Chefs

Walter Manzke

Walter Manzke grew up fluent in “seasonality,” with family gardens and orchards full of organic, seasonal vegetables and fruits populating his dinner table from day to day. This mentality, the now popularized farm-to-table ethos, is something Manzke learned as a kid and took with him everywhere he went.

With a degree in Business and Restaurant Management from San Diego Mesa College, Manzke moved on to develop his signature style and work in some of the most renowned kitchens of Europe and America. Among them were Le Louis XV in the Hotel de Paris, Monte Carlo under Alain Ducasse, Spain’s famed high-tech training ground, el Bulli, under Ferran Adria, and Patina in Los Angeles, where Manzke spent more than six years under the guidance of Joachim Splichal and earned the restaurant three stars from the Los Angeles Times.

A brief stint outside of Los Angeles saw Manzke opening three successful restaurants in Carmel: Bouchee, Cantinetta Luca, and L’Auberge Carmel. Manzke returned to Los Angeles in 2007 to much fanfare to take the helm at the highly anticipated re-opening of Bastide Restaurant.

In 2009, Manzke took over the kitchen at Church and State, where he earned his third three-star review from the Los Angeles Times and was named a “Rising Star” by Star Chef’s.

Since his departure from Church and State, Manzke continues to apply his craft working closely with Richard Melman in Chicago to develop recipes for Lettuce Entertain You.