The Next Iron Chef is ... Michael Symon! Last night, Symon took home the world's most coveted culinary title in a head- to-head swordfish battle over fellow finalist John Besh. Symon was selected as the winner of the reality contest by existing Iron Chefs Cat Cora, Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto, and also Michael Ruhlman (James Beard Foundation Award- winning author), Andrew Knowlton (Restaurant Editor of Bon Appetit magazine) and Donatella Arpaia (restaurateur and owner of davidburke&donatella and Anthos), who served as judges throughout The Next Iron Chef. Symon begins his reign as an Iron Chef in a special Thanksgiving-themed episode of Iron Chef America on Sunday, November 18, 2007 at 9pm ET/PT.
"We are so excited to have Chef Michael Symon join our celebrated group of Iron Chefs," said Bruce Seidel, Senior Vice President, Program Planning and Special Productions for Food Network. "We are confident that Symon will represent the high culinary level that the show demands and do so with his own special flair."
Renowned in the culinary world and adored in his hometown of Cleveland, Symon is the chef and owner at the critically acclaimed Lola and Lolita restaurants. Symon's pedigree includes being named one of Food & Wine magazine's 10 Best New Chefs in America (1998), a memorable performance as an Iron Chef contestant (2005), and hosting more than 100 episodes of the Food Network's series, Melting Pot. Symon was also nominated for a James Beard Award in 2006 for the Best Chef Great Lakes, and Cleveland Magazine selected Lola as 2007's Best New Restaurant.
Tune in on Sunday, November 18th at 9pm ET/PT, as Symon takes on Chef Ricky Moore of Agaria restaurant in Washington, DC, in his first battle as Iron Chef. Will he live up the title? Watch and see in this special Thanksgiving-themed episode.
The Next Iron Chef, which premiered Sunday, October 7, took contestants from the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, to Europe -- with the help of international airline Lufthansa -- to compete in the food fight of their professional lives. Over the course of the show, the judges asked the chefs to demonstrate a wide variety of skills to see who will be the last chef standing. The Next Iron Chef was produced by Triage Entertainment in conjunction with Food Network and is based partially on the format Iron Chef owned by Fuji Television Network, Inc.
