VOLT ink.: Recipes, Stories, Brothers
Bryan VoltaggioHighly accomplished, innovative, and talented 35-year old Chef Bryan Voltaggio is among the new generation of chefs who are reinventing American cooking. A graduate of the prestigious Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York, Chef Voltaggio's pedigree includes almost a decade working as protege under celebrated culinary notable, Charlie Palmer. Through his three-star reviewed restaurant VOLT in his native Frederick, Maryland, Voltaggio exercises his cooking philosophies and signature preparations of New American cuisine offering menus driven by the fresh, seasonal offerings of local farmers. He characterizes his cuisine as “sophisticated dishes offering classic flavor combinations created using fundamental and innovative cooking techniques.” Bryan Voltaggio’s passion for cooking was fostered during childhood in Frederick County where meals often included produce harvested from the family garden. Committed to a career in cooking early in his life, Voltaggio had already served as Sous Chef and Executive Chef at two regional hotel restaurants by the age of 20. Upon graduation from culinary school, Voltaggio went on to work under Chef Palmer at famed Aureole in New York City, and later opened the second outlet of Aureole at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Voltaggio re-located to Frederick with his family to open Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, DC. After five years there as Executive Chef, Voltaggio opened VOLT in 2008. Voltaggio is a James Beard Best Mid-Atlantic Chef nominee and was named Chef of the Year by both the non-profit Share Our Strength and the Restaurant Association of Maryland in 2010.Michael VoltaggioChef Michael Voltaggio has spent over half of his lifetime in the kitchen, starting at the age of 15. Now based in Los Angeles, he will open his first signature restaurant, ink., in 2011. Voltaggio describes his food as "modern Los Angeles," distinguished by inspired flavor profiles and elevated by the combination of classical and modern techniques. Voltaggio touts a solid culinary background, receiving his formal training as an Apprentice at the esteemed Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia. He went on to helm the kitchen at an honor roll of haute dining establishments: The Bazaar by Jose Andres at the SLS Hotel in Beverly Hills; Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Healdsburg; The Dining Room at the Langham Hotel in Pasadena; The Grill Room and The Dining Room at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples. A Michelin-starred chef, he was a finalist for the James Beard “Best New Restaurant” award in 2009, the same year he famously won the honor of Top Chef on Bravo TV’s Emmy-winning season (Season 6 – Las Vegas).