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.
Read moreShow less
Biography from TMDB.
- September 19, 1969 (57)
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Actor, also producer
- 5 on MovieCove · 10 credits in all
Known for
What are Michael Symon's films like?
Across their 7 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Society and Self.
Themes
Moods and endings
- Happy3
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Michael Symon's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 5 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service.
- discovery+
Subscription and free streaming for Michael Symon's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
10 credits, 5 with a MovieCove page; 18 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
Iron Chef Gauntlet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

Burgers, Brew and 'Que(2015)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all shows
The Kitchen(2014)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all shows
Beat Bobby Flay(2013)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all showsFood Feuds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

Cook Like an Iron Chef (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

Rachael Ray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Wake Up America! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 9 titles, 8 of them dated from 2006 to 2021.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it.
Who does Michael Symon work with?
People who share at least 2 of Michael Symon's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nicholas Panagopulos shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Esther ChoiShared titles: 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing (2024), Bobby's Triple Threat (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Esther Choi

- Alex GuarnaschelliShared titles: Selena + Chef: Home for the Holidays (2023), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Alex Guarnaschelli

- Bobby FlayShared titles: Bobby's Triple Threat (2022), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Bobby Flay

- Scott ConantShared titles: Bobby's Triple Threat (2022), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Scott Conant

Editors
- Jelena StjepanovicShared titles: 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing (2024), Bobby's Triple Threat (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Jelena Stjepanovic
- Greg AstorShared titles: BBQ USA (2022), Symon's Dinners Cooking Out (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Greg Astor
- Jim McNameeShared titles: Symon's Dinners Cooking Out (2020), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Jim McNamee
Producers
- Nicholas PanagopulosShared titles: BBQ USA (2022), Symon's Dinners Cooking Out (2020), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 3 shared titles with Nicholas Panagopulos

- Brian LandoShared titles: 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing (2024), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Brian Lando
- Francesco Giuseppe PaceShared titles: 24 in 24: Last Chef Standing (2024), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Francesco Giuseppe Pace
- Griffin SenningShared titles: BBQ USA (2022), Symon's Dinners Cooking Out (2020)See all 2 shared titles with Griffin Senning

Mixed roles
- Anthony ContrinoShared titles: BBQ USA (2022), Burgers, Brew and 'Que (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Anthony Contrino





