République

Overview

Walter Manzke’s love of food began as a child growing up in San Diego surrounded by fruits and vegetables from his family’s backyard. This seasonable, sustainable approach has stuck with Manzke throughout his career. In 1992 Manzke graduated from San Diego Mesa College with a degree in Business and Restaurant Management.
Upon graduation, Manzke moved to Los Angeles to work with Joachim Splichal, where he began to develop his signature style. After two and a half years, Manzke left Los Angeles to work in some of the most renowned kitchens in Europe, including Alain Ducasse and El Bulli. In 1996, Manzke returned to Los Angeles and spent six and a half years at Patina where he received a three-star review from the Los Angeles Times and met his future wife Margarita. He earned his third three-star review from the Los Angeles Times and was named a “Rising Star” by Star Chefs. Church & State enabled Manzke and Margarita – who was the restaurant’s Pastry Chef – to further hone their shared vision for the restaurant they wanted to open together. République opened its doors in December of 2013 and since has appeared on many ‘best-of’ lists, and was awarded Los Angeles Magazine’s ‘Best New Restaurant’ for 2014