Star LA Chef Walter Manzke Leaves Church & State

Hot off the press in Los Angeles is the news that renowned chef Walter Manzke is leaving his post at the three-starred Church & State. The reason is simple: he wants to start his own restaurant. Manzke has been aboard Church & State since the French brasserie opened in December 2008, and before that, he earned another three stars for his work at Bastide. At Church & State, he continued his streak of raves. In addition to the aforementioned tres, Jonathan Gold speculated that Manzke was probably serving up "the most refined bistro cooking in LA."

More at Eater LA, including Manzke's replacement. >>