Chef Michael Voltaggio reveals what foods he flew in for his most recent birthday celebration and what his forties have looked like so far.
Chef Michael Voltaggio reveals what foods he flew in for his most recent birthday celebration and what his forties have looked like so far. He talks about what he learned having to support himself in high school while working at a Holiday Inn and why he always perceives challenges as opportunities. After three decades, Michael reveals why he fell in love with the industry and how he continues to stay inspired and fulfilled day to day. He talks about how social media and the sharing economy has influenced the industry and how his personal approach to hospitality is reflected in his restaurants. Michael shares the characteristics he looks for when hiring talent and why enthusiasm overrides experience before explaining the concept behind his latest restaurant venture. He talks about how his time on television has sharpened his skills as a chef and his experiences as a titan on the first season of Bobby’s Triple Threat. Michael gives a peek behind the curtain of Triple Threat and contemplates why the straightforward challenge ingredients allow each chef to showcase their unique culinary approach.
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Find episode transcripts here: https://food-network-obsessed.simplecast.com/episodes/michael-voltaggio-on-creativity-chaos-whats-in-his-notes-app
Jaymee Sire (00:01):
Hello, hello and welcome to Food Network Obsessed. This is the podcast where we dish on all things food with your favorite chefs, food influencers, and food network stars. I'm your host Jaymee Sire, and today we have our first returning guest on the podcast talking about his first job at a Holiday Inn kitchen at just 15. And as perspective on the evolution of the hospitality industry, he is a chef restaurateur, the younger tattooed half of the Vita Gio brothers Anna Titan, on Bobby's triple threat. It's Michael Voltaggio. Michael, welcome back to the podcast. Uh, what a relief that Brian Guy isn't here to take the spotlight right.
Micheal Voltaggio (00:50):
He's actually on his way, so he may interrupt this podcast in a couple minutes.
Jaymee Sire (00:54):
Micheal Voltaggio (01:11):
Yeah, I think it's appropriate that I got a second podcast with you guys. Yeah. Cause I got a second season, so let's just keep these twos going. All right. I like this.
Jaymee Sire (01:18):
I'm into it. I'm into it. You also had a birthday recently, September 29th. How did you celebrate and how much do you identify with your Libra sign?
Micheal Voltaggio (01:26):
We actually had food flown in from Gold Belly. We, uh,
Jaymee Sire (01:30):
Oh, nice.
Micheal Voltaggio (01:30):
I wanted roasted duck for dinner, and I just bought a new house kind of outside of the city, so any food that gets here from other restaurants usually gets delivered. And um, so we got Felipe Chow's roasted Duck kit and, uh, cooked it at home. My fiance and I recently got engaged too, so.
Jaymee Sire (01:45):
Oh, congrats.
Micheal Voltaggio (01:47):
Double celebrating.
Jaymee Sire (01:49):
Uh, well, geez, you have lots to celebrate right now. That's so exciting.
Micheal Voltaggio (01:58):
I mean, that's cute that you said that because I actually just turned, uh, 21,
Jaymee Sire (02:02):
So, Oh, I'm so, my bad, My bad, My bad.
Micheal Voltaggio (02:04):
Jaymee Sire (02:42):
Micheal Voltaggio (03:03):
Yeah, I mean, it's not, I don't look at anything as like a, a sad story or anything. You look at these challenges o opportunities and for me, I really embraced the opportunity. And it's funny because when I found the kitchen, you know, it was a source of income. I was paying rent in my own apartment when I was still in high school, uh, going to school full time, playing football on the football team, and then going to work after I left football practice and working till 11 or 12 o'clock at night. It really prepared me, I think, work ethic wise for what the rest of my career would look like. And it has been that busy since. And so picture yourself in school, waking up, going to class all day, going to football practice, then going to work after. I don't know that there's a better way to prepare for all the things that I would be juggling in my now career. And so, you know, I had this saying, if you can't take the heat, stay in the kitchen, because I found myself really being happy in that environment and, and realizing very early on that I was gonna be doing this for a long time.
Jaymee Sire (04:03):
And, and, you know, the world has really changed a lot since that time, since the mid nineties in terms of just how we view these non-traditional paths, because back then a chef was not, you know, as sexy of a profession as it is now. Um, were you able to see that vision for a future in the industry, or was that like a happy surprise?
Micheal Voltaggio (04:23):
No, I mean, not at all. I, you know, back then it was still considered like, Oh, you worked in the food service industry. Like what did you do wrong in your, in your academic career that led you to that? And I just, I, I didn't, I had never had any other job outside of that. So it wasn't like, Oh, I tried the food and the cooking thing, uh, because it was a second career or this or that. It was really my first and only career. And so most people retire after doing 25 years of something. Mm-hmm.
(05:15):
And, and for me, it's that method of study or that discipline that keeps me fresh mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (06:08):
What, what is it about, you know, just that environment in the kitchen that, that, obviously it kind of drew you in it as a necessity, but what has kept you in this industry for so long?
Micheal Voltaggio (06:20):
I think it's the creative process, and I think for me, it's, it's challenging myself in that way. Like, I was never really good at any sort of form of art outside of this. And so I actually really hone in on that part of, of the process and of the, of the industry. I just genuinely love cooking and, and I know a lot of chefs say that, and, and sometimes I would say that that statement out of some chefs is, is somewhat unbelievable. And so for me, it very much is why I do what I do. I still grab two ingredients on occasion and, and I'll just, not on occasion, but every day, like if I'm in my kitchen, even here at the house, um, I'll, I'll grab a couple things that you would never eat together. And I think that's the start of a dish is sometimes just take two very different ingredients and just put 'em in your mouth and close your eyes and chew them together and see if it works. And nine times outta 10 you'll spit it out
Jaymee Sire (07:39):
Do you remember like a specific combo that you tried that you were like, Oh my gosh, this is amazing?
Micheal Voltaggio (07:46):
I think more about the assembly or the construction of something like the first time when I was like 12 years old and, and you know, we all had like ramen noodles in the pantry or like a, a loaf of white bread and some baloney and cheese. And I used to always just figure out what, what's the best way to put these together? And we've all tried it, like cook the ramen noodles and drain the water off and then just use the seasoning packet and mix that into the noodles with like a tablespoon of butter and all of a sudden you've created a new dish out of something that was meant to be done a different way. And so I think that very early on I just did a lot of things like that re like rethinking how ingredients can go together.
Jaymee Sire (08:23):
Yeah. And I think we see a lot of that obviously on, on social media now too. What, what is your opinion on how social media and you know, that visibility into ingredients industries has influenced like this upcoming generation in terms of their career choices and, and what they're seeing from people like you?
Micheal Voltaggio (08:43):
Well, I think it's a double edged sword because you, you think about things like the modern food movement and one of the biggest complaints about people that were cooking, like the way, you know, that I've been cooking for a lot of years, like this sort of, of modern food, what does that mean? And so people would go out to restaurants and say, Wow, that looks really cool, and what a great idea. But I didn't really like how it tasted or there wasn't any, there wasn't a, a foundation to build this off of. And I think that as visual as we're becoming it, it definitely sort of in gets us away from that foundation, the classic discipline of cooking. And so I think that as much as, as much as it like grows the demographic of people that are interested in food or something more in the food that they're eating, and I love that part of it.
(09:29):
Like it we're, our audience is just getting bigger and bigger and bigger and bigger. And much like you said earlier about, um, the career of a chef wasn't necessarily one that you would brag about 25 years ago. People started to like get really interested in it. Now with that being said, I think a lot of these sort of visual chefs or these social media chefs, um, they might not necessarily have the classic training that I think is crucial. Like watch old Jack Papen or even current Jack Papen cooking videos,
Jaymee Sire (10:25):
Yeah, no, that's a very good point. Like, you don't want like a whole generation of people like, you know, kind of doing things the wrong way, I guess
Micheal Voltaggio (10:32):
Well, I mean, I would rather see you like properly break down a chicken first than dance with it
Jaymee Sire (10:38):
Micheal Voltaggio (10:55):
Um, I mean, after, so when I went and sort of did my first form of television or competitive cooking on television, I left a position with Jose Andres. I was the executive chef of the Bazaar and sort of, I took a leave of absence at that time. And then when I got back, um, I felt a responsibility to not be in Jose's restaurant because of what came with that number one. But number two, it was a new hot restaurant in LA with an open kitchen. And so just having come off my first sort of import or, or, or really big, largely watched television series, I didn't want to be in an open kitchen in the middle of Los Angeles. And so I left and went to Pasadena and worked in a hotel where I was responsible for the fine dining restaurant, and it was dinner service only five nights a week.
(11:43):
And I did everything from bread through pastry. And so it was important to me, um, to go put myself through that study, but also to be able to continue to authenticate what I was doing on people's televisions. And so after I did that for a little while, uh, I was like, Okay, I really need to go and do this for myself because I need to open a restaurant where I don't have any rules or I don't have anyone telling me what to do. And that's when the idea of ink came and I opened my first restaurant, uh, on Melrose in West Hollywood, Los Angeles sort of area. And, uh, it was, it was received really well out of the gate. And so then again, the responsibility that came with that to maintain that, that level of anxiety or that level of pressure or that level of responsibility is what drives me to, to work harder. Mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (12:49):
I actually ate at Inc when I was in la uh, shooting Iron Chef Showdown. Um, and it was fantastic. But how did you, how did you know you were ready for, for that next step? Or did, or are you never quite ready for that?
Micheal Voltaggio (13:01):
I, I mean, it was really based on, um, having the right partners, having the right support system around me. I think that a lot of chefs take on all of it out of the gate. And I think that it's, it's super important that you have the right support system because for me, I know what I'm good at and what I'm good at is being creative and cooking food. So I need to be an environment where I could be a business owner, but I could have the resources around me that would allow me to do my part, but also have the people around me that can do their part too, so that the vision can be executed correctly. And I think that, and whether correctly is is the right word or not, it's what was correct for me back then. And I just, I needed to have a team around me that could allow me to just focus on being creative. And I think that I had that, Mike Ovitz was my first business partner, and he, you know, started his career supporting creatives, representing creatives in creative fields. And so for me it was a, it was a, it was a good fit because he built his career fighting for his creatives. And I thought that, you know, what a better, I couldn't have a better partner out of the gate.
Jaymee Sire (14:03):
As someone who has now, you know, owned several restaurants and opening more in the coming months, how is your personal approach to hospitality reflected in these spaces and how you operate them?
Micheal Voltaggio (14:16):
I mean, hospitality, that's an interesting word because I think it's one that more people should start using today. I think that, and one hospitality looks a lot different today than it did back when luxury was the only form of hospitality. I think hospitality is expected in any business, whether you walk into a gas station and the person behind the counter, um, greet you when you walk through the door. I think those little nuances or those little moments are the ones that separate sort of the ones that care from the ones that are just there to take your money. And so hospitality to me is something that will always be important because the industry, the hospitality industry was so welcoming and, and took care of me, um, more so than I ever thought it could. And I mean this in my personal life, my professional life, hospitality is really what gave me my, my opportunities in life.
(15:08):
And so, um, I, I believe this, this need to nurture or, or this mood of creating an environment where people feel like they're being taken care of is more important today than it ever has been. And so, and, and then that goes for your team too. We talk about, um, the internal guests as well as the external guests and the internal guests to us is, is the teams we surround ourselves with. And it's important that they feel good coming to work every single day too. And so that's the environment that as we continue to evolve, we hope that we can provide a safe, creative, inspiring work environment for everyone involved, including our guests.
Jaymee Sire (15:44):
Yeah, I mean, because you are now in that position to give those opportunities to other people as you were given them when you were, you know, younger and coming up in the business. What do you look for when you are hiring talent or looking for people to add to your team?
Micheal Voltaggio (15:59):
People that are interested in learning how to, I mean, on the, on the kitchen side, people that wanna learn how to cook better, You know, there's a lot of people that have heard of me through, and honestly, that's the first question generally will ask is like, why do you wanna work here? And if it's like, Oh, I really loved you on that show you did like.
Jaymee Sire (16:15):
Micheal Voltaggio (16:16):
That's kind of a red flag unless, you know, it's followed up with in that one dish that you made where you dipped that grape in liquid nitrogen and then coated in jelly made from red wine to make it look like a grape. I really wanna learn techniques like that. Or I ate a specific dish here and I realized this is the type of food that I want to cook. Those are the things that I'm looking for. And on the service side, even the same thing. Like, you know, I came through this restaurant one day as a customer and I felt really good when I left. So I want to be a part of a team like that. It's not necessarily stacks of experience because I feel like every experience is different, but as long as you have a genuine desire to add those experiences to your own repertoire, much like I did, I, I think that that's an effective hire because it is about sharing information. I'm not, a lot of chefs are very, they keep their recipes very close to their heart. They don't, they don't share them. And, and for me, getting that information out there without any insecurity is, is really important because it also helps, it keeps the conversation going. And education to me, in any creative industry, or any industry in general, is the most important part of it. Knowledge people, people should want knowledge. And if they're not looking for that, then, then you have to question sort of what it is that they're looking for.
Jaymee Sire (17:35):
Yeah. I mean, we talked a little bit about social media in terms of how it's affecting this up and coming generation of potential chefs. How has it affected just the restaurant industry or hospitality industry as a whole in terms of, you know, people seeing something on Instagram or TikTok and needing to go have that experience themselves? Has it been positive or negative or maybe like a little bit of both?
Micheal Voltaggio (17:58):
I think it's both, but I think the, the most positive thing about it is giving the people that eat in our restaurants and the people that work in our restaurants, uh, of a voice. And so, you know, think back to 10 years ago that voice was a, a, a food writer, um, a travel journalist, a luxury writer, somebody that, you know, may stop by the restaurant once and write one review about your restaurant. And then all of a sudden that review can sort of make or break the future of that restaurant. And I think the thing that social media has done has given the re like the people that are actually going in there, spending their money, an opportunity to share their experience. And so what we look for is consistencies in the threads if we see, you know, and I've gotten everything from, I hated the parking garage near the restaurant, so one star and you know, you're like, I didn't, I didn't build the parking garage, and by the way, we have ballet parking.
(18:51):
I'm sorry that you, you wanted to self park, you made that choice. But, um, but other things like the food was over salted or I just didn't like this particular dish as an operator, it actually gives us real data that we can go through and read and look for those consistencies. And if we find them, then it's up to us, you know, sort of disconnect from our egos and listen to our guests. Mm. And I think that that, that part of it to me is incredible. Yeah. But also when you have these visual assets floating around everywhere, most people have sort of already had the experience before they got there. And so now, because they know everything about the restaurant, including what it looks like, what the food sort of tastes like, what the service or level of service they can expect, you now have to deliver, but you also have to exceed those expectations because restaurants were meant to be able to create those surprise moments. And so now it's like, raise the bar. How are you gonna surprise people when they come into your restaurant if they've already sort of gotten all the information about it prior to showing up?
Jaymee Sire (19:49):
Well, speaking of which, you are in the middle of opening up a new restaurant, a couple of new restaurants, but in, in particular, Theore a steakhouse in Chicago, which kind of embodies this 1950s era Italian steakhouse, which I think will fit in perfectly in Chicago. Why did this project feel right and speak to you from the concept to the location, everything?
Micheal Voltaggio (20:10):
I mean, Brian and I are really honing in on this sort of our, our Italian American heritage. And so for us, um, it's put us into a method of study that is really important to us because it, there is a personal connection to this type of food for us, but more importantly, um, Chicago is home to some of the best steakhouses and some of the best Italian American restaurants in the country. So why not just mix those two concepts together? And then I think for me personally, and, and also Brian as well, sort of taking a retro modern approach to everything that we do and giving, you know, earlier I talked about that foundation of cooking and having that foundation and not being new just for the sake of new, but looking at how you can build something new on top of, of, of, of a classic foundation and recognizing, uh, the disciplines that we should carry with us for the rest of our careers.
(21:01):
And you look at that through fashion right now. You look at it through the automobile industry, you look at that through interior design, sort of retro modern is becoming a thing and a theme. And it's not just retro and it's not just modern, but like modernizing the things that have worked, but also don't change it for the sake of change. Hmm. And so, um, imagine sitting in a steakhouse in Chicago and ordering a prime dry aged New York strip, but then also as a side dish, getting an extruded, uh, house extruded pasta that we hand make. And we make the sauce and you get a bowl and asay made from the, the the dry aged meat scraps. Wow. And so you can have your pasta and your steak, you know, you can have your steak and eat it too.
Jaymee Sire (21:42):
I love that. I like that. I like that. That should be like your tagline. Um, I mean, what is developing a restaurant menu like that look like? Like what's your creative process like?
Micheal Voltaggio (21:53):
Well, one thing that we've done recently, and we just got back from a trip to Chicago and Brian's act, like I said, he is really flying to my house right now. Because a lot of times when we do the r and d, we try and do it in a location where we're not surrounded by a lot of distraction. And so we, uh, both have all the equipment in our personal spaces, in our homes so that when we're cooking food for the restaurants, we have the same equipment to get ready for the restaurants. And, and that really is, it starts like anything else. And without any technology. I mean, we were in Chicago last week with a dry erase board, and not just Brian and I, but eight of us sitting in a room. And we said, Okay, what if all eight of us write the entire menu so that everyone agrees what the content should be, and then Brian and I can step away and do the research and do the development and create each individual dish rather than us try and sell you on every single dish and, and talk about the context of the dish with the food in front of you.
(22:49):
Let's decide what it is, let us go and make it and then present it so we're not negotiating the whole process back and forth. Mm. It's more like tweaking it at that point. If we say eggplant Parmesan, that to you means something completely different than it does to me. But in a group of people we know as the owners of this restaurant or as the partners of this restaurant, we want an eggplant parmesan. Okay, check. We're gonna put that on the menu now. What is that? Eggplant Parmesan? And now it's up to Brian and I and our chefs to develop that one dish. And so 35 dishes later develop the same way. Uh, we'll have a completed restaurant concept.
Jaymee Sire (23:27):
Who gets to be like the taste testers for all of this r and d
Micheal Voltaggio (23:33):
All of us. Um, you know, it doesn't go to the rest of the team until Brian and I feel good about it. And that's why having Brian as my partner is such, such a incredible thing because people, Oh, you guys must fight all the time and this and that, but it's a lot different when your business partner is your brother. And so there's a level of trust and a level of honesty that's to be expected when you can talk to each other without any filters. Like he's not gonna go to human resources and put a complaint in on anything that I say to him in that con in that conversation and vice versa. And so we get, we get to be real honest with each other without holding back. And Brian and I have now gotten to a level of not just maturity, uh, with each other to where we can handle it, but respect. And I think that my brother is one of the most incredible technicians I've ever met in any kitchen, and my creative process is a lot different than other people's. And so when we mix those two things together, we usually get to somewhere special. And I think that that's something that I just love about, you know, not only my relationship with my brother, but my professional relationship with my brother.
Jaymee Sire (24:35):
How, how for both of you, how do your restaurant ventures and your time on television like coalesce, do you find that they tend to feed or starve one another?
Micheal Voltaggio (24:44):
Oh, that's a really good question. I, I think the first time I did decided that, you know, was able to be a part of a TV series, I, I was like, Okay, maybe I can like bridge this gap between the chefs that are out there, like going for stars and the chefs that are on TV and maybe there's an opportunity to take, Cuz I was pretty introverted back then in the kitchen. And knowing that now, like knowing that and watching what I do now, like I had to learn a skill set and skill set was how to be better on tv. And being able to sort of use this as a way to, to sort of tell my story and, and, but more importantly, provide an opportunity or at least inspire other people that had similar career paths to me, to like step outta the kitchen a little bit more and see the opportunity to connect with more people outside of your restaurant.
(25:34):
And I think for me, that's the biggest reason why I do it. And then I did fall in love with it. It's like everything else, it's like I was terrible at it. I remember the first time I got to do something after my first show on camera, and it was like an ad for a blender company, and the teleprompter was in the camera and the producer kept saying like, I can literally see reading every single word off. Like, you need to figure out a way to be more natural at this. And I found that when I'm talking about food and I'm not reading a script, I'm actually a lot better at that mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (26:40):
Michael tells us about competing as one of the titans on Bobby's triple threat. Up next. We love watching you on tv. We love watching you on Bobby's triple threat, uh, because you are one of the three titans who are essentially kind of defending their status up against another chef who isvy for $25,000. Bobby shared a story, um, of this like undercover trip that he took to cast Tiffany Dairy as one of the titans. He was already familiar with your cooking and your cooking style. So tell us what the process was of you kind of getting notified of this potential opportunity to be part of the show.
Micheal Voltaggio (27:20):
You know, what's funny is I've been friends with Bobby for a long time, and I've, we worked together quite a bit and it's all, I love working with Bobby because, um, he's, he's a chef. Like he's a chef's chef, this man cooks mm-hmm.
(28:14):
And so, but one thing about competitive cooking that I didn't realize until recently, and it's a very different discipline. It's not to say that we're the best chefs in the world, or that the best chefs in the world are the ones that are on television cooking, because I would argue that that's not the case. And I, I would say that what it does is it, it gives you an opportunity to continue to develop your skills and keep you sharp. And so for me it's about I have to continue to study because when I'm in a kitchen cooking in more specifically, if it's on television, nine times outta 10, I'm probably competing and I compete to win mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (29:00):
Micheal Voltaggio (29:01):
And then 25 left to cook it and or 27 left to cook it or whatever it is. And it's like, that's real. Like there's no, there's no like, Oh, take 10, 20 minutes to figure out what you're gonna do, and then we can, the clock starts, you cook and whatever, whatever, when the time stops and our hands go up like this, that's it. Mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (29:45):
Bobby described you as being out of your mind in the best possible way,
Micheal Voltaggio (29:54):
I mean, I know
Jaymee Sire (30:57):
I mean, one of the cool things about this show is that there really aren't any, you know, gimmicks with the ingredients. Bobby is kind of straightforward, simple. It's like two ingredients that naturally go together. But does that make it like more challenging or less challenging, do you think?
Micheal Voltaggio (31:13):
One thing you're not, there's no curve ball, so there's no like, okay, this shrimp and soy sauce there, how do I make them go together? And honestly, you could just sear the shrimp and put a little soy sauce on it and it would be incredible, but now you're being judged by someone. So now, because these pairings are sort of, I don't wanna say easy, but they make sense now, these judges are looking for something that is gonna wow them, that's gonna surprise them. And maybe something that where they're scratching their head and like, I can't believe they thought of that with these two ingredients. Because if the ingredients were like beets and white chocolate, everyone's gonna make something crazy that you haven't really seen before. But if it's shrimp and soy sauce, it's like, how do you make something that doesn't disrespect or, or you don't manipulate those ingredients too much that you lose them, but at the same time you create something that, that is, I, i don't know, tight, tight and worthy, I guess I’ll say.
Jaymee Sire (32:09):
Micheal Voltaggio (32:09):
But also, um, one thing that I've noticed and and certainly in season one is a lot of those first round ingredients were ones that, you know, I think it was very, it was almost like the, the, the competing chefs, the guest chefs that were coming in, they, they still sort of, they were ingredients that they were familiar with too. And I appreciate the fact that Bobby wasn't trying to throw them off either. And so what Bobby did was he gave everyone a platform and an opportunity and the ingredients in the equipment to just cook the best possible food they could without any tricks. And I love that about the show because the food has been incredible. And I'm not, I mean, Brooke's food, Tiffany's food, uh, you know, my food, I'm a little biased to, but, but the chefs that are coming in competing against us, like blown away, I mean, just the best food I think I've seen in, I mean, competitive cooking in a long time.
Jaymee Sire (33:04):
Wow. I mean, and it's crazy too because these challenger chefs, they have to take on all three of you at some point. And you know, they get to decide when in the competition they're going to go up against each one of you, but at the end of the day, they have to, you know, cook against all three of you and ultimately, you know, get the higher score in order to win that money for you. Do you prefer to cook earlier in the competition or later?
Micheal Voltaggio (33:27):
It doesn't really matter to me.
(34:09):
Bobby asking you what's going on? I mean, there's a lot happening. And I have to say like the competitors that come into this kitchen and put themselves through that, like, it really is hard. Like, it's not easy. I'm physically exhausted after one round, Like I'm gasping for air, I'm drinking water. Like I feel like I just worked a 14 hour day on the line because it's that much, it's that intense. It really is. Like, it's not like, Okay, haha, here we go. It's like we're cooking. It's almost like we're cooking for, for a job interview. Like I, and it's crazy because like when you apply for a job as a cook or a chef, a lot of times you have to do a tasting for the people that are hiring you. And that pressure is, is very real. We have that same pressure every single round on this show.
Jaymee Sire (34:56):
Wow. And it takes, I mean, you guys are shooting one episode in a whole day, like it takes the whole day, Correct.
Micheal Voltaggio (35:03):
Yeah. And now, and, but then if we do multiple episodes in a week, it's like that anxiety is with us for the entire week. I mean, when I tell you that Brooke and Tiff and I are are texting each other, checking in on each other, like, are you good? Like, you know, one day one of us has a good day and the other one doesn't have as good of a day. Part of our team, and it really is a team, is to like build your team back up. And so, I mean, there were, there were days on the on set where I just felt very down and like, I let the team down today, but there was two other people on the team that were gonna lift the team back up. And, and I think that people will see that, um, we all have to do that for each other throughout the entire, uh, season, much like we have to do in real life at work.
(35:46):
Mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (36:40):
What, what is it like having Brooke and Tiffany as your teammates?
Micheal Voltaggio (36:44):
It's, it's kind of nice to be on Brooke's team because she's got a pretty good track record against me,
Jaymee Sire (37:59):
Micheal Voltaggio (37:59):
Like, when, when does she start doing that? And so it's like, and that's where I go back to like the, the competitive cooking versus the restaurant cooking too, because it's very different. And Brooke is, Brooke to me is one of the best competing chefs there's ever been. Mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (38:19):
Yeah. No, I say that all the time. I think, I think competitive cooking is its own category, right? Because like you were saying, you can be an amazing chef, but maybe, you know, when there's a time constraint or there's cameras rolling, like maybe that's just not your, your time to shine. And it seems like all three of you, you really kind of step into the spotlight and really embrace that opportunity. I also love that the, the dishes are judged blind, you know, like, but I always do wonder, do these judges have an inkling of like, could they pick your dish out of the two even though they technically don't know who cooked what?
Micheal Voltaggio (38:54):
In round one uh, absolutely not, because they don't know until round two is cooked. And so, um, I think after round one, it does become a little bit easier to make those predictions. But that's what's funny is like sometimes I'll cook completely different than what they would expect me to cook, just because I'm that much in my head and I'm thinking to myself, well, I I, if they can sort of, they know that now that I'm here and well, I mean, they know that I'm here when they come in, but they don't know until I cook what I cook. It's almost a fun part of the show. And I think that that could be something to ask Who do you think cooked one day? Which dish? Yeah. Before, before they start critiquing it because you know, there's another show, uh, and and I judge on it occasionally, Alex First America mm-hmm.
Jaymee Sire (40:00):
Would you rather judge or cook?
Micheal Voltaggio (40:02):
Always cook. I would always rather cook, uh, than judge. And that goes with any format. Um, I, I enjoy it more. Uh, and when I'm judging, honestly, I'm sitting there like, you know, when you're watching a football game at, at home and you're like, you know, you're yelling at a professional athlete as if you could do it better than them, which that's sort of what I'm doing when I'm, when I'm, when I'm watching people cook. And so rather than sort of spectate from the, from the couch, I, I would rather cook.
Jaymee Sire (40:31):
All right. Well we are so glad that we get to continue to watch you cook in this arena. Um, it has been so, so fun so far, but, uh, I'm sure much, much more to come. So we're gonna finish things off with a little rapid fire round, and then we have one final question for you. All right. Do you have an idea for your next tattoo?
Micheal Voltaggio (40:48):
Uh, maybe I'll get one removed.
Jaymee Sire (40:50):
Micheal Voltaggio (40:58):
Season it.
Jaymee Sire (40:59):
If you had a speakeasy, what would the password be?
Micheal Voltaggio (41:02):
Bobby Flay.
Jaymee Sire (41:03):
Micheal Voltaggio (41:04):
Jaymee Sire (41:05):
If you did not live in LA where would you live?
Micheal Voltaggio (41:08):
I mean, cliche answer, but I I, I would live on Maui. I would live in Hawaii.
Jaymee Sire (41:12):
Micheal Voltaggio (41:24):
Definitely blackjack. Okay. And not, well, not good at it at all.
Jaymee Sire (41:29):
Micheal Voltaggio (41:37):
You want a quick fire answer or an example, a reason behind each?
Jaymee Sire (41:40):
You can give, you can give a reason. Yeah.
Micheal Voltaggio (41:42):
Spotify for sure, because I think that I'm pretty good at curating some music. Okay. My notes are a, it's funny that you say that because every time I start a new dish, and in fact, I'll open my notes right now and tell you, I don't know if I can do that without stopping the recording.
Jaymee Sire (41:56):
Micheal Voltaggio (41:57):
But um, I'll write things down so that I remember to make them. Okay, so for instance, my last few notes are microwave potato pave Frito Misto, Uni cream, Great Lakes, fish, tavern style pizza, Blow torch, Lardo pizza, Shit on a shingle. I wrote that in my notes.
Jaymee Sire (42:25):
Yeah, your Google search.
Micheal Voltaggio (42:26):
Um, I don't know.
Jaymee Sire (42:31):
Uh, alright. I like, I like the Spotify one though. Uh, yeah, my notes app is, is a disaster for sure. Okay, final one. What is a hobby or venture you've always wanted to try?
Micheal Voltaggio (42:40):
When, well, when I was younger, my other career I wanted to be a rodeo clown.
Jaymee Sire (42:44):
Micheal Voltaggio (42:45):
So that's something that I wanna do like once, but like, if they were still making that show where it's like, where you get to go learn how to do something, then you get to do it professionally once, um, I would, I would wanna be a rodeo clown.
Jaymee Sire (42:56):
I love that. I grew up in Montana, so there was a lot of rodeos in my, my childhood, so yeah, they're pretty cool. Okay, final question. And I guess we technically asked you this the first time we had you on, but, um, I don't remember what your answer was, so maybe it'll be different. Um, what would be on the menu for your perfect food day? So we wanna hear breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert. Um, you can travel in between meals, you can, um, you know, time travel even. There's no rules. We just wanna hear your ideal meal for each of those.
Micheal Voltaggio (43:25):
You know what's crazy is I used to try to answer these like very sort of chefy, like high brow
Jaymee Sire (44:09):
What kind of like, and a pizza. What kind of burger? Like are you like a big thick, you know, kind of steakhouse burger or like a smash burger?
Micheal Voltaggio (44:16):
Smash. Smash burger. There's a burger in LA at burgers. Never say die. And um, that's the name of the restaurant. And their burgers are just, you can't, when you eat one, you immediately want another one.
Jaymee Sire (44:28):
Micheal Voltaggio (44:29):
Um,
Jaymee Sire (44:30):
I love a smash burger
Micheal Voltaggio (44:31):
Dinner. I'm, I'm lately like, I can get really fancy with it, but honestly I had this conversation yesterday and I don't know that there's a more famous dish than the pizza. And I just think that a thin, I like a thin crust loaded with pepperoni. And I will say this, yes, I want a side, a ranch to dip my crust in.
(44:50):
And I know like, again, it doesn't for me, we're, we're making Neapolitan pizzas, uh, in one of our restaurants that we're opening. I love the art of that and for me studying that. But like, I like to eat basic food because, and, and I'm not saying pizza's basic, there's nothing basic about it, but like, I crave the same things that everyone else craves and I love comfort food.
Jaymee Sire (45:09):
It's comfort.
Micheal Voltaggio (45:10):
Yeah. Breakfast sandwich, a burger and a pizza side of ranch. Uh, that's my day.
Jaymee Sire (45:15):
Are you having a dessert?
Micheal Voltaggio (45:16):
But hopefully not all on the same day. Cuz that would be like,
Jaymee Sire (45:19):
Micheal Voltaggio (45:22):
I love dessert. You know, banana cream pie, things like that. Or, but, but honestly, if you took a banana cream pie and put it in the blender with some ice cream and made a milkshake out of it, I'd be stoked.
Jaymee Sire (45:32):
Micheal Voltaggio (45:47):
Thank you guys so much.
Jaymee Sire (45:53):
You can catch Michael on Bobby's triple threat Tuesdays at nine eight Central on Food Network and streaming on Discovery. Plus, make sure to follow us wherever you listen to podcasts so you don't miss a thing. And if you enjoy today's episode, please rate and review. We love it when you do that. That's all for now. We'll catch you foodies next Friday.