Chef Symon: Part II

Cars and food? You might not see the connection, but car people tend to be foodies, and a lot of foodies love cars. Case in point: Chef Michael Symon, who has been a fan of domestic trucks for most of his life. I've been writing about cars for a long time, and so when AutoWeek magazine decided to explore the connection between cars and food, I saw an opportunity to combine the two in a story about Symon (full disclosure, my husband Wes is AutoWeek's executive edtor, and since he is a wonderful husband who likes my cooking and wants to keep eating it, he gave me this assignment).

Take a minute to look at the special food section in the latest issue, which also includes pieces by my good friends Dutch Mandel and Jeff Vettraino. Note the photo by Donna Turner Ruhlman, an outtake from Symon's cookbook, due in November.

http://tinyurl.com/c4bnuv

Finally, congratulations to Chef Symon, who won the coveted James Beard Foundation's 2009 Best Chefs Great Lakes award last night in New York. This is a huge deal in the food world. Symon took a chance on Detroit by opening Roast during this long and dreary recession and he is helping shape the city into a true restaurant destination.