While trying to perfect the VOLT coffee blend we’ve also accumulated a lot of chaff for our herb garden. When coffee beans are roasted, they swell and expand in size. The husk of the bean then cracks and is shed by the bean during the roasting process and is collected and bagged separately as a byproduct waste. This byproduct is called chaff and it is a light papery material that contains protein, some fat, and large amounts of fiber and is a terrific soil amendment. It can go directly into the gardens soil without having to decompose first. In short, great coffee = healthy herbs.

The face has been applied to the bar and the steel that will hold the glass top is in place. Our contractors have also have begun installing the back bar equipment. Today starts the priming for all rooms in the space. Painting had begun! By early next week we will be able to post a few shots to give a preview of the finished rooms. Our kitchen install has been delayed a bit with some needed adjustments to our plating table. We should have our kitchen in working order by the end of next week.

We thought it would be a fun event and a great focus group to invite our partners to taste through the “Glasses of Wine” program.  With the help of six of our purveyors, we tasted through about 75 wines from all over the world.  In this picture I’m holding the Bourgogne Rouge from Rene Leclerc. -One of the crowd favorites of the evening and subsequently one of the wines that we’ll be offering by the glass.  As we get into the swing of things we envision many opportunities to have thought provoking experiences with new wines as they come across the table to us. 

When not acting as general contractor during VOLT’s final construction weeks, Chef Bryan Voltaggio takes some time to be with friends and family and to enjoy the wonderful summer weather. This is one of two pigs being brined on ice with rosemary, orange halves, and garlic cloves to be smoked along with 25 chickens for 100 guests at a friend’s “A Good Ole Cosi Pig Pick’n” party this weekend.

The install on all of the stations has begun. We should see the stations coming together by the end of tomorrow. We will have our kitchen divided into three rooms. From the kitchen dining room guests will view the garde-manger, pastry plating station and the meat/game, fish, and entremetier station (aka, vegetable cook) Our pass or plating station will be in the center of the kitchen. The second room behind the main line is the first preparation room then behind that area is the storage areas for raw product and our butcher. The kitchen as it comes together, is relieving to see, as the plans on paper translate into an efficiently spaced kitchen. Working within a once residential space, can be challenging in laying out a professional kitchen. I am very excited with how the design has taken shape and look forward to lighting the first pilot.

We have begun hanging drywall in the restaurant this week. This is a very exciting milestone in more ways than one. We are able to see all of the walls taking shape. One of the contractors who had not been on the site for a week was understandably taken back by the changes the space has undergone in such a short amount of time. As we progress this week more pieces of the kitchen will start to arrive. By Friday we should start to see the stations come together then we will get ready for our first testing in the later part of next week.

View from the kitchen dining room towards the pass.

This shot was taken last night around 9:00PM. The development of a new restaurant takes a lot of committed people who will do what ever it takes to get the job done. All of our contractors have been working nights, weekends, and holiday’s in order to deliver VOLT on time. We are proud and lucky to work with such a great team and feel they are as excited as we our to see the arrival of our first guests to the dining room. By the way that shot with the vacuum was not staged I helped for a few hours.

This is the tile in the kitchen are specifically at one of the garde-manger stations

Chef Bryan Voltaggio has his hands full with his 1 year old son, Thacher, and the opening of his Frederick, Maryland restaurant VOLT in mid-July. By this picture of a decanter sitting safely in a car seat, it seems that they go hand-in-hand very well!

We are on the home stretch and its all coming together very quickly. Here is our tentative schedule for a July opening.

Dinner service will begin on July 18th 2008 and reservations can be made through opentable.com. Open Table is currently live and we are grouped with MD/DC suburbs. Reservations may also be made on our direct line
(301) 696.VOLT. Reservations will be confirmed prior to opening several days in advance.

We will begin taking reservations for lunch beginning July 29th 2008. Our lounge and bar is also set to open to the public on July 18th 2008 and we will begin service at 5:00PM daily. We have also scheduled the launch of the full VOLT restaurant website for June 20th. Please check back for more details on the site.

Please note all dates are subject to change based on final construction of the VOLT restaurant space. Please continue to check for updates once our website has launched.

We will be hosting several open-house interviews at VOLT. We are seeking great people committed to high standards of hospitality and service. To apply please stop in during one of our scheduled dates below. All Front of the House and Back of the House positions are available. Please bring a completed resume and allow for at least 1 hour of time for the interviewing process.

All open-house interviews will be held between the hours of 2:00 and 6:00 PM

Sunday June 22nd
Monday June 23rd

Sunday June 29th
Monday June 30th

VOLT
228 North Market Street
Frederick, MD 21701