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Roast chef wins prestigious Beard award
Roast chef wins prestigious Beard award
'Iron Chef' Michael Symon recognized for Lola, his flagship restaurant in Cleveland
BY SYLVIA RECTOR • FREE PRESS RESTAURANT CRITIC • May 6, 2009
Chef Michael Symon -- star of the Food Network's "Iron Chef: America" series and chef-partner in Roast restaurant at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit -- won the James Beard Foundation's 2009 Best Chef Great Lakes award Monday night in New York City.
The Beards -- given annually to chefs, restaurants, owners, cookbook authors and journalists -- are considered the most prestigious awards in the food world.
Symon was nominated for Lola, his flagship restaurant in Cleveland. He originally opened Lola in a small space in the city's Tremont section in 1996 and moved it downtown to a larger, more upscale location in 2006.
He also owns Lolita, a casual American bistro.
He opened Roast -- the Free Press Restaurant of the Year in 2009 -- last year, featuring a "meat-centric" menu that combines ethnic and Midwestern influences.
• HEATING UP DETROIT: Read more about Roast, the Free Press Restaurant of the Year
Symon said winning the award was "awesome ... I was in a daze."
"To win an award where you're voted on by your peers is as flattering as it gets. That category is so dominated by Chicago chefs, that to win one for Cleveland and Detroit is really exciting." The Great Lakes region includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
The only nominee from Michigan was executive chef Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor.
Symon said he didn't know what tipped the balance for him this year -- the fourth time he had been a semifinalist.
But, he said, "I think our food is a very true representation of how people eat and think about food in the Great Lakes and the Midwest. It's simple and honest and straightforward, and I that's what's great about it."
When he returns from New York, he said, he'll have a celebration for his staff "to thank them for the hard work they do. And then it's back to work."
Contact SYLVIA RECTOR: 313-222-5026 or srector@freepress.com
'Iron Chef' Michael Symon recognized for Lola, his flagship restaurant in Cleveland
BY SYLVIA RECTOR • FREE PRESS RESTAURANT CRITIC • May 6, 2009
Chef Michael Symon -- star of the Food Network's "Iron Chef: America" series and chef-partner in Roast restaurant at the Westin Book Cadillac Detroit -- won the James Beard Foundation's 2009 Best Chef Great Lakes award Monday night in New York City.
The Beards -- given annually to chefs, restaurants, owners, cookbook authors and journalists -- are considered the most prestigious awards in the food world.
Symon was nominated for Lola, his flagship restaurant in Cleveland. He originally opened Lola in a small space in the city's Tremont section in 1996 and moved it downtown to a larger, more upscale location in 2006.
He also owns Lolita, a casual American bistro.
He opened Roast -- the Free Press Restaurant of the Year in 2009 -- last year, featuring a "meat-centric" menu that combines ethnic and Midwestern influences.
• HEATING UP DETROIT: Read more about Roast, the Free Press Restaurant of the Year
Symon said winning the award was "awesome ... I was in a daze."
"To win an award where you're voted on by your peers is as flattering as it gets. That category is so dominated by Chicago chefs, that to win one for Cleveland and Detroit is really exciting." The Great Lakes region includes Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and Michigan.
The only nominee from Michigan was executive chef Alex Young of Zingerman's Roadhouse in Ann Arbor.
Symon said he didn't know what tipped the balance for him this year -- the fourth time he had been a semifinalist.
But, he said, "I think our food is a very true representation of how people eat and think about food in the Great Lakes and the Midwest. It's simple and honest and straightforward, and I that's what's great about it."
When he returns from New York, he said, he'll have a celebration for his staff "to thank them for the hard work they do. And then it's back to work."
Contact SYLVIA RECTOR: 313-222-5026 or srector@freepress.com
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