Feature Story in Long Island Weekly About Chef Michael Symon's

3 LongIslandWeekly.com • March 1 - 7, 2017 • Published By Anton Media Group • To Advertise Call: 516-747-8282 3A Heartland Chef Award-winner, author and honorary Michael Symon Long Islander, Symon has seared his grill marks deep into all facets of the serves North Coast food industry. It’s an industry Symon said he cuisine was drawn into while growing up surrounded by boisterous characters BY STEVE MOSCO bound by the love cooked up in family [email protected] meals. nyone that harbors a deeply “It was loud, very loud,” Symon rooted affinity for all things said of growing up in a Greek and edible surely knows the Sicilian household. “When my friends name Michael Symon. The came over they thought everyone was ACleveland-based chef is an unabashed screaming, when everyone was just carnivore and frequently appears on talking. Food was a huge part of our food-tilted television programs on The day-to-day life, and there were always Food Network and ABC’s The Chew. more people at the table than our Chef Michael Symon cooks on The Chew (top left, photo by Lorenzo Bevilaqua/ABC), An Iron Chef, James Beard Foundation immediate family.” creates meat dreams at his restaurants including Mabel’s (top right, photo source The chef with the infectious laugh Facebook) and believes in BlueStar kitchen products (above). took that celebration and turned it into restaurants including downtown produce. a career, netting his first restaurant Cleveland’s Lola Bistro, B Spot “Outsiders would find it surprising job at 13, prepping dishes and doing Burgers in Ohio and Michigan, Roast that Cleveland’s been farm-to-table plenty of kitchen grunt work, the types in Detroit, Bar Symon in Pittsburgh long before farm-to-table was cool,” of tasks that build character in a young and Washington Dulles International he said. chef—crucial components that Symon Airports, Symon’s Burger Joint in At home, Symon is a proponent believes are necessary ingredients Austin, TX, the coming-soon Angeline of BlueStar kitchen products (www. to success. in Atlantic City, NJ, and his newest bluestarcooking.com). “It teaches you the lessons of the creation, Mabel’s BBQ in Cleveland. “It’s the first home-kitchen equip- kitchen and how you need to respect “You always love your first-born ment I’ve ever cooked on that’s exactly every person in it, and that’s what and newest best, so currently, my two like cooking at a restaurant, from the makes the kitchen work properly,” favorites are Lola and Mabel’s—but power to the space in the ovens,” he he said. “The dishwasher is still the I love them all,” he said. For Symon, said. “I can put a whole sheet tray in a hardest job in the kitchen.” Mabel’s is a celebration of the home oven—it’s a game changer for Symon’s toiling paid off, and Cleveland food scene—an all-too- m e .” the chef now runs an array of often overlooked bastion of meat and And when cooking at home, Symon can’t deny his favorites—burgers, bar- becue and Italian food. But if he had to pick a last meal, it’s an easy answer. On The Island “My mom’s lasagna,” he said. “I’ve Chef Michael Symon’s favorite Long Island eateries: eaten a million lasagnas from a million • The Meeting House, Amagansett • Dopo La Spiaggia, Sag Harbor chefs at a million restaurants and none • Grindstone Coffee & Donuts, Sag Harbor are better than my mother’s.” Celebrity Autobiography 3/4/17 ON MAIN STREET JEANNEON MAIN RIMSKY STREET THEATER Broadway on Main 3/10/17 PORT WASHINGTON, NY Sarah Jarosz 3/17/17 LANDMARKONMAINSTREET.ORG Alan Doyle 3/18/17 516.767.6444 165511 C 201700303_XAL_LNW_PG00 - 1:6 February 27, 2017.

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