Michael Symon, one of Cleveland’s most popular homegrown chefs, said during a radio interview that the presumed Republican presidential nominee will not be allowed in either of his restaurants.
Lola and Mabel’s BBQ are in the city’s hot-spot dining area, just blocks away from Quicken Loans Arena, where Trump is expected to formally accept the GOP nomination next month during the Republican National Convention.
“There’s not a chance I’d let him into one of my restaurants,” Symon said Thursday during a call-in to Cleveland sports talk radio station 92.3 The Fan.
Symon is seen regularly on Food Network shows including “Iron Chef America,” “Food Feuds” and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” as well as “Cook Like an Iron Chef” on the Cooking Channel and “The Chew” on ABC. He won the Next Iron Chef competition in 2007. Symon, a James Beard Foundation Award-winning chef, is also credited with saving Cleveland’s restaurant scene.
Though both of Symon’s restaurants are set to host many private parties during convention week, Trump won’t be among the guests allowed in.
“Anybody that knows me knows I’m not afraid to speak my mind, so there’s that,” he said when asked if his Trump comments may alienate potential customers. “But this isn’t a Democratic/Republican thing, trust me. It’s just that he creeps me out.”
