It sort of had to come down to this. Top Chef season six started with 17 chefs and one big sibling rivalry. Local-fave Bryan Voltaggio and his younger brother Michael quickly and clearly established themselves as two of the best chefs on the reality show competition, as well as a favorite story line. Their impressive resumes and complementary applications surely left casting directors and producers salivating. Their fancy techniques were similar, but played out quite differently in the kitchen, highlighting polar opposite though perhaps equally intense personalities. Bryan, the even-keeled brother, brought a composed and cautious approach to his trade. Younger brother Michael was at times conniving and often rubbed his brother and other contestants the wrong way. He and Bryan both had finesse, but his creative flair almost always landed him in the top tier of each week’s elimination challenge judges. It was not a surprise that the two were amongst the final three standing for this season’s Top Chef title.Still, the smart money was on Atlanta-based chef Kevin Gillespie, whose simple dishes with complex flavors often edged out the wizardry of the Voltaggios. Bryan and Michael said their mom was probably pulling for Kevin last night—easier on the heart strings to have two runner-up sons than a winner and a loser. But Kevin’s simplicity finally caught up to him. He shook slightly as Padma called his name—dramatic pause—to tell him he wasn’t Top Chef. And then there were two.
Some DCist commenters, discussing the decision on DCist’s morning post on the just launched Voltaggio website, thought that Kevin was robbed, while others argued that he did himself in with a tired dessert choice. A third group, unsurprisingly, took the discussion down the path of junkpunches, moaning vulvas, and Molly. While odds may have been with Kevin going into the evening who was a popular fan favorite, it’s hard to say that he was upset or robbed last night. As Bryan and Kevin frequently (and not so much a cockier Michael) said, all three chefs were of high caliber and any of them were capable of winning. But Kevin’s conception of his dishes did him in. He made a decent pork belly entrée with caramelized ham jus, but head judge Tom Colicchio said it needed to be paired with a roasted pork to be successful. His bacony roasted banana needed the banana “two-ways” treatment to be deemed worthy; Kevin only had one treatment and it was too simple. On the other hand, the judges praised Kevin all season for his simple dishes with complex flavors. In the finale, apparently they wanted complex dishes with complex flavors. And yeah, perhaps they didn’t mind the chance to have Bryan and Michael as the last two standing.
Bryan, who watched the finale at his Frederick restaurant Volt at a private party hosted by the City of Frederick, was true to himself to the end. In describing his strategy, he says “I wouldn’t say I’m playing it safe. I’m playing it smart.” Judges said that his sous vide rockfish was the best cooked of the “mystery box” fish dishes but needed more seasoning and didn’t inspire. His venison was prepared perfectly and each vegetable side was prepared two ways. Wouldn’t you guess…Tom loved that! Bryan seemed to pour cheesecake rounds out of a vat of liquid nitrogen and his lauded as the most subtle, restrained, and sophisticated of the desserts. And when Michael needed a 9-volt battery for some thermal doohickey, of course Bryan had one lying around that he was happy to share. When criticized by Brit critic Toby Hall as displaying restraint as his hallmark, Bryan replies that he doesn’t see that as a fault and felt that everything he cooked underscored his philosophy.
Michael is true to himself too. When talking about Jennifer going home the challenge before, he says that it sucks that it wasn’t Bryan instead. When asked about why they should be named Top Chef, Bryan says it should be him because he did what meant the most to him, which was to express his cuisine. In response to the same question, Michael says he just doesn’t want Bryan to win. And we’d say that’s just partly tongue in cheek. Michael’s mystery box course, where where each chef had to create their own dish using the same ingredients, is a clear favorite with a butter poached rockfish glazed with dashi, tomato-kombu sauce poached crab, and sweet and sour squash salad with Meyer lemon. For a squab course with “real and fake mushrooms,” he goes for refined technique in a rustic way, and the dish is deemed excellent though slightly derided for being a bit gimmicky. He thinks he would have clinched the night if he hadn’t overcooked his chocolate coulant.
But the dry cake doesn’t end up costing him. “Michael,” insert dramatic pause from Padma and knowing, defeated glance from Bryan that just looks like all of his other glances. “You are top chef.” The brothers’ hand shake turns into a long embrace. A crying mother Voltaggio comes out from behind the scenes to hug Michael while over his shoulder lending a consolatory stare into her eldest son’s eyes. Michael breaks down and the judges tear.
It seems not too many viewers were pulling for Michael to win, especially in these parts where Bryan reigned as the hometown favorite and the affable, jolly, bearded Kevin equally won hearts. But it’s hard to dispute the decision. Kevin himself knew that he hadn’t done enough to win. Bryan proved himself as an always reliable talent and an emerged force to be reckoned with in the culinary world. Michael’s cooking is a high risk, high reward proposition. He seemed to thrive on competition and besting his brother and everyone else. When he’s on, he dazzles, and he’s usually on. Thus, high reward achieved. It was a season that definitely raised the bar in terms of the quality of the chefs competing.
Parting words from our local protagonist? “I set out to win the whole thing, so coming in second place, that’s tough. But I’m proud to see my little brother win. I mean obviously it was against me but rather him than anyone else,” said Bryan, mature and naturally gracious in defeat. And that’s certainly not the last word from Bryan. You can now join him and Michael in their online community of course! Or head up to Volt for dinner…they can probably fit you in within a year or two. Congrats to Bryan, Kevin, and Top Chef Michael Voltaggio.
