Brothers Bryan and Michael Voltaggio were minted as celebrity chefs after their appearance in 2009 on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef” program.
Michael was crowned that season’s Top Chef, while his brother Bryan was the first runner up.
Bryan leads the Frederick, Md., restaurant Volt, while Michael recently debuted his Los Angeles restaurant, ink., and a sandwich shop, ink. sack. in that city. The brothers also work together on their celebrity chef careers, including a new book, Volt ink.
In the second part of an interview with Nation’s Restaurant News senior food editor Bret Thorn, the brothers talk about balancing their lives as working chefs with the celebrity spotlight.
RELATED: Q&A Part I: Bryan and Michael Voltaggio
How do you balance operating restaurants with the demands of celebrity life?
Michael Voltaggio: We close our restaurants two days a week. We work seven days a week. Five are in the restaurant and the other two are generally on the road or in an airport.
Bryan Voltaggio: My family’s with me on this trip, so I’m trying to combine that and maintain some sort of a balance. It is difficult.
Michael: The fact that there’s two of us helps. It helps a lot to have somebody that you can trust and rely on who thinks and works with the same discipline and passion that you have.
Bryan, was Volt closed two days a week before you became a celebrity?
Bryan: We were having mediocre Tuesday nights and mediocre Wednesday nights. We basically consolidated those days and closed Monday and Tuesday.
I’m trying to make it so we can do things outside of our restaurants and still be present at our stoves. We’re really cooks, and we’re passionate about what we do and we want to stay true to that.
