Chef Bryan Voltaggio of RANGE - Biography

Chef Bryan Voltaggio grew up eating meals that included hand-picked produce from the family garden in his native Frederick, Maryland. Voltaggio followed his nascent passion for cuisine from its roots in a simple garden plot to the hotel kitchens where he worked as a sous chef and eventually executive chef—all by the age of 20.

Voltaggio attended the Culinary Institute of America, and a through a stage at Charlie Palmer’s Aureole, he met his mentor and future boss. After hiring him as a sous chef at Aureole, Palmer sent the young chef to hone his skills in the kitchen of Pic in Valence, France. Voltaggio continued working for Palmer for several years as executive chef at Charlie Palmer Steak in Washington, D.C., before finally opening his own restaurant, Volt, back in his hometown. At VOLT, Voltaggio presents a menu that celebrates locality and seasonality through meticulous, innovative techniques. For his cuisine there, he earned a 2010 StarChefs.com Rising Stars Award.

In 2009, Voltaggio caught the nation’s attention as a finalist on the sixth season of “Top Chef,” competing alongside brother Michael. Two years later the brothers released their collaborative cookbook Volt ink. (Olive Press: 2011). Voltaggio expanded his restaurant group in late 2011 with casual eatery Lunchbox, followed by Family Meal in summer 2012. He moved into D.C. in 2012 with Range, adding a second Lunchbox location in D.C. in 2013.