Bryan Voltaggio (born 1976) is an American celebrity chef, restaurateur, and author. He is a

Top Chef ''Top Chef'' is an American reality competition television series which premiered on Bravo on March 8, 2006. The show features chefs competing against each other in culinary challenges. The contestants are judged by a panel of professional che ...

television series alum; and he was a semi-finalist for the James Beard award. His brother is celebrity chef

Michael Voltaggio Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

. He resides in

Frederick, Maryland Frederick is a city in and the county seat of Frederick County, Maryland. It is part of the Baltimore–Washington Metropolitan Area. Frederick has long been an important crossroads, located at the intersection of a major north–south Native ...

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. He attended Governor Thomas Johnson High School. He is married to Jennifer Covell, whom he met in high school; and together they have children. His first job was as a busboy at a

Holiday Inn Holiday Inn is an American chain of hotels based in Atlanta, Georgia. and a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain was founded in 1952 by Kemmons Wilson, who opened the first location in Memphis, Tennessee that year. The chain was a division ...

in Frederick, Maryland. He took a vocational culinary program at Frederick Community College while attending

Governor Thomas Johnson High School Governor Thomas Johnson High School (GTJHS) is a four-year public high school in Frederick, Maryland, United States. The school is home to the Academy of Fine Arts, an auditioned-only visual and performing arts program for talented students in Fre ...

and by age 15, he was given the role of cook. Voltaggio received an AOS degree in

culinary art Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called che ...

s 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.'' Bryan, along with brother Michael, opened ''STRFSH'', a fast-casual fish sandwich shop in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to i ...

, open from October 2017 to 2021. The Voltaggio brother had co-owned ''Estuary'' in Washington D.C., which operated under their leadership from 2019 until March 2022.

Restaurants

Active

* ''Voltaggio Brothers Steak House'',

MGM National Harbor MGM National Harbor is a casino hotel in National Harbor, Maryland, just outside of Washington, D.C. It opened on December 8, 2016, constructed at a cost of $1.4 billion. It is owned by Vici Properties and operated by MGM Resorts International ...

, Oxon Hill (December 2016–present) * Thacher & Rye, Frederick (2020–present) * Showroom, Frederick (2020–present)

Closed

Television appearances

Voltaggio was the runner-up of the fifth season of '' Top Chef Masters'', runner-up of the sixth season of ''

'', Bravo's cooking competition show, placing second to his brother,

; and also a runner-up to Melissa King on the seventeenth season of Top Chef: All-Stars L.A. 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.

Awards, nominations and accolades

* 2010

James Beard Foundation Award The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media award ...

"Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" Nominee * 2012

"Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic" Semi-finalist

Personal life

Voltaggio lives in Maryland with his wife Jennifer and their three children, Thacher, Piper, and Ever.

Publications

* * *

References

External links

* *
Showroom Restaurant websiteThacher & Rye Restaurant website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voltaggio, Bryan 1976 births Chefs from Maryland American male chefs Culinary Institute of America alumni Living people Top Chef contestants People from Frederick, Maryland