'Tournament of Champions VII' Winners' Interview: Bryan Voltaggio Is No Longer the Chronic Runner-Up

Bryan Voltaggio entered the Season 7 Tournament of Champions kitchen with a new sense of confidence and ease — thanks to his shared TOC: All-Star Christmas victory with his brother, Michael Voltaggio, in December. "There was this weight lifted off my shoulders because I had that win with Michael," says Bryan. "But of course I still wanted the poster on the wall, the ring, the belt, all of it for myself." His renewed clarity on how to best the randomizer, what to deliver the judges and how to remain calm during the madness carried him from his No. 3 seed position to the champion of TOC VII. Ahead, in an interview with Food Network, Bryan shares what it means to have his first individual competition win.

Bryan: I had just done TOC [All-Star Christmas] with my brother and we won that one, and honestly, I don't even know if I would have been invited back otherwise because I went out in the first round on my other seasons of TOC. So, I was nervous going into that very first round and I was coming off a win so there were just layers upon layers of anxiety. I kept thinking, “I can’t go home in the first round.” Just getting through that challenge gave me a huge amount of confidence to continue all the way to the end. But that was the most nervous I've ever been, and I've competed a lot.

Bryan: All-Star Christmas was kind of preparation in and of itself. I also cook every day in my restaurants. I'm always in the kitchen, always developing, always working with Michael on new recipes and ideas for our restaurants. I do think of preparations and things that I might be able to apply to a challenge so that no matter what is thrown at me, I can execute a dish on a high level.

Bryan: It takes me a long time to conceptualize a dish. I'm a trial-and-error kind of person. I have to put something through its paces in order to be happy with it. So, the randomizer is very scary for me because you not only have to check every single box, but it also has to be a dish that makes sense. When I cook, I want people to resonate with the dish by either evoking a memory or a flavor profile or technique — something they can comment on. I've been on both sides of competitions. I've judged a lot, and if the judge can somehow relate to the dish, even though they don't know who made it, it gives you an edge. Yes, the dish has to check all the boxes on the randomizer, but if you can take somebody back to a time and place in life, then they can resonate with your dish a little bit more.

Bryan: Probably my last challenge against Kenny Gilbert because that was the oddest combination on the randomizer. We were given beets, chicken livers, a spaetzle maker and sticky. I was proud of that one because I think it challenged me the most. It was such a hard combination of flavors and techniques. There’s a very small margin of error with chicken livers, and spaetzle is also not forgiving. I had an idea for it, but getting that chicken liver perfect was really important for me. And it ended up being my best score of the season. So, I really was proud of that, especially because I knew it was going to be incredibly hard going against Kenny because he's a really methodical cook.

Bryan: Michael and I work together every single day, so it's natural for us to compete together. There's a level of comfort going into each challenge. I wasn't as nervous because we had each other to lean on and we could bounce ideas off of each other. The one thing you don't have in TOC is a sounding board. To be able to pass an idea to somebody for either scrutiny or to be redirected or for validation, that's helpful. Going into this season individually, there was a lot of pressure from going home twice in the first round on other seasons and from just having won TOC [All-Star] Christmas. Plus, I've never won anything individually — I wanted to get my first win.

Bryan: I was a runner-up on 24 in 24 and on Top Chef and I was so close to my first win—that was like a cloud over my head. I was so worried I was going to have a misstep because Kevin Lee is solid. He can put flavors together like no one else. I was worried, especially with the ingredients we were given, that he was going to knock me out. But somehow I did it. I got it by one point.

Bryan: When I look back at TOC: All-Star Christmas and this competition, even though I wanted to win, I also wanted to go in and have fun with it. I had so much fun on TOC holiday and not only did Michael and I win, but I had a good time doing it, so I let that carry into TOC VII. I knew I wanted the win … but I didn't let myself not enjoy the experience. I think that that's the difference.

Bryan: It meant a lot. I'm really glad that he took the time to call him. I know Michael had been rooting for me the whole time. He wanted this for me, too, just as bad as I wanted it. It was a great moment that I'm glad I got to share with him and Guy as well.

Bryan: Just going in there, rooting for my friends and having a good time through the process. I was rooting for Jet Tila! Him and I share this common thing where it's like we just can't get the big win, so if there was anybody I wanted to win other than me, it was him. And I also just love competition cooking. I have such a busy life between my restaurants and family life and everything going on that when I’m in these competitions for 30 or 40 minutes uninterrupted — it's all about the food. It's all about what you're doing in the moment and I love that.