Michael Voltaggio clears up some scuttlebutt today, hinting at his future plans once he busts out of The Langham next month. As for why he’s leaving, the adult Bart Simpson doppelganger tells the L.A. Times,”I had to come to terms with the fact that I either stay in Pasadena and be at this restaurant being branded around me, or I can do something on my own outside of the Langham…At the end of the day I know that no matter what, that restaurant wasn’t mine.” To that end, Voltaggio confirms his own restaurant is in-the-works that will express both his style and personality while making “fine dining food more accessible to more people.”
He will stay in L.A. and is looking west of Downtown, possibly in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, or Santa Monica. Big-bro Bryan might help consult but is busy doing his own thing, while Michael promises that his restaurant “won’t be The Bazaar.” As for his aims, Voltaggio wants to join the pantheon of the chefs-owner moguls who came before him, explaining,” I want to be the reason that I succeed or fail. I want to do what all the great chefs have done and create a brand of my own. I’m going to build a restaurant that’s open five nights a week, and I’m there those five nights. I want people to sense it was my hands making the food.”
Michael Voltaggio dishes on leaving the Langham and on his upcoming venture [L.A. Times]
