Bryan Voltaggio

Summary

Bryan Voltaggio (born 1976)[2] is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author. He is a Top Chef television series alum; and he was a semi-finalist for the James Beard award.[3][4] His brother is celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio.[4][5][6] He resides in Frederick, Maryland and is known for Mid-Atlantic cuisine.

Bryan Voltaggio
Born1976 (age 47–48)
EducationCulinary Institute of America
SpouseJennifer Covell[1]
Culinary career
Cooking styleModern American
Current restaurant(s)
    • Voltaggio Brothers Steakhouse, National Harbor, MD (2016),
    • Showroom, Frederick, MD (2020),
    • Thacher & Rye, Frederick, MD (2020)
Previous restaurant(s)
    • VOLT, Frederick, MD (2008–2020),
    • Aggio, Baltimore, MD (2014–2018),
    • Family Meal, Baltimore, MD (2015–2016),
    • STRFSH, Santa Monica, CA (2017–2021),
    • Estuary, Washington, DC (2019–2022)

Early life and education edit

Bryan Voltaggio was the oldest of three children, born to Sharon and John Voltaggio.[7] At age 7, his parents divorced and the children initially lived with their mother, and later moved to their father's house.[7] Starting in childhood, brothers Bryan and Michael were very close.[7] He attended Governor Thomas Johnson High School.[1] He is married to Jennifer Covell, whom he met in high school; and together they have three children.[1]

His first job was as a busboy at a Holiday Inn in Frederick, Maryland.[7] He took a vocational culinary program at Frederick Community College while attending Governor Thomas Johnson High School and by age 15, he was given the role of cook.[7]

Voltaggio received an AOS degree in culinary arts in 1999 from The Culinary Institute of America.[7] He was mentored by chef Charlie Palmer and Gerry Hayden, while working at restaurant Aureole.[7][8][9]

Restaurant career edit

In 2003, Voltaggio worked as the head chef at Charlie Palmer Steak.[7]

Bryan, along with brother Michael, opened STRFSH, a fast-casual fish sandwich shop in Santa Monica, open from October 2017 to 2021.[10] The Voltaggio brother had co-owned Estuary in Washington D.C., which operated under their leadership from 2019 until March 2022.[11]

Restaurants edit

Active edit

  • Voltaggio Brothers Steak House, MGM National Harbor, Oxon Hill (December 2016–present)[12]
  • Thacher & Rye, Frederick (2020–present)[13]
  • Showroom, Frederick (2020–present)

Closed edit

  • VOLT, Frederick (2008–2020)[13]
  • Aggio, Baltimore (2014–2018)[14]
  • Family Meal, Baltimore (2015–August 2016)[14]
  • STRFSH, Santa Monica (2017–2021)[15]
  • Estuary, Washington D.C. (2019–March 2022)[11]
  • Lunchbox, Frederick, MD

Television appearances edit

Voltaggio was the runner-up of the fifth season of Top Chef Masters, runner-up of the sixth season of Top Chef, Bravo's cooking competition show, placing second to his brother, Michael Voltaggio;[16] and also a runner-up to Melissa King on the seventeenth season of Top Chef: All-Stars L.A.[17] He was the first chef to compete on both Top Chef and Top Chef Masters.[18]

In 2022, both Voltaggio brothers appeared on season three of Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions on the Food Network.[19][20]

Awards, nominations and accolades edit

Personal life edit

Voltaggio lives in Maryland with his wife Jennifer and their three children: son Thacher, and daughters Piper Wren and Ever Maeve.[22]

Publications edit

  • Voltaggio, Bryan; Voltaggio, Michael (2011). VOLT ink.: Recipes, Stories, Brothers. Ed Anderson (photographer), Charlie Palmer (foreword). Weldon Owen. ISBN 978-1616281618.
  • Voltaggio, Bryan (2015). Home: Recipes to Cook with Family and Friends. Little, Brown and Company. ISBN 978-0316323888.
  • D'Agostino, Ryan, ed. (2015). The Eat Like a Man Guide to Feeding a Crowd: How to Cook for Family, Friends, and Spontaneous Parties. David Granger (introduction), Bryan Voltaggio (foreword), Mario Batali (foreword). Chronicle Books. ISBN 978-1452131849.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c "Family Style". Baltimore Style. February 23, 2015. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  2. ^ "Voltaggio, Bryan 1976-". OCLC WorldCat Identities.
  3. ^ "One Top Chef Contestant Has Been Runner-Up Three Times - But Never Won". CBR. 2021-12-03. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  4. ^ a b Holl, Joel (November 20, 2014). "Life of Bryan". Baltimore Magazine. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  5. ^ "'Top Chef' favorites the Voltaggio brothers battle it out in new cooking competition". The Mercury News. 2021-06-15. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  6. ^ "'Top Chef' favorites the Voltaggio brothers battle it out in new cooking competition". Daily News. 2021-06-11. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h "Bryan Voltaggio: From a teenager 'amok' to 'Top Chef Masters'". Washington Post. July 23, 2013.
  8. ^ "Top Chef - Bios - Bryan Voltaggio | Bravo TV Official Site". Bravo. Archived from the original on 2010-09-16. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  9. ^ Ulla, Gabe (2011-07-05). "Bryan Voltaggio on the Importance of Balance in Cooking". Eater. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  10. ^ Kang, Matthew (2017-10-31). "Michael and Bryan Voltaggio's STRFSH grills fish sandwiches in Santa Monica starting today". Eater LA. Retrieved 2021-04-28.
  11. ^ a b Plumb, Tierney (2022-03-22). "Estuary Returns With New Mid-Atlantic Delicacies — and No More Voltaggio Brothers". Eater DC. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  12. ^ Sietsema, Tom (April 12, 2017). "Voltaggio Brothers Steak House Review". Washington Post.
  13. ^ a b "Bryan Voltaggio's Frederick restaurant Volt reopens as Thacher & Rye". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  14. ^ a b Yeager, Amanda (December 20, 2018). "Court rules Bryan Voltaggio owes Cordish $3.1M over shuttered Baltimore restaurants". Bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  15. ^ Saria, Lauren (2022-11-01). "The Voltaggio Brothers Are Opening an Italian Restaurant at This Upscale California Ski Resort". Eater SF. Retrieved 2022-11-03.
  16. ^ "'Top Chef' Winners: Where Are They Now?". Us Weekly. 2021-07-02. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  17. ^ "Who Won Top Chef All Stars: L.A.?". E! Online. 2020-06-19. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  18. ^ Canavan, Hillary Dixler (2013-09-26). "Douglas Keane: Winner of Top Chef Masters Season 5". Eater. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  19. ^ "Tournament of Champions III: Battle Recap – Week 6". Guilty Eats. 2022-04-05. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  20. ^ Del Rosario, Alexandra (2022-01-18). "Guy Fieri's 'Tournament Of Champions' Renewed For Season 3 At Food Network". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-04-09.
  21. ^ a b "James Beard Foundation search for Volt". James Beard Foundation. Archived from the original on 17 October 2014. Retrieved 17 October 2014.
  22. ^ "It's a Girl For Bryan Voltaggio and Wife!". Bravo. 2013-07-13. Retrieved 2013-10-01.

External links edit

  • Official website
  • Bryan Voltaggio at IMDb
  • Showroom Restaurant website
  • Thacher & Rye Restaurant website