The Truth About Bryan Voltaggio

Bryan Voltaggio is a celebrity chef, chef-owner, and an actor (via IMDb). You may have seen him in CollegeHumor Originals in 2006; have dined on his fine food at Volt, the restaurant he co-owns in New York; or perhaps you've seen him on his many appearances on Top Chef and other television food specials. There's a chance you may have watched chef Voltaggio in food and television appearances with his talented brother Michael, too. Clearly a powerhouse cooking duo, Michael was nominated for James Beard "Best New Restaurant" in 2009 while Bryan received accolades as a nominee for the coveted James Beard Award as Best Chef Mid-Atlantic in 2010 (via Cooking Channel).

But while the brothers are a cooking powerhouse together, the continually rising food stars are just as impactful on their own. Chef Bryan is one to watch on the upcoming season of Guy Fieri's Tournament of Champions debuting on Food Network on March 7 (via Food Network).

Bryan Voltaggio is one of 16 chefs who will appear on season two of Tournament of Champions. Of the chefs, 14 are known and include other famous faces, such as Amanda Freitag of Chopped and her co-judge Marc Murphy, Brian Malarkey and Brooke Williamson (also of Top Chef), and Iron Chef's Cat Cora. The last two chefs will be chosen by wild-card competitors during a two week play-in tournament (via Food Network). Tournament of Champions is sure to be a challenge for all, and chef Voltaggio will be looking to redeem his brother's loss in season one as he also battles towards the final spot against last year's winner chef Williamson (via Niagra Frontiers Publications).

As Voltaggio joins the East Coast bracket against Williamson's West Coast bracket, the extensive experience of these multi-talented top chef favorites is sure to be a rivalry worth watching. And speaking of Top Chef, we can't talk about Voltaggio without reviewing his great competition appearances.

Breaking into primetime food television in 2009, we met Bryan and his brother Michael who both sliced through the competition appearing in episodes through to the finals, although Michael would eventually go on to win season six with his brother as runner up (via Distractify). Bryan is later credited with Top Chef appearances in 2010 and 2018 as both himself and as a guest judge (via IMDb). Chef Bryan then goes on to compete on Top Chef again on Season 17. The talented chef would again make it to the finals and leave as a runner up, defeated by Melissa King (via Bravo).

Speaking of this finale appearance, he says this was likely the end of his Top Chef journey, despite how much he loves the experience, "It's nice to be able to go in and just compete and just focus on food and sort of be stripped away of all that outside noise for a few minutes and just do this. And that's why it's fun. I love it, because it's fun."

But while he may be moving on to other venues, this chef is clear on his love of the competition, "But I love the criticism. I love the camaraderie and meeting and hanging out with new people and making new friends." And while food and fun are clearly part of Voltaggio's appeal, it can't be underestimated the importance he places on family.

In addition to his close bond with brother, the chef describes himself as a husband, father, and chef in his Instagram profile. Chef Bryan Voltaggio is a devoted husband to wife of almost 27 years, Jennifer Voltaggio, sharing on social media in 2019 about their 15th wedding anniversary, mentioning he was grateful she accepted his prom invite nearly 25 years back. The couple have three children together named Thacher, Piper, and Ever (via Distractify).

When it comes to balancing work and home, Voltaggio tries keep a level head, but says his family makes sure he knows his priorities, "My family sometimes saves me from overdoing it," (via Baltimore Magazine). And don't worry about him getting a big head, because his longtime friends keep him grounded too. "My high-school friends could give a s*** about the fact that I was on TV. They will still tell stories and embarrass the hell out of me."

It just goes to show, celebrity chefs might be superstars in the kitchen, but are so much like us, too.