Happy New Year

What a crazy 2007!!....I couldnt have asked for much more either professionally or personally. The year was full of so much excitement, i really dont even know where to begin.

First off, another wonderful year with my wife and soulmate Liz. She is truly a wonderful person and very understanding of my sometimes hectic life and schedule. She is what makes me whole and keeps me grounded...I just love her to death!!

This year also was my paps 90th birthday. The man never ceases to amaze me..he still golfs and bowls twice a week and makes desserts for his church on bingo night. Heres to hoping that 2008 brings him continued health and happiness. He is still the person I look up to the most and I relish the time I can spend with him.

Lola..celebrated her 1 year anniversary in her new digs in September and it was a wonderful first year!!! We are blessed with a great staff that really makes it happen everyday. Lolita turned 3 but we had our 11th anniversary in the Tremont location....it is great to see our baby still going strong and once again we have our its all due to our staff....Liz, Doug and I are very fortunate to have the staffs we do and can never thank them enough.

Oh..and of course that Iron Chef thing. What a wild ride that has been. I got to know 7 great friends during the competition and really continued to learn how manage myself. It has opened some new doors for me and hopefully will continue to.

The new year should also bring some exciting things...We are looking at some management projects in Detroit and will continue to pursue Vegas. We have also welcomed a new member to our family Ozzy the old english bulldogge (he is a absolute riot) Even though Ruby and Mabel still dont know what too make of him.

Well, thats all I got for now...time to lay around and watch season six of 24.....Happy new year to all!!!

Live to cook, ms

Comments

[Catherine]

Happy New Year to you too Iron Chef Symon! I will have fun watching your 2nd battle on Food Network tonight!

Catherine, age 13

[Wilmita]

A Healthy and Prosperous New Year to you and your family, Chef Symon.

Regards,

Wilmita

[NancyH]

For those of you who enjoy sharing food experiences vicariously - my husband and I, and another friend, enjoyed the first seating of the Iron Chef dinner at Lola last night and it was simply amazing. And me and my friend, who are hopeless camera geeks when it comes to food, photographed it all and we've posted our pictures and comments on EGullet, here: http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=61650&view=findpost&p=1513043

Michael - Hope the second service went as well as the first, which was simply extraordinary! Happy New Year to you and Liz and your extended restaurant family!

[Richard]

[...]new member to our family Ozzy the old english bulldogge[...]

JPEG! JPEG!

[EB]

What a sweet and touching post...toast?.... Happy New Year all! Here's to 2008!

[Jeff Blackwell]

Hi Michael!

I hope you and your family have a nice new year. I can't wait for your battles on ICA. I knew you were going to win because you have your passion on your body. I want nothing more than to be a chef but I am currently disabled/bedridden in Gibsonburg Ohio at a place called Windsor Clinic. I have a condition called Lymphedema and both my knees are shot. I can get better and am trying hard to but it's very tough. I want nothing more in live than to cook, whether I get the chance to go to culinary school or not.

You, Alton, Morimoto, and Jamie Oliver are my chef hero's and I'm glad I found a way to say hi to you. I would love to meet you someday. When I finish the cookbook I'm writing I will send you a copy ;).

Good Luck on your ICA battles and everything else!

Allez Cuisine
Jeff "Dyson" Blackwell

[ryan]

happy new year michael,

like yourself, 2008 looks to be a year of new prospects and opportunities. i know you probably don't have time to respond individually, or maybe even read these comments, but in 2008 i am looking to change careers from a graphic designer to working in a kitchen. unfortunately i cannot afford to go back to school for it, but have been cooking at home for years.

maybe you could write in a post what you look for in new staff (other than a culinary college degree on the resume) and so on, or any suggestions in helping a young amateur cook make the leap to the bottom of the totem pole of the professional cooking world. even insight on who gave you your first "break."

thanks and good luck in the new year,

ryan

[Ken Kamper]

Chef Symon,

My wife and I recently moved to Cleveland from central Michigan (Chicago before that), and visited Lola for the first time last Friday evening. We were seated next to the table of 6 from out of town. My wife wanted get a photo, but I suggested that we'll be back, now that we're "neighbors."

I wanted to give you props for the best pork chop I've ever eaten. I told the wait staff that I desparately wanted to gnaw on the bone. We had an extremely enjoyable dinning experience, and Cleveland should thank her stars that your here.

Best of luck in 2008,

Ken Kamper

[Ken Kamper]

Chef Symon,

My wife and I recently moved to Cleveland from central Michigan (Chicago before that), and visited Lola for the first time last Friday evening. We were seated next to the table of 6 from out of town. My wife wanted get a photo, but I suggested that we'll be back, now that we're "neighbors."

I wanted to give you props for the best pork chop I've ever eaten. I told the wait staff that I desparately wanted to gnaw on the bone. We had an extremely enjoyable dinning experience, and Cleveland should thank her stars that your here.

Best of luck in 2008,

Ken Kamper

[Ken Kamper]

Chef Symon,

My wife and I recently moved to Cleveland from central Michigan (Chicago before that), and visited Lola for the first time last Friday evening. We were seated next to the table of 6 from out of town. My wife wanted get a photo, but I suggested that we'll be back, now that we're "neighbors."

I wanted to give you props for the best pork chop I've ever eaten. I told the wait staff that I desparately wanted to gnaw on the bone. We had an extremely enjoyable dinning experience, and Cleveland should thank her stars that you're here.

Best of luck in 2008,

Ken Kamper

[bob]

Chef Symon,
Happy New Year! Have enjoyed greatly your travels thru TFN, and have not yet made it to Lola, or Lolita, however I must tell you that it's so inspiring to see the sense of humor and positive outlook that you convey in your cooking. Having been accused, more than once of being " a little bit uptight" with regards to my passion with food, It's enlightening to watch you work. Cannot wait to bite into a beefcheek perogie, by the way....best wishes in the new year!
bob mcgee

[Dan Jones]

Chef Symon,

Best of luck in all your adventures both personal and professional. Congratulations on your ICA achievement aswell.

From once CIA student to another, Live to Cook,

- Dan

[Laura]

Happy New Year Michael, best wishes for this year.
I hope to go to Cleveland soon, and finally be able to go to Lola, now that it is downtown it will be easier for us to get there. (My trips to Cleveland are to visit my doctors at Cleveland Clinic so I always stay in that area).
Good luck in all your projects for 2008

[dave]

Chef Symon

Happy New Year!! I hope this year brings even more success and wonderful adventures for you than the year past. Also, I just saw Battle Rabbit for the first time last night (I dont know when Iron Chef is regularly on, so it might have been the premiere for all I know...) and congrats on the win!! The food looked so good I was attacking my TV. Keep up the great work, we are all pulling for ya.

-dave

[Ellen]

My boyfriend proposed on New Years Eve, and he promised he'd take to me Lola sometime soon to celebrate since he knows I've wanted to go since I got hooked on The Next Iron Chef, so I was just wondering, what's a general price range and what's the general "dress code"? Thanks!

[Eric Giblock]

Awesome !! This blog is a great idea. We just watched battle #2 last night and it was great. Rabbit.. I could tell the other guy was smoked from the beginning.

It's been great watching the iron chef shows on food, and now to have a local person on there is cool. We've been to Lolita once already since then (we were there for the 2nd to last Iron Chef competition), and now are going back for my girlfriends birthday this sunday. I can't wait. It's soooooo good !

Keep up the great work and the blog !

[Tyler]

For Mike,
Just a random cooking question. What are the knives do you use (might want to wait for the endorsements for this question) and how often do you sharpen your knives? Do you do them all at once or just the most used?

[Don Murphy]

I missed the judging last night (had to shovel the driveway), can anyone tell me if Mike won against Rubino?

[Fran Manor]

You nailed it Mike nice work Have a Happy and Healthy New Year...

We need to talk about those dogs !

[Anthony]

Dude! I got a little out of touch with the Iron Chef contest and didn't know you won until the repeats on New Years Day. Talk about being REALLY behind. Anyway, when the winner (by picture) was announced I shouted like it was game 7 of the world series! I get that way with competions :)

Really happy for you brother, you were my pick from the start. Love your cooking style. Hurry up and open a joint in NYC will ya! :)

A

[Paul DeLuca]

I can see it now, Jack Bauer in Kitchen Stadium...

"...Chloe, I've got to get this rabbit into that immersion cooker NOW! I need a location on the challenger's sous chef and the floor plan for the kitchen sent to my PDA ASAP. We're running out of time!"

Happy New Year Michael!

[allegra baistrocchi]

hello chef,
i just wanted to congratulate you on your win on iron chef. i'm a huge fan of the show, but since we don't have food network here in italy (really a shame, why the hell don't we?) i had to download the episodes, and so i just saw your win today. awesome job! i have to say that i was rooting for you all along! you have a bubbly personality and an infectuous laugh! i would love to come and visit your resautrant one day, to get to taste your great food. Especially because one of my favorite people in the world, my grandmother, was called carmen lola ... but i've always known her as lolita. and she was a foodie too! every birthday of hers we'd crack open a bottle of crystal and she's gobble up my canapès and we'd giggle about boys. sorry for the ramble, but your cooking (although extremely refined) reminds me of being with loved ones, and laughter, and i think there can be no better compliment for a chef! please let me know if you're ever in rome, as i'd love to meet you (and show you around!).
un bacio,
allegra

[Dot]

Chef Symon,
Great article in Food and Wine magazine (kudos to Ruhlman as well)! That chili looks great! I'll have to do some homework as to where I can find some pork cheeks in central Oh.......io.
Happy New Year and travel safe!

[the savory librarian]

Detroit! I'm not sure what "management projects" could mean, but I am so very very excited at the possibility of having a piece of Symon in my city. Please keep us posted on any developments.

[Brianne Pragg]

Chef Symon,
My name is Brianne Pragg, and I am a member of the City Club Youth Forum Council. I don't know if you remember me, but I am also a caddie at ECC and I caddied for you once this past summer.
The City Club Youth Coucil would like you to speak for us in one of our forums, if you would be interested.
I could not find your personal email address online, so if you could please email me back as soon as possible to let me know if you would be interested in speaking for us, I would greatly appriciate it.

Brianne
bpragg@verizon.net