HANS RÖCKENWAGNER

3 Square Café + Bakery and Röckenwagner Bakery are the latest ventures of longtime Los Angeles chef/restaurateur Hans Röckenwagner.  Hans’ background spans thirty years of cooking in kitchens in Germany, Switzerland, Chicago and Los Angeles, and includes operating his own fine dining restaurant, running a full-scale retail and wholesale bakery, consulting to major hospitality-related businesses, and penning a cookbook.  Known for his individuality, Hans’ reputation was built around his springtime white asparagus menus, innovative dishes like crab soufflé with lobster-butter sauce and the popular pretzel burger, and his craftsmanship in designing and building his restaurants.

Of his many accomplishments, Hans is most proud of his wife Patti and children Gina, Roxy and Hansi , his top-spin forehand and the many projects he has completed as a hobby woodworker.

WOLFGANG GUSSMACK

Wolfgang joined Hans in 2002 as chef de cuisine at Röckenwagner Restaurant in Santa Monica.  A native of Graz, Austria, Wolfgang started his culinary career cooking spätzle for his family’s restaurant and Gasthaus.  This experience earned him a spot in Austria’s only two-star Michelin restaurant and subsequently, led him to renowned kitchens in Italy and France before coming to Los Angeles.

A rabid gourmand, Wolfgang is a walking food guide (ask him where to eat in any city), an international sommelier and the holder of THE perfect Kaiserschmarren recipe.

3 SQUARE CAFÉ + BAKERY

3 Square Café + Bakery, located at 1121 Abbot Kinney Blvd. in artsy Venice, California, is a casual, contemporary neighborhood eatery serving "3 square" meals. Breakfast features a number of fresh-baked breads and sweets as well as pancakes and organic egg dishes. Lunch caters to the Abbott Kinney shopping and gallery crowd with artisan sandwiches and salads for which Röckenwagner has become known. Dinner offers comfort food with a contemporary twist including favorites such as the Pretzel Burger and Avocado Fries with Fire-Roasted Salsa.

The adjacent bakery offers the Röckenwagner Bakery productline, including pretzel rolls, Rudolf Steiner Health Bread, scones, danishes, breads, cheese twists and cookies, as well as convenient sandwiches and snacks to go. Changing German and Austrian pastry specials are offered, giving Abbot Kinney a new venue for the traditional "Kaffeeklatsch."

RÖCKENWAGNER BAKERY / CAFÉ

Röckenwagner Bakery/Café, at 311 Arizona Ave. in Santa Monica, California is located just off Santa Monica's busy 3rd Street Promenade, it caters to the surrounding local businesses as well as to the area's international tourists, casual shoppers and happy moviegoers. Offering salads, soups and sandwiches featuring produce from the farmers market and daily baked breads, the bakery is a favorite watering hole for the entire community.

RÖCKENWAGNER SOUFFLE BAKERY

Röckenwagner Souffle Bakery is the latest addition to the family. Located in The Market at Santa Monica Place, it offers a full breakfust, lunch and dinner menu along with cakes and Röckenwagner's staple pretzels, artisan breads and scones. Unique souflees like mac and cheese or chocolate pretzel along with dishes like the lamb burger and the pulled pork sandwich all live up to the foodie standard you've come to expect from Röckenwagner. Whether grabbing a pretzel between your shopping or sitting down to enjoy a hot meal while you watch the fascinating projected video displaying Röckenwagner's bakery production facility in action, there's something for everyone at Hans' new namesake.