Farm to Table Local Food Demo by a Top Chef - Survive And Thrive TV

Michael Voltaggio's food is the result of a lifetime spent growing up with his brother, Bryan. As they grew, so did their connection to the kitchen, and they grew in their own sense of self as they explored what it means to be a chef.

When you see him, you see a man who has dedicated his life to his craft. When you eat his food, you taste not just what he made, but where he comes from—his environment, his family, and who he is at his core.

And when you read the book, VOLT ink., you get a chance to explore Michael and Bryan's world through their eyes. They take you on a journey that few people will ever experience: what it feels like to be them as they explore this world that only they could create.

After the Demonstration, here are a few things he had to say.

How did you know you wanted to become a chef?

MV: I've been doing it since I was 14 years old. It's the only thing I've ever done, so I think I just got into it and never got out of it. So I just ended up being a chef, and I stayed with it and found it as my creative vice. I would go to school and I played a lot of sports in high school and stuff like that, and I found that the favorite part of my day was the job that I had at night. So I found myself spending more time there and ultimately developing a career out of it.

As far as training goes, you also did an apprenticeship. What was that like?

It was great, I got on the job experience, and at the same time an education, so I got to step into my career and get the basics in the education at the same time. So when you get into an internship, I mean lots of people go to school first and then get into an internship after, and I got to sort of skip the whole school thing. But I had to work a lot harder than a lot of guys that were there. The people who were there had gone through school and training and stuff like that.

Is there an ingredient you don't really like to cook with?

I don't know that I have an ingredient that I don't like (thinks). Um, I couldn't think of one. I mean, one way I challenge myself is to take things that I don't necessarily love and try to make them in a way that I love them, or like them at least. So if people do usually like it then they'll love it if I do it. Does that make sense? Like I hated vegetables growing up as a kid, so I stared focusing on vegetable cookery. So broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, things like that, and then I found that if I made them in a way that I actually enjoyed it, then people who do like those things would love it even more.