When Michael D. Simon was in culinary school, becoming a chef meant pursuing a career. Today, top chefs are often called the new rock stars.
“I feel like the world of chefs has changed a lot,” culinary star Simon said. “I’m 53 now. I went to the Culinary Arts Institute in the 80s. I went to school to be, and it happened to be a deal I was incredibly passionate about and loved.”
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Simon is still passionate about his business, but his interests are bigger. He is an award-winning chef, restaurateur, philanthropist, cookbook author and television personality.
In March, Symon will be in Tallahassee to share his love of cooking and headlining the 2023 Cleaver and Cork Cooking Event. This event helps fund Tallahassee Community College student scholarships.
Thanks to the TCC Foundation, the culinary experience is now in its eighth year. This event has his 3 events. The first two – a progressive cocktail party and a signature dinner showcasing Symon’s cuisine – were sold out. But fans can meet Simon and other Tallahassee chefs at the Cleaver and Cork Food and Wine Festival on March 4th.
TCC Foundation Executive Director Heather Mitchell said: She brought a long list of Food Network chefs to Cleaver and Coke, including Aaron Sanchez, chef Mark Murphy, Jeffrey Zakarian, Marcus Samuelson, Alex Guarnacheri, and chef Amanda Freytag.
Immediately laughing and sharing stories, Symon spoke on a Zoom call from his home in Long Island, discussing a variety of topics with his friendly and open demeanor.
grow up in cleveland
Simon grew up in a close-knit family with a Greek-Sicilian mother and an Eastern European father.
“My mother cooked a lot,” he said. “My grandfather, I call him ‘Pup’, but he was a great cook and he was always cooking. “
“We never ran out of food at home,” Simon said. “I ended up in the restaurant business, but when I was a kid, I rarely went out to dinner.
“The only time we ate out was after church on Sundays. Then we went to a Greek diner, then to Alessis, an Italian market, to buy dinner.”
The warmth and generosity of his parents helped develop his love of hospitality.
“My wife and I are talking about this,” Simon said. “We both come from middle-class or slightly below. When I was a kid, we thought we were rich. There were people, they were always entertaining, there was great food, I had a rich childhood.”
build a road
“When I went to culinary school, I was the youngest kid in my class,” said Simon, who started working in restaurants as a teenager. “I learned early on that this is a business that you have to work really hard at.”
Simon has followed the traditional route, working in restaurants and working his way up the line. He opened his first restaurant, Lola, in Cleveland in 1997.
Symon put him on the culinary map in 1998 when he was named Best New Chef by Food & Wine magazine. In 2009, Symon won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: Great Lakes.
He opened other restaurants, including his current restaurant, Mabel’s BBQ, Bar Symon, and Angeline.
Simon also turned to philanthropy. In 2010, he became the first and only chef to host his concert at the annual Farm Aid He Benefits. He and his wife, Liz, founded the Michael D. Simon Foundation in 2010 to help out in Cleveland.
Like many other chefs, Symon has been hit hard by COVID. In 2020, Symon shut down his flagship Lola due to the pandemic.
“People have started to reassess things a little bit,” he said, adding that high costs and low margins have discouraged some parts of the industry from reopening or launching new fine dining ventures. I also mentioned that
Starting a TV Career
Symon debuted on the Food Network in 1998. In 2008, he won Season 1 of The Next Iron Chef. His long list of shows includes BBQ USA, Burgers, Brew, Cue, Slowdown and The Chew. He’s grilling in his own backyard on the show, Symon’s Dinners Cooking Out.
“If it looks like I’m having a good time, it’s because I’m having fun,” Symon said. “I made a promise to myself a long time ago.
“Cure with food”
Symon has authored eight cookbooks, two addressing his autoimmune problem. From his twenties he has rheumatoid arthritis and from his thirties lupus discus.
He wrote “Fix it with Food” and its sequel, providing recipes to help people understand their food triggers and learn how to cook anti-inflammatory dishes.
“This is what I’ve learned through my own trial and error,” he said.
public life
Cleaver and Cork are his kind of event, Simon said.
“I like events like this where you can get out in front of people and socialize and eat. It’s the best part of my job.”
Rochelle Koff writes about food and dining on TallahasseeTable.com Facebook @TheTallahasseeTable and Twitter @tallytable.
if you go
what: Cleaver and Cork Food and Wine Festival
when: March 4, 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Where: On-campus field at Tallahassee Community College, 444 Appleyard Drive
tickets: $100 general admission. VIP ticket $300
For more information: Visit cleaverandcorktcc.com.