Michael Symon's Mabel's BBQ restaurant

Cleveland celebrity chef Michael Symon wants no part of Donald Trump during the Republican National Convention. "I'm not going to lie, he creeps me out a bit," Symon told 92.3 The Fan, a Cleveland sports talk radio station.

(John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Michael Symon, one of Cleveland's most celebrated chefs, wants no part of Donald Trump 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.

Two of Symon's eateries -- Lola and Mabel's BBQ -- sit on East Fourth Street, the city's premier dining district and a stone's throw from Quicken Loans Arena, where Trump is expected to accept the GOP presidential nomination next month.

Both restaurants likely will host private parties during convention week. Symon was asked if Trump might be among the guests.

"I come from a mixed political family, which is always fun around this time of the world," a chuckling Symon told hosts Matt Dery and Anthony Lima. "I've been fortunate or unfortunate enough to meet him through the years. I'm not going to lie, he creeps me out a little bit."

Asked if he risked alienating customers who support Trump, Symon replied: "Anybody that knows me knows I'm not afraid to speak my mind, so there's that. But this isn't a Democratic/Republican thing, trust me. It's just that he creeps me out."

Symon, like Trump, is an established TV personality. He's a Food Network "Iron Chef" and stars on ABC's "The Chew," a daytime cooking show.

Trump, incidentally, has expressed interest in packing the convention speakers roster with sports and pop culture celebrities. Count Symon out.

You can listen to the audio below. The Trump portion begins around the 5:15 mark.