Michael Symon Net Worth

What is Michael Symon's Net Worth?

Michael Symon is an American chef, restaurateur, and television personality who has a net worth of $6 million. Michael Symon is known for his many appearances on the Food Network, including on the shows "Iron Chef America," "The Next Iron Chef," "BBQ Brawl," and "Food Feuds," and for co-hosting the ABC show "The Chew." He has owned many restaurants, including Lola, BSpot, and Mabel's BBQ, all originally in the Cleveland, Ohio area.

Early Life and Education

Michael Symon was born on September 19, 1969 in Cleveland, Ohio and was raised in North Olmsted. He is of Greek, Sicilian, and Eastern European descent. After attending St. Richard School in North Olmsted, Symon went to St. Edward High School in Lakewood. He graduated in 1987, and subsequently enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York. Symon graduated from that institution in 1990.

Culinary Career

Symon began his culinary career in Lakewood, Ohio, where he worked as a cook at Geppetto's Pizza and Ribs and at the Mediterranean restaurant Player's. After that, he became a chef at Piccolo Mondo, and then at Caxton Cafe. Symon had his career breakthrough in 1997 when he opened the Cleveland restaurant Lola with his future wife. Lola became a go-to place in the burgeoning Tremont neighborhood, and in 2000 it was named by Gourmet magazine as one of the best restaurants in the country. In 2005, Symon converted Lola into Lolita, and in 2006 he opened a Lola in Downtown Cleveland. He also opened a third restaurant, Parea, an upscale Greek eatery in New York City. Parea ultimately closed in 2007. The following year, Symon opened Roast at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit in Michigan. In 2009, he opened Bar Symon in Avon Lake, Ohio and the hamburger joint BSpot in Woodmere, Ohio. The Avon Lake Bar Symon closed the next year.

In 2011, Symon opened new BSpot Ohio locations in Strongsville and Westlake, and in 2012 he opened a BSpot at the Horseshoe Cleveland. The latter closed in 2017. Meanwhile, Symon opened a Bar Symon at Pittsburgh International Airport. In 2015, he opened his first restaurant outside the Midwest, Symon's Burger Joint in Austin, Texas. That restaurant closed in 2017. Meanwhile, in 2016, he opened Mabel's BBQ next to Lola in Downtown Cleveland. The following year, he opened a Bar Symon at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and introduced a new restaurant, Angeline, at Borgata Hotel Casino & Spa in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Symon went on to open his second Mabel's BBQ location, at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada, in late 2018. That year, he abruptly closed all the BSpot locations outside of Cleveland. Other BSpot locations, as well as Symon's flagship restaurant Lola, shut down in late 2020 amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Television Career

Symon is well-known for his many appearances on the Food Network. In the early 2000s, he appeared on such Food Network shows as "Melting Pot," "Sara's Secrets," "Ready, Set, Cook," and "Iron Chef America." Symon won the cooking competition series "The Next Iron Chef" in 2007, and in 2008 he hosted the competition show "Dinner: Impossible." In the summer of 2009, he and his restaurant Lolita were featured on the first episode of the series "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." The next year, Symon began hosting the food travel show "Food Feuds." He has since hosted the Food Network programs "Burgers, Brew and 'Que," "BBQ Brawl," and "Throwdown!" Symon has also appeared on some other networks, starring on the Cooking Channel show "Cook Like an Iron Chef" and co-hosting the ABC cooking-themed talk show "The Chew."

Cookbooks

Symon's first cookbook, a collaboration with Michael Ruhlman entitled "Michael Symon's Live to Cook: Recipes and Techniques to Rock Your Kitchen," was published in late 2009. He went on to collaborate with Douglas Trattner on a series of cookbooks, including "Carnivore: 120 Recipes for Meat Lovers" (2012), "5 in 5: 5 Fresh Ingredients + 5 Minutes = 120 Fantastic Dinners" (2013), and "Playing with Fire: BBQ and More from the Grill, Smoker, and Fireplace" (2018). Symon has also contributed to cookbooks by his crew from the television show "The Chew."

Personal Life

In late 1998, Symon married Liz Shanahan. They have collaborated on many of Symon's restaurants over the years. Symon has a stepson named Kyle.

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