Laurent Manrique
Encyclopedia
Laurent Manrique was the Corporate Executive Chef of Aqua, an upscale seafood restaurant in San Francisco, which earned 2 Michelin stars in 2006, the first time Michelin came to the San Francisco Bay Area
, and again in 2007 and 2008. He also oversees Cafe de la Presse, located on the corner of Bush Street and Grant Avenue, and Rouge and Blance Wine Bar. He helped guide the reopening of the Michelin Starred Fifth Floor, in the Hotel Palomar on 4th Street. He reopened the Urban Tavern in the San Francisco Hilton. He recently opened Millesime, a seafood brasserie in the Carlton Hotel that is a homecoming of sorts to New York City. He is lauded for his modern interpretation of his native Gascon
cuisine.
. Following an apprenticeship several years later with master chef Roger Duffour, Manrique trained with master chefs Claude Deligne and Yan Jacquot at Michelin-starred Taillevent and Toit de Passy in Paris.
Following a suggestion to move to United States, Manrique pursued his culinary career at Los Angeles Italian restaurant Rex. Persuaded by restaurateur Jean Denoyer to join Manhattan's Le Comptoir as executive chef, he relocated to the East Coast in 1991.
Then in 1992 at the age of 26, Manrique took over as chef at the Waldorf Astoria
's Peacock Alley. After a five year relationship with the restaurant, Manrique joined with nightlife mogul Howard Stein to open Gertrudes in 1997. This furthered his popularity, and the following year he earned the Bon Appétit
's Rising Star Chef Award.
Shortly thereafter the West Coast beckoned, and Manrique returned to join San Francisco's Campton Palace restaurant as Executive Chef, where he received rave reviews.
In 2003, Manrique was named Corporate Executive Chef for Aqua. Manrique's cuisine and leadership were to play a significant role in the restaurant's extraordinary success in San Francisco, including two Michelin stars in 2007, which he upheld for three consecutive years. Meanwhile, he opened Cafe de la Presse and Rouge & Blance Wine Bar, which remain some of San Francisco's most popular dining venues.
In 2007, Manrique united with friend and colleague Christopher Condy, to form a unique joint venture, resulting in the creation of C&L partners, a restaurant development, operating and investment company. Laurent helped guide C&L through the reopening of the Fifth Floor restaurant at the Palomar Hotel for the Kimpton Group in 2008, followed by the grand opening of the Urban Tavern at the San Francisco Hilton. Both have made additional impacts on the San Francisco dining scene. In July 2009 Manrique resigned from the company, and the Aqua restaurant, due to difficulties arising from a feud among Condy's heirs and was replaced by Jason Pringle in September 2009.
Manrique and Condy have teamed up with Meredith Gelacek, former Hilton Hotels Vice President of Food & Beverage, and Peter Chase, former Vice President of Bars for Ian Schrager Hotels, to form Collective Hospitality. Together the group opened Millesime in November 2010, a casual seafood brasserie in New York City's Carlton Hotel. The restaurant quickly earned high praise including a two-star review from the New York Times, and a two-and-a-half-star review from the New York Post.
One of the signature and most popular dishes at Millesime is its tuna tartare, a recipe for which Manrique shared with the public on NBC in winter 2010.
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, and again in 2007 and 2008. He also oversees Cafe de la Presse, located on the corner of Bush Street and Grant Avenue, and Rouge and Blance Wine Bar. He helped guide the reopening of the Michelin Starred Fifth Floor, in the Hotel Palomar on 4th Street. He reopened the Urban Tavern in the San Francisco Hilton. He recently opened Millesime, a seafood brasserie in the Carlton Hotel that is a homecoming of sorts to New York City. He is lauded for his modern interpretation of his native Gascon
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
cuisine.
Biography
Manrique discovered his culinary passion during childhood while cooking with his grandmother Aurélie in the Gascon village of RoquesRoques
Roques may refer to:People* Claude Roques , a French field hockey player who competed in the 1936 Summer Olympics* Clément-Emile Roques , a French Cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church...
. Following an apprenticeship several years later with master chef Roger Duffour, Manrique trained with master chefs Claude Deligne and Yan Jacquot at Michelin-starred Taillevent and Toit de Passy in Paris.
Following a suggestion to move to United States, Manrique pursued his culinary career at Los Angeles Italian restaurant Rex. Persuaded by restaurateur Jean Denoyer to join Manhattan's Le Comptoir as executive chef, he relocated to the East Coast in 1991.
Then in 1992 at the age of 26, Manrique took over as chef at the Waldorf Astoria
Waldorf-Astoria Hotel
The Waldorf-Astoria is a luxury hotel in New York. It has been housed in two historic landmark buildings in New York City. The first, designed by architect Henry J. Hardenbergh, was on the Fifth Avenue site of the Empire State Building. The present building at 301 Park Avenue in Manhattan is a...
's Peacock Alley. After a five year relationship with the restaurant, Manrique joined with nightlife mogul Howard Stein to open Gertrudes in 1997. This furthered his popularity, and the following year he earned the Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit
Bon Appétit describes itself as "a food and entertaining magazine" and is published monthly. Named after the French phrase for "Enjoy your meal", it was started by M. Frank Jones in Kansas City in 1956...
's Rising Star Chef Award.
Shortly thereafter the West Coast beckoned, and Manrique returned to join San Francisco's Campton Palace restaurant as Executive Chef, where he received rave reviews.
In 2003, Manrique was named Corporate Executive Chef for Aqua. Manrique's cuisine and leadership were to play a significant role in the restaurant's extraordinary success in San Francisco, including two Michelin stars in 2007, which he upheld for three consecutive years. Meanwhile, he opened Cafe de la Presse and Rouge & Blance Wine Bar, which remain some of San Francisco's most popular dining venues.
In 2007, Manrique united with friend and colleague Christopher Condy, to form a unique joint venture, resulting in the creation of C&L partners, a restaurant development, operating and investment company. Laurent helped guide C&L through the reopening of the Fifth Floor restaurant at the Palomar Hotel for the Kimpton Group in 2008, followed by the grand opening of the Urban Tavern at the San Francisco Hilton. Both have made additional impacts on the San Francisco dining scene. In July 2009 Manrique resigned from the company, and the Aqua restaurant, due to difficulties arising from a feud among Condy's heirs and was replaced by Jason Pringle in September 2009.
Manrique and Condy have teamed up with Meredith Gelacek, former Hilton Hotels Vice President of Food & Beverage, and Peter Chase, former Vice President of Bars for Ian Schrager Hotels, to form Collective Hospitality. Together the group opened Millesime in November 2010, a casual seafood brasserie in New York City's Carlton Hotel. The restaurant quickly earned high praise including a two-star review from the New York Times, and a two-and-a-half-star review from the New York Post.
One of the signature and most popular dishes at Millesime is its tuna tartare, a recipe for which Manrique shared with the public on NBC in winter 2010.
Awards
- Michelin GuideMichelin GuideThe Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
– Two Stars, 2008
- Michelin GuideMichelin GuideThe Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
– Two Stars, 2009
- Michelin GuideMichelin GuideThe Michelin Guide is a series of annual guide books published by Michelin for over a dozen countries. The term normally refers to the Michelin Red Guide, the oldest and best-known European hotel and restaurant guide, which awards the Michelin stars...
– Two Stars, 2007
- Wine Spectator – San Francisco’s Best Restaurants 2006
- 7x7 Magazine7x7 Magazine7x7 is a city-living-focused fashion, lifestyle, food, culture, opinion and entertainment digital, print, mobile and events platform. 7x7 covers San Francisco, Seattle and Portland....
– Best Business Lunch 2007
- Zagat SurveyZagat SurveyZagat Survey was established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering New York City, the Zagats surveyed their friends. As of 2005, the Zagat Survey included 70 cities, with reviews based on the input of...
– N°5 Most Popular Bay Area’s Restaurants
- Gourmet Magazine – "Top 10 Best Restaurants" in the Bay Area
- Food & Wine – "50 Best Hotel Restaurants"
Personal life
Manrique's other passionate pursuit is winemaking. Since 2003, Manrique has been involved in vineyard adventures here and abroad, where he has been instrumental in the creation of several wines. Manrique partnered with Master Sommelier Emmanuel Kemiji and a vineyard in Spain, Clos Oblidat and Arrels (which means roots of a vine in Catalon) is the inaugural release.Television appearances
- Nick Steins Cooking with Friends
- Guest Judge on Top Chef Season 1 Episode 3
Philanthropy
- Manrique focuses on a variety of philanthropic causes. Of particular note is his own creation, "Taste and Tribute". This came about in 2001, when Manrique's long time interest in Buddhism inspired him to direct his efforts towards the Tibetan Aid Project. "Taste and Tribute" is an annual event of camaraderie and fine food that supports the Tibetan Aid Project. Manrique has been the guiding light and inspiration for the event since its inception. All proceeds go directly towards the effort to preserve Tibet’s cultural heritage for the benefit of the Tibetan people and all humanity.
- Manrique’s humanitarian beliefs have also taken him to South Africa in 2007 to participate in an anti-HIV program, where he cooked for Nelson Mandela. He is a long time supporter of Meals on Wheels and Project Open Hand in San Francisco, which aims to provide isolated homebound seniors in San Francisco with nutritious meals, daily human contact and supportive services to prevent their premature institutionalization. Participation in Project Open Hand aids the charity in providing “meals with love” to people living with serious illnesses and to seniors. Aqua also contributes to the San Francisco volunteer organization that picks up excess food from the restaurant biweekly and delivers it to feeding programs in the city of San Francisco. In addition, Manrique regularly contributes to many local charities and fundraising events.