Michael Voltaggio facts for kids

Michael Voltaggio (born September 29, 1978) is a famous American chef. He owns restaurants and writes cookbooks. You might know him from the TV show Top Chef, where he won season 6. His brother, Bryan Voltaggio, is also a well-known chef. Michael lives in Los Angeles, California.

Early Life and Cooking Journey

Michael Voltaggio is one of three children. His parents, Sharon and John Voltaggio, divorced when he was five. Michael and his brother Bryan were very close growing up.

Michael did not go to a traditional cooking school. Instead, he learned by working in a special program. This was at The Greenbrier hotel. It was a long training program called an apprenticeship. He finished this program when he was 21 years old. He learned from a top chef named Peter Timmins.

After his apprenticeship, Michael worked at other famous places. He cooked at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Naples, Florida. He also worked at Charlie Palmer's Dry Creek Kitchen. Later, he became the head chef at The Bazaar restaurant. This restaurant was nominated for a big award in 2008. It was called the James Beard Foundation Award.

Michael was also the head chef at The Dining Room in Pasadena. This restaurant won many awards. These included the AAA Five Diamond Award and a Michelin Star. A Michelin Star is a very high honor for restaurants.

Michael's Restaurants

In 2010, Michael left The Dining Room. He wanted to open his own restaurant. He opened ink. in West Hollywood, California on September 21, 2011. Michael wanted to create "modern Los Angeles cuisine." This means new and exciting food inspired by Los Angeles. GQ Magazine named ink. "America's best new restaurant" in 2012.

Michael also secretly opened a smaller sandwich shop. It was called ink.sack. He built the shop himself. It opened with little fuss in August 2011. ink.sack had two locations and was open until 2018.

Michael and his brother Bryan opened STRFSH together. This was a fast-casual fish sandwich shop. It was in Santa Monica, California. It was open from 2017 to 2021. The brothers also opened Estuary in Washington D.C. They ran this restaurant from 2019 until 2022.

TV Shows and Competitions

Michael Voltaggio is famous for winning the sixth season of Top Chef. This is a cooking competition show on Bravo. He competed against his brother, Bryan Voltaggio, in the finale. Michael won the competition. The head judge, Tom Colicchio, said Michael was very talented.

Michael has appeared on Top Chef again. He was a guest judge on Top Chef Canada. His own sous-chef, Mei Lin, later won Top Chef season 12.

He has also been on other TV shows. He played himself in the sitcom Young & Hungry. He was in the pilot episode and another episode. He also had a small role as a chef in the show “Suburgatory.” You might have seen him in the Netflix show Lucifer (TV series).

Michael has competed against other famous chefs. He battled Bobby Flay on Iron Chef America. He also competed against his brother Bryan on Tournament of Champions.

In 2022, Michael became a judge on The Julia Child Challenge on Food Network. He also judges and competes on Guy's Grocery Games. Bobby Flay chose Michael to be one of his "culinary Titans" on the show Bobby's Triple Threat.

Family Life

Michael Voltaggio has three daughters. His two older daughters, Olivia and Sophia, live in West Virginia with their mother. His youngest daughter, Echo Monroe, is with his wife, Bria Vinaite.

Michael married actress Bria Vinaite on November 18, 2022. Their wedding was in Hawaii.