At first glance, Chef Lon Symensma
might seem an unlikely representative for award-winning modern Asian cuisine. The blond-haired, blue-eyed Iowa native was only 14 when he took a job at a local diner and discovered how much he enjoyed the fast-paced, demanding environment of a professional kitchen. He began competing in the national culinary circuit and, at the age of 19, received an invitation to join Team USA at the 1996 Culinary Olympics held in Berlin, Germany, where his team earned a silver medal. In 1997, the American Culinary Federation honored him with the National Junior Chef of the Year Award.

Confident in his decision to pursue a career as a chef, Symensma enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America. After graduation, he traveled to the south of France, where he spent a year dividing his time between two separate Michelin two-star restaurants, Roger Vergé’s Moulin Mougin and Jacques Chibois’ La Bastide Saint Antoine
. He left France to apprentice at restaurants throughout Italy and Spain, including San Sebastian’s famed Arzak.

In 2001, Symensma joined esteemed chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten at his famed restaurant in New York City, where he developed a passion for the bold and dynamic characteristics of Asian ingredients. Under the guidance of mentors Vongerichten and Gray Kunz, he spent a year traveling extensively throughout both Southeast Asia and China. While in Asia, Symensma participated in the opening of Jean-Georges Shanghai and underwent intensive culinary training at both the Royal Garden Hotel in Hong Kong and the five-star Datai resort in Malaysia.

Upon his return to the United States, Symensma started as an opening sous chef at Spice Market, Jean-Georges’ revolutionary Southeast Asian restaurant. He departed Spice Market to open Yumcha, a critically acclaimed Chinese restaurant located in New York’s West Village.

Symensma’s notable achievements sparked the interest of Philadelphia-based restaurateur Stephen Starr, who offered the young chef a position as chef de cuisine at his vast and highly anticipated restaurant, Buddakan, in the Meatpacking District in New York. In June 2007, Symensma was promoted to executive chef, growing the restaurant into the seventh-highest-grossing restaurant in the United States and New York’s 23rd-most-popular dining destination, according to the Zagat Survey.

In October 2010, Symensma relocated to Denver to join his fellow CIA alum, Alicia Deters, and her husband, Jim, to open his first restaurant as executive chef and co-owner, ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro in Lower Downtown.

“I enjoy developing new dishes that represent the crisp, vibrant flavors of Asian cuisine. Many are my own twists on classical dishes created in an effort to provide guests with an experience that is both exciting and familiar. I truly appreciate Seattle Fish Company as a partner in those creations, helping me identify the best seafood products on the market to inspire new dining experiences.” — Lon Symensma — Executive Chef, ChoLon Modern Asian Bistro