For Iron Chef Symon, It's All About the Beets

Some people may have been shocked by Michael Symon’s creative use of pressure-cooked beets during Sunday night's Iron Chef competition, but we were not. On Saturday during the I Fabulous Food Show at the IX Center, Symon, wearing a Van Halen t-shirt and his trademark grin, demonstrated how to make one of his favorite Thanksgiving dishes: brussel sprouts and bacon. “With vegetables, I always root for the underdog,” Symon said to the crowd of 100 or so observers. “I love brussel sprouts and beets. That’s why I like the Browns, too.” After the demonstration Symon posed for approximately 450 pictures with Food Show guests. Asked later, whether he’d be premiering any of the dishes from the Iron Chef competition at his restaurants, Symon said that he and his staff were working on it. -- Rebecca Meiser