Bryan Voltaggio
Bryan Voltaggio 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. His brother is celebrity chef Michael Voltaggio. He resides in Frederick, Maryland and is known for Mid-Atlantic cuisine. Early life and education. Bryan Voltaggio was the oldest of three children, born to Sharon and John Voltaggio. At age 7, his parents divorced and the children initially lived with their mother, and later moved to their father's house. Starting in childhood, brothers Bryan and Michael were very close . His first job was as a busboy at a Holiday Inn in Frederick, Maryland. 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. Voltaggio received an AOS degree in culinary arts in 1999 from The Culinary Institute of America. He was mentored by chef Charlie Palmer and Gerry Hayden, while working at restaurant "Aureole". Restaurant career. In 2003, Voltaggio worked as the head chef at "Charlie Palmer Steak." In October 2017, Bryan, along with brother Michael, opened "STRFSH", a fast-casual  fish sandwich shop in Santa Monica. The Voltaggio brother had co-owned "Estuary" in Washington D.C., which operated under their leadership from 2019 until March 2022. Television appearances. 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; and also a runner-up to Melissa King on the seventeenth season of . He was the first chef to compete on both Top Chef and Top Chef Masters. By becoming the runner-up on his second season of  regular Top Chef, Bryan became the only chef to compete on multiple Top Chef seasons and not be eliminated. In 2021 to 2022, the Voltaggio brothers appeared on Guy Fieri's television series, Tournament of Champions (Food Network) on season three. Personal life. Voltaggio lives in Maryland with his wife Jennifer and their three children, Thacher, Piper, and Ever.