Iron Chef Michael Symon describes his cooking as “MEAT CENTRIC!” Chef Symon became an Iron Chef Award Winner in 2007, he is a James Beard Award-Winning American Chef, Restauranteur, an Emmy-Winning TV Personality, and a celebrated and Bestselling author. In 2015 he won A Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host,” for the show “The Chew.” Iron Chef Michael Symon can be seen regularly on the “Food Network,” www.foodnetwork.com on shows such as “Burgers, Brew and ‘Que,” “Food Feuds,” “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” and “Iron Chef America.” www.watch.foodnetwork.com allows users to watch live TV and full seasons and episodes of your favorite food and cooking-related programming, featuring global cooking techniques and cuisines. Currently, you may find iron Chef Michael Symon on “BBQ Brawl,” as a cohost of “BBQ USA,” “24 in 24: Last Chef Standing,” and on SIX SEASONS of “Symon’s Dinners COOKING OUT.” It is fortuitous happenstance that the tile of Iron Chef Michael Symon’s newest book is one and the same: “Symon’s Dinners COOKING OUT- 100 Recipes That Redefine Outdoor Cooking.” This is Iron Chef Michael Symon’s 9th cookbook.
In his latest book, Iron Chef Symon offers a multitude of recipes; some recipes were previously recorded and demonstrated live in TV episodes as well as many brand-new, as yet unseen, recipes for BBQ! The new book also includes recipes for desserts and drinks, too! A cocktail of distinction is the “Frozen Strawberry Salty Dog,” and a beloved renowned dessert selection is Chef Symon’s “Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars.” This new cookbook, “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out,” is sure “to excite budding and expert grillers alike.” Barnes and Noble www.barnesandnoble.com reviews the book as such; “Go beyond the basics with 100 recipes
for showstopping mains, salads, even desserts—all cooked outside.” “Featuring fan-favorite
recipes from his popular Food Network show, ‘Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out.’” BBQ-ers and cooks who “take it outside” will find all kinds of creative ways to use their grills year round, “from live-fire classics Bacon-Cheddar Smash Burgers to unexpected dishes like Fettuccine with Smoked Tomato Sauce.”
In “Michael Symon’s Cooking Out,” QUITE cleverly, Recipes for “Showstopping Mains,” are
divided into three chapters:
“Quick and Easy,” with an example such as Grilled Swordfish with Salsa Fresca.
“Feed A Crowd,” noting the recipe for Grilled Eggplant Parmesan.
And, “A Bit Fancy,” highlighting such dishes as Pork Porterhouse with Chimichurri**
This recipe is still “TOP SECRET,” so you shall have to wait for “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out” Cookbook to be released! In the meantime, here is a photo of Iron Chef Symon’s scrumptious recipe for Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri!
To round out your grilled, BBQ-ed and smoked meals, suggested side dishes include; Stuffed Squash Blossoms, Duck-Fat Fried Potatoes, Blue Cornbread with Honey Butter, Shaved Carrots with Yogurt Dressing, Grilled Beans with Lime Vinaigrette, and Avocado, Orange, and Jicama Salad, just to name a few options! The publication date for “Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out,” is March 25 th , 2025. However, you may pre-order a signed copy NOW from Barnes and Noble, Amazon, Williams-Sonoma, Books A Million, Target, and www.Thriftbooks.com My mouth is watering and the almighty BBQ Hankering has commenced upon reading and writing the descriptions of Iron Chef Michael Symon’s newest recipes! “Michael Symon fires up his backyard grill to encourage everyone to cook out using his delicious and easy outdoor dinners. From Sticky Ribs to Meatballs Parmesan, Michael shares his grilling tips and tricks to make every meal delectable.”
Chef Symon’s heritage is Greek, Sicilian, and Eastern European ancestry. Chef Michael grew up in Ohio and took a part-time job at “Geppetto’s Pizza and Ribs,” as a cook during his youth. In 1987, after graduating from St. Edward High School, located in Lakewood, Ohio, Michael Symon attended The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York and graduated from the famed “CIA” in 1990. He returned to Ohio afterwards and cooked in the Cleveland restaurant scene and developed a devoted following of fervent foodie fans. While in his 20’s, Michael Symon was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and discoid lupus. This diagnosis later inspired the writing of his cookbooks to “use food to help in the healing process.” In 2001, his first cookbook contribution was released, entitled: “The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward
Perfection,” followed by “Michael Symon’s Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen.” In February of 1997, Chef Symon and his then-fiancee-now wife, Liz Shanahan, opened their first restaurant, “LOLA,” in the trendy Tremont neighborhood of Cleveland. Their timing was impeccable, as the neighborhood was just beginning to be “rediscovered” and would soon develop into THE Hipster, Go-To, FOOD SCENE. “Lola” garnered rave reviews and was named one of America’s Best Restaurants in “Gourmet” Magazine’s October 2000 issue. In 2005, Chef Michael Symon converted his original “Lola” restaurant into “Lolita,” and reopened “Lola” in downtown Cleveland the following year. As is so often the case in the restaurant world, competition is FIERCE. Success in the restaurant industry ebbs and flows. At one point
Chef Symon had 21 restaurants open. In November of 2020, Chef Symon’s flagship restaurant Lola closed, after being in business for over 20 years, due to the unprecedented financial pressures of Covid-19 and the effects that the pandemic had upon society. In 2021, Chef Symon released his 8 th cookbook, “Fix it with Food: Every Meal Easy: Simple and Delicious Recipes for Anyone with Auto-Immune Issues and Inflammation: A Cookbook.” By 2022, Chef Symon had 5 restaurants left, and by 2024, only three of Chef Michael Symon’s restaurants remained. The remaining three restaurants open are; “Angeline,” in Atlantic City, New Jersey, “Mabel’s BBQ,” in Las Vegas, and “Bar Symon,” in Cleveland, Ohio. In December, 2024 “Mabel’s BBQ” @mabelsbbqlv was honored to be featured in Forbes @forbes www.forbes.com as one of The
Best Sports Bars in Las Vegas. Forbes Senior Contributor, Larry Olmsted, writes of Mabel’s: “This is another go-to favorite spot of mine that I heartily, recommend…due to the fact that Mabel’s is run by Cleveland Celebrity Chef, James Beard Award-Winner and cookbook author, Michael Symon, a widely acclaimed MEAT EXPERT who makes some of the BEST BBQ in the country. This is by far the top choice for people who want ribs, brisket, pulled pork, or such to go with their sports, there are more than 30 beers on tap, and the clincher is a nice slate of “Game Day Tailgate” food specials, like decadent brisket grilled cheese, a bratwurst, ribs and wings platter, and much more.” Iron Chef Michael Symon states: “When I think about the perfect game day, it’s all about great food, cold drinks, and the energy of the fans cheering on their teams.” Additionally, Mabel’s covers a plethora of sporting events, including “The National Rodeo
Finals,” where a special menu was prepared for the “Cowboy Tailgate!” Mabel’s BBQ can be purchased via Goldbelly and shipped nationwide www.goldbelly.com
What could have been deemed “a failure” regarding the closings of a vast number of Chef Symon’s restaurants, became an extraordinary silver lining in this Iron Chef’s Playbook! During the pandemic in 2020, Iron Chef Michael Symon began filming himself daily cooking dinner, BBQ-ing, Grilling, and Smoking meals for his family…These cooking, BBQing, Dinner Prep videos lead to an enormous Social Media following with fans SWOONING over both Chef Symon’s flavorsome video recipes as well as his engaging and charismatic personality! His Facebook page, “Michael D. Symon” is chock full of BBQing How-To videos, with over 1.1 million followers. His Instagram account @chefsymon has a million followers… and the video of Chef Symon cooking, basting, and slicing his GLAZED HAM RECIPE IS SUBLIME. His “Tried-And-True”
STELLAR recipes have gained a broader (salivating!) audience. Iron Chef Symon has also made numerous contributions to periodicals such as “Bon Appetit,” “Esquire,” “Gourmet,” “Saveur,” “Food Arts,” and “O-The Oprah Magazine.” He is an avid gardener. His favorite comfort food is a roasted chicken. He believes that THE BEST dessert to bring to a BBQ is a cobbler. He has been fantastic friends with Iron Chef Bobby Flay for MANY a year, since 1998—and says that they refuse to compete against each other “head to head” – “we compete against each other on the golf course, we don’t compete against each other in the kitchen.” He was an avid wrestler in high school and was planning to attend college on a full-ride wrestling scholarship until a career-ending injury sidelined him from the sport of wrestling, thus changing his college trajectory, resulting in him graduating from The Culinary Institute of America, and eventually
catapulting him into The LEGENDARY CHEF Stratosphere. His favorite cut of pork is: “THE WHOLE THING! The process of cooking the whole hog, to me, is BARBECUE’S GREATEST GIFT.” But he also DOES LOVE A BRISKET! He has a passion for “Green Juice,” kale, celery, ginger, with just the smallest bit of apple is his favorite smoothie recipe. After (over!) 35 years in the FOODIE BUSINESS, Iron Chef Michael Symon says, “I love doing demonstrations. I think to be a great chef you have to be a great teacher. I love doing classes with people who love food and enjoy food, bringing them all around one table so to speak.”
Moreover, one of the most inspirational quotes from Iron Chef Michael Symon is: –“Every lesson I learned as a kid was at the dinner table. Being Greek, Sicilian, and Ruthenian—we are an emotional bunch. It is where we laughed, cried, and yelled—but most importantly where we bonded and connected.”
Kristen M Porcaro
