 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.