Bryan Voltaggio

After nine successful years in the restaurant business in New York, chef Bryan Voltaggio fulfilled his dream of opening his own restaurant. VOLT opened in 2008, characterized by Voltaggio's personalized take on modern American cuisine.
Cooking Channel: The Voltaggio Brothers Take On Thanksgiving (behind the scenes). Bryan and Michael Voltaggio.

Cooking Channel: The Voltaggio Brothers Take On Thanksgiving (behind the scenes). Bryan and Michael Voltaggio.

Photo by: Ed Anderson ©2011, Television Food Network, G.P.

Ed Anderson, 2011, Television Food Network, G.P.

Cooking Channel: The Voltaggio Brothers Take On Thanksgiving (behind the scenes). Bryan and Michael Voltaggio.

Chef Bryan Voltaggio is at the forefront of a generation of chefs who are reinventing American cooking through a commitment to farm-to-table cuisine. Since opening VOLT in his native Frederick, Md., Bryan’s cuisine has earned him many accolades, including being nominated for a coveted James Beard Award as Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in 2010 and being named Chef of the Year by both the Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit Share Our Strength and the Restaurant Association of Maryland that same year. He was also a finalist on the sixth season of Bravo TV’s hit show Top Chef in 2009.

Bryan’s passion for this style of cooking was fostered throughout his childhood in Frederick County, where meals often included produce harvested from the family garden. ”I baled hay and pulled corn,” he says. “I can remember when the neighbors would all gather at my parents’ house and we’d shuck corn and make it into creamed corn. Those are the things that impacted me on the importance of food.”

Already committed to a career in cooking by his early teens, Bryan served as sous chef and executive chef at two regional hotel restaurants by the age of 20. Aware of his need for more formal training, he attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., during which time he also cooked at the highly acclaimed Hamilton Inn in nearby Millerton.

Upon graduation, he staged at several restaurants in Manhattan, including chef Charlie Palmer’s Aureole, where Bryan worked his way up to become the restaurant’s sous chef. “Charlie Palmer provided me with the professional and practical experiences that fast-tracked my career,” Bryan says of his mentor. Several years later and after a brief yet informative stage at the Michelin three-star Pic restaurant in Valence, France, Bryan returned to assist Charlie as executive chef at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C.

Following nine successful years with Charlie, Bryan embarked on his dream of opening his own restaurant. VOLT opened in 2008, allowing him to bring his cooking philosophies and signature preparations to fruition, characterizing his modern American cuisine as “sophisticated dishes offering classic flavor combinations that are created using fundamental and innovative techniques.”

His menus for VOLT are additionally driven by fresh, seasonal offerings, and the chef is an advocate for meats, seafood and produce that are locally sourced, sustainable and organic. “Through our choice of ingredients, we become engaged in more than creating a great dining experience, but in supporting local agriculture,” he notes.

In addition, Bryan collaborated with the internationally renowned, Frederick-based Flying Dog Brewery in spring 2011 to create Backyard Ale, complete with the signature illustrated label bearing the chef’s portrait. He is also using his television experience to begin hosting Maryland Public Television’sObsessed With Everything Food.

Bryan, 35, and his wife, Jennifer, live in Frederick with their son, Thacher , and daughter, Piper.

Next Up

Michael Voltaggio

Chef Michael Voltaggio was a finalist for the James Beard "Best New Restaurant" award in 2009 and winner of Bravo's Top Chef. He has established a reputation for "serious" food that is playful, visually stunning and flawlessly executed.

Texas Sheet Cake

Texas sheet cake is an old Southern standby that never fails to win over a crowd. Get Cooking Channel's recipe for Texas Sheet Cake here.

Brooklyn Bakery Creates Nutella Lasagna

Brooklyn bakery Robicelli's shocks the world with their brand new lasagna-Nutella hybrid, the aptly named Nutellasagna.


With restaurants on both coasts victory on Top Chef and a cookbook on the way the Voltaggio brothers are two of the hottest young chefs in the country. Catch them on the Cooking Channel as they share their tips tricks and recipes for a Thanksgiving feast full of flavor and style.

Cheesecake Cheat Sheet

With a few basic tips your cheesecake will bake rich, creamy and more fantastic than ever.

Hump Day Snack: Christmas Surprise-Inside Cake

Christmas is full of surprises, but this Christmas Surprise Inside cake may top the list, with a special festive cake-ornament hidden in the center of the cake.

Unique Savory Cookies to Throw a Curveball Into Your Holiday Cookie Swap

Get savory cookie recipes for holiday cookie swaps with Parmesan thumbprints, bacon chocolate chip and Philly cheesesteak cookies on Cooking Channel.

Watch Patti LaBelle and Viral YouTube Star James Wright Chanel Bake Sweet Potato Pie

Find out how to make Patti LaBelle's famous sweet potato pie with viral YouTube star James Wright Chanel on Cooking Channel.

Showstopping Holiday Desserts

Get the best holiday dessert recipes and tips from Sandra Lee, Nadia G. and the chefs at Cooking Channel.

Watch Full Episodes

No Log-in Required

So Much Pretty Food Here