The Voltaggio Brothers Return Home
And together, they’re playing nice
More than 30 years after they first cooked side by side in a Frederick, Maryland hotel kitchen, Bryan and Michael Voltaggio are back where it all began. The celebrated chefs—whose names became synonymous with high-stakes culinary competition—have reunited to open Wye Oak Tavern inside the new Visitation Hotel Frederick, a boutique retreat housed in a restored 19th-century convent.
The restaurant is a reflection of their journey—Baltimore-inspired steakhouse classics with a Voltaggio twist, from prime rib with tiger sauce to playful reinventions like chicken liver shaped into a fried drumstick. Even dessert tells a story, with apple dumplings paying tribute to the convent’s former students, who once staged a hunger strike over their favorite treat.
The brothers’ paths have taken them from “Top Chef” stardom to opposite coasts, but here, in their hometown, the rivalry fades and the food speaks for itself. Wye Oak Tavern is more than a restaurant—it’s a homecoming.