We had a serious competition heating-up. The new Iron Chef Michael Symon faced-off with Bay Area Chef Chris Cosentino, and our own Nick Smith was the judge. The competition took place in San Francisco at Incanto Restaurant. Look and see who won.
Incanto Restaurat:
1550 Church Street, San Francisco.
Located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Church and Duncan Streets in Noe Valley.
Phone: (415) 641-4500
Web site: www.incanto.biz
About Michael Symon, Chef/Partner:
Renowned in the culinary world and adored in his hometown of Cleveland, Symon is chef and owner of critically acclaimed Lola and Lolita restaurants in Cleveland. His pedigree includes being included as one of the Ten Best New Chefs in America by Food & Wine (1998), a memorable battle against Morimoto on "Iron Chef America" (2005), and hosting Food Network's popular "Melting Pot" series.
In 1990, Symon graduated from the Culinary Institute of America and worked at Player's, a casual Mediterranean restaurant on Cleveland's West Side, for two years. Cleveland's developing restaurant scene began to blossom and Piccolo Mondo opened, with Symon in the kitchen. A few years later, Symon was lured to the Caxton Cafe in the new Gateway District.
In 1997, Symon opened his own restaurant in collaboration with future wife Liz. Located just west of downtown Cleveland, Lola opened to glowing reviews. To complement his menu, Liz brought an unpretentious elegance to both the design of the restaurant and unique wine selection from lesser-known boutique vineyards that made Lola Cleveland's destination of the year. In 2005, the pair recreated the Lola space in order to open Lolita, once again revitalizing a new section of Cleveland. Lola reopened with much anticipation and fanfare in 2006 in downtown Cleveland and is once again the cornerstone and darling of the Cleveland dining scene.
Former host of Food Network's "Melting Pot" series, Symon has also appeared on "Sara's Secrets with Sara Moulton", "Ready, Set, Cook" and "Food Nation" with Bobby Flay. Symon has been seen as a frequent guest on iVillage Live on NBC, and on "Monday's with Michael" on the WKYC Cleveland. Symon has been featured in national magazines such as Gourmet, Bon Appétit, Saveur, Food Arts, Esquire and O, The Oprah Magazine. Michael has also worked with Vita-Mix as a spokesperson and is a brand ambassador for Calphalon.
Symon has garnered a host of awards, including ,i>Restaurant Hospitalit magazine's national 'rising star' (1997), Northern Ohio Live magazine's Best Restaurant and Chef in Northeast Ohio (1998) and one of Food & Wine Magazine's Ten Best New Chefs in America (1998). Cleveland Magazine selected Lola as its Best New Restaurant in 2007, also naming Symon as Best Local Chef for Lola and Lolita. He was nominated for a James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Great Lakes (2006).
Symon likes to unwind from his frenetic schedule with a zip on either of his dual vintage Harleys along the back streets of Cleveland.
Lola Bistro web site: www.lolabistro.com
About Chris Cosentino, Executive Chef, Incant:
Growing up in Rhode Island, Chris Cosentino spent his time clamming, commercial fishing, and cranking the pasta machine in his great-grandmother's kitchen. He was raised on a cuisine particular to parts of New England, where Atlantic seafood, Yankee fare and classic Italian cooking fuse into one colorful gastronomy.
Cosentino's formal education took place at Johnson and Wales. Upon graduation, he worked at Mark Miller's Red Sage in Washington, DC. "This was the best first kitchen job I could have had," he recalls, "because I learned from Mark that food is deeply rooted in history and is not just something that a chef merely creates out of thin air." He credits Miller with sparking his love of reading and research through the access he gave him to his prodigious cookbook library. After Red Sage, Cosentino worked at Kinkead's before moving to San Francisco to work under Traci des Jardins at Rubicon. He was then tapped by Drew Nieporent to open The Coach House on Martha's Vineyard. Cosentino returned to California to work briefly at Chez Panisse, as well as the three-star Belon as sous chef, and as a chef/consultant at Michael Mina's Aqua group, opening Nob Hill in Las Vegas.
An Iron Chef America Winner (April 2007), Cosentino was selected to compete on the Food Network's "Search for The Next Iron Chef," making it to the final three contestants and cementing his reputation as a creative talent with serious charisma. In addition to spending time with his wife and young son, Cosentino's other passion is endurance cycling. In between restaurant jobs, he was a professional cyclist, putting single speed mountain bikes through their paces in 24-hour marathons through some of the most punishing terrain in the US. Today he takes his bike around Northern California's mountainous terrain, always on the lookout for wild edibles
Chris' own website is www.offalgood.com
