, and in 1997 they opened Lola Bistro together on Tremont Avenue in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood. Lola served contemporary American comfort food with Eastern European and Midwestern references, and quickly became one of the defining Cleveland restaurants of the late 1990s.
The decisive career moment came in 2002 when Gourmet magazine named Lola one of the best American restaurants, bringing Symon national attention for the first time. In 2005 Lola moved to a larger East 4th Street location downtown, and in 2007 Symon won the second season of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network, beating John Besh in the finale. The Iron Chef title made him a national television figure and accelerated the opening of Symon’s subsequent restaurants across Cleveland, Detroit, Pittsburgh and later Las Vegas and Atlantic City.
Michael Symon career timeline
- 19 September 1969: Born in Cleveland, Ohio
- 1990: Graduates from The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park
- 1993: Marries Liz Shanahan
- 1997: Opens Lola Bistro with Liz Shanahan in Tremont, Cleveland
- 2002: Lola named one of the best American restaurants by Gourmet magazine
- 2005: Lola moves to East 4th Street in downtown Cleveland; opens Lolita in Tremont
- 2007: Wins season 2 of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network
- 2008: Begins as Iron Chef Symon on Iron Chef America (through 2017)
- 2009: James Beard Foundation Best Chef Great Lakes
- 2011: The Chew premieres on ABC (co-host through 2018)
- 2014: Opens Mabel’s BBQ on East 4th Street in Cleveland
- 2015: Opens B Spot Burgers
- 2016: Opens Angeline at the Borgata in Atlantic City
- 2017: Symon’s 5 in 5 (Food Network) and ABC’s The Chew continue
- 2018: The Chew ends on ABC
- 2019: Launches Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out on Food Network (ongoing)
- 2020: Closes Lola Bistro permanently during the COVID pandemic
- 2021: BBQ USA premieres on Food Network (ongoing)
- 2023: Opens Bar Symon airport locations at multiple US airports
- 2024: Continues Symon’s Dinners and BBQ USA on Food Network
- 12 September 2025: Mabel’s BBQ at Palms Casino Resort Las Vegas closes
- 2025: Headlines the Nassau Paradise Island Wine and Food Festival
- 2026: Mabel’s BBQ Cleveland, Angeline Atlantic City, Bar Symon airports, and Roast Detroit continue operating; Food Network programming continues
Michael Symon signature style: Midwestern comfort cooking
Symon’s central argument is that Midwestern American cooking, built on Cleveland’s Greek, Sicilian, Eastern European and working-class foodways, is a legitimate culinary category that deserves fine-dining treatment. The Lola menu for more than two decades built on this argument, and the later Mabel’s BBQ built the argument into a barbecue register specifically. His Cleveland-style BBQ approach, defined by Eastern European mustard-based rubs and paprika seasonings rather than the classic Memphis, Kansas City, Texas or Carolina regional traditions, is one of the few American BBQ regional styles that has emerged since the mid-2010s.
The second defining element is public voice through Food Network. Symon has been a consistent Food Network presence since the 2007 Next Iron Chef victory, across Iron Chef America (2008-2017), The Chew on ABC (2011-2018), Symon’s Dinners (2019-present), BBQ USA (2021-present), and numerous other programmes. The television work sits alongside peers including Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse as part of the long-running Food Network American chef cohort.
The third pillar is the wife-and-husband business model with Liz Shanahan. The couple opened Lola together in 1997 and have run the restaurant group jointly ever since, with Liz leading the business operations and Michael in the kitchens. The model is close to the long-established American chef-couple pattern and has let the group expand across Cleveland, Atlantic City, Detroit and the airport locations without losing the Cleveland anchor.
Notable dishes and shows
Several Symon dishes have become reference points in American comfort cooking. The Cleveland-style BBQ brisket at Mabel’s BBQ, seasoned with a mustard-paprika rub and served with Eastern European cabbage and mustard sauce, is the single most-cited Symon dish and has defined the Cleveland BBQ regional style. The Lola pork-belly pierogi (closed with the restaurant in 2020), the Angeline veal chop Milanese at the Borgata, and the Symon burger at B Spot are long-running signatures. Symon cookbooks include Michael Symon’s Live to Cook (2009), Michael Symon’s 5 in 5 (2013), Fix It With Food (2019), and Simply Symon Suppers (2021). His Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out and BBQ USA on Food Network are the defining current visual documents of his work.
Michael Symon awards and recognition
- 1997: Opens Lola Bistro in Cleveland with Liz Shanahan
- 2002: Lola named one of the best American restaurants by Gourmet magazine
- 2007: Wins season 2 of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network
- 2008: Begins as Iron Chef Symon on Iron Chef America
- 2009: James Beard Foundation Best Chef Great Lakes
- 2011: The Chew premieres on ABC (Daytime Emmy nominations 2012, 2014)
- 2014: Opens Mabel’s BBQ in Cleveland; pioneers Cleveland-style BBQ regional category
- 2019: Launches Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out on Food Network
- 2021: BBQ USA premieres on Food Network
- 2023: Opens Bar Symon airport restaurant group
- 2025: Headlines Nassau Paradise Island Wine and Food Festival; Las Vegas Mabel’s closes September
- 2026: Food Network programming continues; Cleveland, Atlantic City, Detroit and airport restaurants continue operating
Michael Symon impact on American comfort cooking
Symon’s most concrete contribution is the 23-year run of Lola and the wider Cleveland fine-dining argument from 1997 to 2020. Before Lola, Cleveland had no fine-dining restaurant that had earned national attention, and Symon’s Gourmet magazine recognition in 2002 and the subsequent James Beard Best Chef Great Lakes award in 2009 demonstrated that serious American fine dining could operate in mid-sized Midwestern cities. The 2020 Lola closure during the pandemic ended that run, but the Cleveland fine-dining argument established across two decades continues to shape the Midwest restaurant scene.
The second contribution is the Cleveland-style BBQ regional category. Mabel’s BBQ in 2014 defined the Cleveland style: mustard-paprika rubs, Eastern European condiments and cabbage sides, as distinct from Memphis, Kansas City, Texas and Carolina traditions. The Cleveland-style BBQ category is now recognised in American BBQ discourse alongside the historic regional styles, and Mabel’s is the defining restaurant of the category.
The third contribution is the consistent Food Network presence since 2007. Symon’s 18-year run on Food Network and ABC programming places him alongside Bobby Flay, Guy Fieri and Emeril Lagasse as one of the defining figures of the long-running Food Network American chef cohort, and his current BBQ USA and Symon’s Dinners programmes continue into 2026.
Michael Symon FAQ
Is Lola Bistro still open?
No. Lola Bistro closed permanently during the COVID pandemic in 2020, after a 23-year run from 1997. Lola had been the Symon flagship and one of the defining Cleveland fine-dining restaurants. Symon’s current Cleveland flagship is Mabel’s BBQ on East 4th Street, which opened in 2014.
Did Symon win Iron Chef?
Yes. Symon won the second season of The Next Iron Chef on Food Network in 2007, beating John Besh in the finale. From 2008 he competed as Iron Chef Symon on Iron Chef America, continuing in the role through 2017 when Iron Chef America ended its original run.
What is Cleveland-style BBQ?
A regional American BBQ style pioneered by Symon at Mabel’s BBQ in 2014, defined by mustard-paprika rubs drawing on Eastern European foodways, cabbage-based sides, and mustard sauces rather than the classic Memphis, Kansas City, Texas or Carolina regional traditions. Cleveland-style BBQ is now recognised as a regional category in American BBQ discourse.
Did Mabel’s BBQ Las Vegas close?
Yes. Mabel’s BBQ at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas closed on 12 September 2025. Symon continues to operate Mabel’s BBQ on East 4th Street in Cleveland, the original location, which remains open and continues to anchor the Mabel’s brand in 2026.
What are Symon’s current Food Network shows?
Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out (launched 2019) and BBQ USA (launched 2021), both continuing through 2025 and into 2026 on Food Network. He previously co-hosted The Chew on ABC from 2011 to 2018 and competed as Iron Chef Symon on Iron Chef America from 2008 to 2017.
What is next for Michael Symon
Symon continues Mabel’s BBQ Cleveland, Angeline at the Borgata in Atlantic City, the Bar Symon airport restaurants, and Roast in Detroit. Food Network programming including Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out and BBQ USA continues into 2026. His public Instagram (@chefsymon) is the best source for current updates.
