Hey V-Fans,

Did any of you catch Michael's recent appearance on Top Chef All-Stars? Check him out going head-to-head with Mike Isabella in this clip from the Bahamas Quickfire Challenge:

Even though he wasn't deemed the winner; we thought his citrus-cured duck breast with duck leg in bacon vinaigrette, burnt leek, and coffee pesto, looked absolutely delicious! What did you think? Did Mike's cashew-dusted spiced duck breast with duck leg and mushroom jus, deserve the win? Or did Michael lose some critical cook-time due to butcher duty?

We also loved tagging along with Michael during his recent trip to see Bryan in Frederick, via this fascinating, late-night twitter pictorial:

So that's what chefs cook for other chefs! Also, is it just us, or does a chicken salad sandwich and chips, followed by Ritz crackers with Nutella for dessert, seem fancier when made by the Voltaggio brothers? At any rate, these twit pics definitely made us hungry. Nice work, guys.

That's it for this week's Voltaggio update! Check back next week for something we think you'll find a little fishy about Michael's new restaurant Ink. Until then, enjoy!

Hey V-Fans!

If you live in the D.C. area, get ready for Cochon 555! This is a one-of-a-kind traveling culinary competition and tasting event, comprised of five chefs, five pigs, five wine makers, to promote sustainable farming of heritage breed pigs.

The D.C. event takes place on March 13, when Bryan and four other chefs will each prepare a 175-pound heritage breed hog from head to toe for this friendly competition for charity. Guests will sample the chef's creations along with wines from five small producers, and help choose one local champ! Tickets are $125 per person. Click HERE for more information.

Like we mentioned last week, Bryan and Michael recently finished the last leg of the #fireandsmoketour sponsored by @Williams-Sonoma. And according to Twitter, there may be more to come regarding this BBQ-road-trip-extravaganza:

Check out this great photo of Michael fooling around in a smoke pit (we especially like the caption!):

Last week, Bryan co-hosted the Barilla Interactive Lunch with Claire Robinson at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival. The afternoon began with hundreds of guests munching on ham and cheese appetizer sandwiches, and once the wine started flowing, Bryan took to the stage and taught guests how to make his main course of balsamic-marinated hanger stake with polenta.

Photo Credit: WorldRedEye.com

That's it for this week's Voltaggio update! Check back next Friday, and please leave your comments, questions, and general musings below. Enjoy!

Hey V-fans,

Do you smell that? It's the Fire and Smoke Tour! The Voltaggio brothers have teamed up again for what appears to be a road-trip fueled completely by BBQ! If you follow Michael and Bryan on Twitter, then you may have already seen a few of their #fireandsmoketour updates and photos they've been busy posting, along with WilliamsSonoma.

The pork-loving brothers kicked-off the first leg of their tour in Austin, Texas and then made their way to Kansas...

Michael and Bryan with the Pit Master of 43 years at Rendezvous in Memphis.

Next, came a fun-filled stop in Memphis—where the bros found unique BBQ dishes like the one pictured below:

BBQ Spaghetti at The Cozy Corner in Memphis.

Wondering what the next stop on the #fireandsmoketour will be? Be sure to keep tabs on @mvoltaggio, @bryanvoltaggio, and @WilliamsSonoma on Twitter for the tour deets!

Lastly, there's a great feature on Michael in this month's Los Angeles Magazine! Here's a peak at the photo (below) accompanying the fantastic article all about Michael's soon-to-open restaurant, Ink.

Photo Credit: Emily Shur

That's it for this week's pork-centric Voltaggio update! Check back next week for more on what your favorite culinary bros are up to. Enjoy!

Hi V-Fans,

Did any of you watch the Superbowl (commercials) last weekend? If so, is it safe to say that you ate your weight in chicken wings during the game?

Well, it seems Best Week Ever went searching for the perfect Superbowl boneless hot wings recipe and found this Los Angeles Times video of Michael demonstrating how to make his “Boneless Chicken Wing Confit with Curry and Blue Cheese Disc." After watching the video, they deemed his recipe: “The Hardest Super Bowl Wings Recipe Ever Conceived.”

What's the matter, Best Week Ever? You don’t have liquid NO2 and an iSi whipped cream canister lying around your kitchen? Surely you have a slate platter to freeze?!?! No? Okay…so maybe they have a point. But difficult or not, we love Michael's inventive recipes and his ability to make the "impossible," possible! Keep up the good work, Michael.

Bryan is gearing up for the 2011 Taste of the Nation event in partnership with Share Our Strength on April 4. The culinary charity event will be held at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., where Bryan and other local chefs will be doing live cooking demonstrations.

General admission tickets are available for $95 at TasteOfTheNation.ord/Washington. All proceeds directly benefit Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign, which includes support for the Capitol Area Food Bank, DC Hunger Solutions and Mary’s Center.

That’s it for this week’s Voltaggio update! Have a delightful weekend and feel free to leave your Voltaggio questions and comments below. Enjoy!

Hi V-Fans,

Did any of you make it out to snowy Park City, UT this past weekend? We hear that Michael was cooking up a storm at this year's Sundance Film Festival! Rumor has it, the lucky VIP's at the Stella Artois Cafe presented by Food & Wine at the Galaxy Tab Lift were blown away by Michael's dishes. For breakfast, Michael served up Japanese bacon and eggs with congee and pork belly. For lunch, Michael cooked his version of chicken shawarma, with pressed chicken thighs, yogurt spheres, fried chickpeas and black-garlic puree.

According to Variety, Michael compares his passion for cooking to filmmaking: 

"I'm an independent artist working on a passion project with a limited budget, hoping to share my art with as many people as possible."

In case you missed out on all the fun, check out the pictures below from msn.com, of Michael doing his thing at Sundance 2011.

Nicely done, Michael. What do you think about Michael's breakfast and lunch creations? 

In other news, Bryan is scheduled to appear at the 10th Cooking for Solutions celebration in May, where he will be competing in the Sustainable Seafood Challenge. The event will be held at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, where Bryan will be facing off against four other celebrity chefs in a race against the clock to create a delicious (and sustainable) seafood dish. There will also be wine and hours' devours. Tickets are priced a $150 each.

Lastly, we dug up this great video (below) that originally appeared on Delights and Prejudices, the official James Beard Foundation blog. Watch as Michael describes the inspiration behind his Pigeon Pastrami sandwich (and make sure your computer's volume is turned all the way up; Michael has the Kitchen Aid working over-time with this recipe!):

That's it for this week's sunny side up Voltaggio update! Let us know your thoughts, feelings and questions in the comment section below. Enjoy!

Hey V-Fans,

We know you’re all crazy about the Voltaggios…but what about movies? Do we have any film buffs in the house? Or how about any ping pong playing fools?

Well, if you happen to love movies or ping pong as much as you love the Voltaggio brothers, you’re in luck! The 2011 Sundance Film Festival takes place this weekend in Park City, UT and believe it or not, Michael will be on site hosting the Second Annual K*Swiss Ping Pong Classic!

On January 23, Michael will kick off the invite-only, three-hour cocktail party and ping pong tournament between representatives from the Sundance Selects VOD films Kaboom, Uncle Kent, These Amazing Shadows, Septien and Mad Bastards, with the winner receiving a donation from K•Swiss to a charity of their choice. Pretty cool, huh?

Do you think Michael has what it takes to get in on the cut-throat ping pong action? Well, according FilmThreat.com, “Michael fits perfectly as the event’s host because, in addition to a passion for cuisine, he shares the brand’s enthusiasm for film and the sport of ping pong.”

Very cool, Michael!

In other news, Bryan recently had the honor of speaking at The Culinary Institute of America (CIA) commencement ceremony in New York. A proud CIA graduate himself, Bryan delivered a touching speech to the 48 graduates receiving their associate degrees in culinary arts, baking, and pastry arts.

"Seek to define yourself and your cooking style. You can only do this by working hard and learning as much as you possibly can every day," Bryan told the graduates. "It's important that you take young chefs under your wing and mentor them. And, when you're first going out into the industry, you'll want to find people with your same vision to mentor you,” he said.

Pretty good advice, don’t you think? Well done, Bryan.

In February, Bryan will be co-hosting a Barilla Interactive Lunch with Claire Robinson at the Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival.

The forward-thinking, hands-on cooking class hosted by Bryan, alongside Claire, host of Food Network’s 5 Ingredient Fix, will teach attendees how to cook up a full course meal using fun techniques like flash freezing, vacuum sealed cooking, and more! And not only will attendees help prepare the day’s menu—they’ll also have the opportunity to sit down afterward for a lunch and wine with Bryan and Claire.

The 10th Annual, four-day Miami event kicks off on Feb. 24, with Bryan and Claire’s lunch scheduled for Noon on Feb. 26. Tickets are $150 each and can be purchased HERE.

Will you be attending any of the festivals we mentioned here? Let us know in the comments section below. Or better yet, snap a photo of you and your fav Voltaggio bro at the event, upload it to your profile, and then we'll feature your fabulous photo here on the homepage. Enjoy!

Hi everyone,

We'd like to give a heads up to our Sonoma area readers (and those of you planning a trip to wine country!)... because the Voltaggio brothers are heading to Heldsburg in March!

Bryan and Michael are teaming up for the sixth-annual Pigs & Pinot event, to be held March 18-19, at Charlie Palmer’s Dry Creek Kitchen in Hotel Heldsburg. Tickets range anywhere from $75 to a whopping $2,018 for certain packages, with all of the proceeds from the event benefiting Share Our Strength and local Healdsburg Education.

So if you'll be in wine country and would like to dine on a variety of pork dishes, sample over 60 different fine wines, and enjoy the company of your two favorite chefs—click HERE for more information. Tickets for this event will be available on Friday, January 21, 11am PST.

Are you getting as excited as we are for Michael's new restaurant Ink. to open??? Well, with only a month left to go (fingers crossed!), here's a sneak peak of the clever DIY project Michael did to dress up the new joint...

We can't wait to see those ink splatters in person! Well done, Michael.

And just to peak your interest even further...check out this NBC L.A. video featuring a very eager Michael Voltaggio, that aired back in September:

  Update: Ink. will be located at 8360 Melrose Ave., West Hollywood, CA, 90069

Hey V-Fans,

Happy New Year! Did you make any resolutions for 2011? Bryan shared the following resolutions with DC.ModernLuxary.com:

“I’d like to continue raising awareness and funds for the DC-rooted hunger-fighting nonprofit Share Our Strength, based on the successful Tasteful Pursuit dinner we hosted last fall. I also want to take a vacation with my family and somehow work exercise into the process!”

What a fabulous list of resolutions, right? We wish Bryan luck in all of his 2011 pursuits (although we're pretty sure he won't need it). Check him out in the ABC cooking segment below, in which Bryan shows you how to start your new year off right by cooking with ingredients that are said to bring good luck!

And as we've mentioned before, the Voltaggios have teamed up with Williams-Sonoma to share their expert advice and recipes with the masses. Here's one of our favorite recipes being featured on their website right now...

Michael's Spanish-Inspired Mac & Cheese

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3/4 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups (12 oz.) diced Spanish chorizo
• 1 1/2 cups Bomba rice
• Pinch of saffron
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup dry sherry, preferably Manzanilla
• 4 cups water
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups (9 oz.) coarsely grated soft Spanish goat cheese
• Kosher salt, to taste
• 1 1/2 cups (4 1/2 oz.) grated Manchego cheese
• 2 Tbs. chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat a broiler. 

In a large sauté pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the chorizo and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the rice, saffron and bay leaf. Cook, stirring frequently, until the rice is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until absorbed. 

Reduce the heat to medium. Add the water 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each addition has been absorbed and the rice is just al dente, about 20 minutes. Add the cream and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Fold in the goat cheese and season with salt. Transfer the rice to a casserole dish or large fry pan and sprinkle the Manchego on top. Broil until the cheese is golden brown, about 8 minutes. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Garnish with the chives. Serves 6 to 8.

That's it for this week's Voltaggio update! Be sure to leave your thoughts and comments below. Until next time...enjoy!

Hey foodies!

Thanksgiving is almost here and that means...TURKEY!!!! How will you be preparing your big, all-American bird this year? Are you keeping things traditional? Or daring to deep-fry or brine your bird? What about Sous Vide turkey?

Well, if you’re even considering the later, check out Michael’s instructions for Sous Vide turkey (finished product pictured above) in this 3-part video series by Williams-Sonoma.

PART I:

PART II:

PART III:

Not feeling the Sous Vide? Check out the WhiteTrashBBQ blog for Michael’s instructions on brining your bird HERE.

Yum! While your mouth is still watering from all of that turkey-talk, check out this excellent review of Bryan and VOLT from DMV Dining. This D.C. based culinary blogger recently had the pleasure of eating at Table 21, aka the chef’s table for his wife's birthday…read more about their "unforgettable night" at VOLT HERE.

Well, if the picture above hasn't already given it away, let us be the first to tell you that Michael has annouced that his new restaraunt will be called: "Ink." According to the LA Times, Michael even suprised the tattoo artist with the news:

"It's part of the name of my company, MV Ink., and it's [tattooed] on my arm," Voltaggio said. "I went to my friend's tattoo shop in Venice ... and when he was finished, I said, 'You just designed the logo for my restaurant.' "

The LA Times also reported that Ink. is set to open by the end of February, and will be located in the former Hamasaku space on Melrose Avenue in West Hollywood.

Very cool, Michael! To see the entire LA Times article about Michael's new venture, click HERE.

So with plenty to celebrate, it's not suprising that Michael recently packed his bags and headed to Hawaii, where the Honolulu Weekly managed to score a quick Q & A with the vacationing chef. Read that interview HERE.

Please watch the great video below that Bryan and Michael made for Share Our Strength’s “No Kid Hungry” Campaign…

Don’t forget to do your part! Visit www.nokidhungery.org, and take the pledge to help them achieve their goal of ending childhood hunger by 2015.

That’s it for this week’s Voltaggio update. Check back next Friday for more about your favorite brothers and everything they’ve been up to! Please leave your comments or questions below. Enjoy!