Michael Symon (Cleveland, Ohio, 1969) is a James Beard Award-winning chef, an Iron Chef and the owner and executive chef of the restaurants Lola and Lolita, both in Cleveland, Ohio. He was one of the rotating hosts of Food Network's show Melting Pot, and appeared on Sara's Secrets with Sara Moulton, Ready, Set, Cook and FoodNation with Bobby Flay. He was named the next Iron Chef on the 2007 Food Network reality show The Next Iron Chef.

in 2008 Symon was named as the new host for the Food Network's Dinner: Impossible as a temporary replacement the show's original host Robert Irvine. Michael Ruhlman's book, The Soul of a Chef: The Journey Toward Perfection focuses on him in the second part of three (the first focuses on the Certified Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, and the third on Thomas Keller of the French Laundry). In addition, he has contributed to Bon Appétit, Esquire, Food Arts, Gourmet, Saveur and O, The Oprah Magazine.

Symon is of partly Greek and Italian-American ancestry, on his mother's side of the family. He was raised in North Olmsted, Ohio, and attended St. Richard School in North Olmsted, and St.

Edward High School in Lakewood. A wrestler, he broke an arm during practice and was unable to continue competing. He took a part time job at Gepetto's Ribs on Warren Rd.

as a cook. After graduating from the Culinary Institute of America in 1990, Symon worked the Cleveland restaurant scene, working at Player's, a Mediterranean restaurant in Lakewood. In 1993, he moved to Piccolo Mondo and he was brought aboard as chef, developing a small yet devoted following.

He subsequently moved to Caxton Cafe.

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