First Gourmet Academy

Mats Loo

Having begun his career at the tender age of 14 in his native Sweden, Chef Mats entered another stage in his life when he founded First Gourmet Academy with his partners. As an instructor, he is recognized for his strong grasp of culinary fundamentals and global standards, a result of honing his skills in several Michelin star restaurants around the world such as the Villa Källhagen in Stockholm, Westra Piren in Gothenburg, Sweden and Le Meridien in Piccadilly, London. At the Restaurant Akademin in Sweden, he worked with academic head to offer further educational courses for restaurant professionals. He then mastered the nuances of mass production, purchasing, food chemistry, and international flavours working as an Executive Chef in several cruise ships for 8 years, including the M.S. Endeavour and The M.S. Polaris. He shares his knowledge and passion with future culinary artists through his First Gourmet Academy classes.

Michael Westelius

Marked by his indelible culinary experiences, Michael Westelius gives pride to First Gourmet Academy’s roster of faculty as he eagerly partakes in sharing his knowledge and experience to the budding chefs of the Philippines. His steady climb towards the ladder of success has given Michael a remarkable career in the culinary field. His passion for work and travel has taken him around the world handling various positions through the years as a Commis Chef and Chef de Partie, up to being an Executive Chef. His skills have been greatly honed by his working experiences with various establishments such as “Erik’s Gondolen”, a fine dining restaurant in Stockholm, Sweden where he started at the age of 19. He continued his career at “The Waterside Inn” in Bray, Great Britain owned by the famous Michel Roux which is by many considered to be one of the best restaurants in the world and has since many years been awarded with three stars in Guide Michelin. He moved on to “Lindsay House” in London owned by year 2000 Chef of the year Richard Corrigan. In 2002 Michael was offered a job in Sydney, Australia working at the Royal Motor Yacht Club before starting working at sea. He has recently been handling the position as an Executive Chef onboard the famous cruise ship MV National Geographic Explorer. Hence, the year 2010 is yet another year to look forward to as Michael Westelius will be teaching in the kitchen and lecture room at First Gourmet Academy.

Emy Ramos

Emy Ramos combines the heart of a baker and entrepreneur, as she opened her first business over two decades ago with Pastelle Cakes. The experience led to her pursuit of further studies as a hotel and restaurant service student in Ecole Les Roches, Switzerland, paving the way to a lifelong passion for the culinary and pastry arts. A Masters In Food Service Administration adds greater depth her understanding of baking and culinary arts as a whole. As a renowned wedding cake supplier, under the aegis of her company Blossom Tree Cakes and Pastries, Emy is able to weave baking into her lifestyle. Continuous travel has given her the opportunity to taste the numerous flavors in patisserie, which she willingly unfolds before her First Gourmet Academy students, turning every baking moment into an unforgettable experience, while whipping up delightful confections.

Dennis Schnitzler

After studying five years of culinary arts in the Netherlands, Dennis worked for several hotels and the 3 star Michelin restaurant “de Librije” in his Country. To gain more knowledge and experience and also to see more of the world, he packed his bags and went working for Silversea Cruises, a 6 star cruise line. He worked there in all different stations, from saucier to garde manger, and after working for the company for two years he decided to move on. He moved to Jersey, one of the Channel Islands of Great Britain, and worked there for 1 of the biggest hotels as a sous chef, taking care of all the major banqueting functions, which could get to as big as 1500 guests. After setting up a fine dining restaurant that received a 3 AA Rosette level Dennis decided to have a new challenge. From there on he went to the Caribbean, to the island of Curacao where he worked for the well known Avila Hotel where he again set up a fine dining restaurant and took care of several dinners and banqueting functions for the Royal Family and Ministry off the Netherlands. In 2008 he got a job offer from Royal Caribbean Cruises, where he is now working as an Executive Sous Chef and where he won the prestigious Bacardi cruise competition with his dish for the seafood category for 2008. During his time off from working at sea Dennis is teaching short courses as well as Diploma courses at First Gourmet Academy.

Frances Chantal Aguila

After finishing her degree in Culinary Arts in Manila on 2003, Frances packed her knives and pursued further studies at the Pennsylvania Culinary Institute, finishing the prestigious Le Cordon Bleu Program. Frances trained at Tao Asian Bistro in New York, the largest and most popular Asian restaurant in the city, juggling several roles from Garde Manger, Saute cook, and Expediter. She further honed her craft at Disney’s ESPN Zone, located at the heart of Times Square while freelancing as a private chef for the upper crust society. An opportunity to cater to Hollywood stars came when she joined the successful Tomkat’s Catering crew, preparing meals for the production staff of major motion pictures and award-winning shows such as Sex in the City and 30 Rock, while serving the likes of Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Adam Sandler, Rob Schneider, and other celebrities. Having been influenced by her instructors and superiors, Frances is ready to teach the eager students of First Gourmet Academy all that she has learned so far in her young and blossoming career as a professional chef.

Antonio Magcase

A solid educational foundation lays the building blocks for one’s future success. This is a tenet that Antonio Magcase adheres to, having laid the foundation for managerial and entrepreneurial achievements early in his life. Garnering an MBA from the Ateneo Professional Schools and an A.B. in Economics from Ateneo de Manila, Antonio has never stopped pursuing further learning, staying abreast of the latest economic and management trends in the field. As assistant professor and part-time lecturer in Assumption and Ateneo, he has imparted to his students his professional expertise as a financial liaison to illustrious clients such as the Asian Development Bank, and as an independent consultant and training provider, specializing in franchise development. Apart from the wide scope of his business, joins FGA as a dynamic and multi-faceted instructor.

Romy Mercado

Growing up in the industry and investing time in the family bakery business for 27 years, Romy Mercado understands that today’s food business goes beyond kitchen knowledge and skills. Future culinary entrepreneurs also need to know how to manage people, control costs, make financial projections, market restaurant concepts, and more. From the time that his family opened their first shop in Quezon City to its growth into more than 100 stores locally and in the US, Romy has experienced critical situations in different aspects of the business, particularly management and marketing decisions. Raising the bar of excellence on the education and culinary side, First Gourmet Academy students are fortunate to witness firsthand the fountain of knowledge stemming from his experience.

Dennis Nakpil

As a start-up entrepreneur who started a successful food operation specializing in Filipino comfort food and evolving into a family style fast food outlet serving a steady stream of loyal patrons at SM Mall of Asia, Dennis Nakpil understands that with the complexity and broad scope of today’s foodservice industry needs competent workers, managers and owners who can will lead the way in the future. Dennis himself has been a leading entrepreneur with extensive experience in the business of food, co-venturing into Filipino casual dining with a novel relaxed dining concept that spawned 18 stores all over the metropolis, Tagaytay and Baguio. It is this very spirit of entrepreneurship and professionalism that Dennis imparts to First Gourmet Academy students.

Rene Marcial J. Siguenza

Rene Marcial “Nick” J. Siguenza continues to hone his expertise in the food safety and sanitation industry. He is a graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas, where he obtained his degree in Bachelor of Science Hotel and Restaurant Management. After finishing his studies, he continued to pursue a career in the food service industry. He currently holds the position of Sales Development Manager at Ecolab Philippines, one of the leading industries in cleaning, sanitizing, food safety and infection prevention products and services, handling most of the biggest HORECA (Hotel/Restaurant/Café.) accounts globally. He is certified in the National Restaurant Association ServSafe®  Program and a Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) practitioner. He delivers comprehensive programs and services to food service and other F&B processing companies. He also regularly conducts food safety trainings in chain restaurants across the country and continues to impart his knowledge and experience to First Gourmet Academy.

Daisy Marquez and Manfred Luig

Manfred Luig & Daisy Marquez are an amusing couple whose differing personalities are fused by their mutual fascination and passion for wine.  With the combination of their backgrounds, he with his European roots that tightly embrace wine culture, and she, reared in the ways and tastes of Asia, they bring a balanced perspective to wine appreciation and enjoyment. Their wine classes educate without imposing, provoking thought, challenging mindsets, but always with the aim of leading others to discover their own wine passions. Manfred and Daisy's wine classes are a guided journey of discovering, knowing, experiencing, and delight. Currently, the couple runs a wine business which affords them the opportunity to travel to wine regions in search of surprise finds, and to exchange notes with men and women who dedicate their lives to the art and science of winemaking.

Jim Araneta

Jim Araneta is one guy who knows his beer. His passion for this choice beverage led him to establish one of the leading beer distribution companies in the country. His love of this ever popular drink started during shared moments with his grandfather over a six-pack. He has researched and studied extensively on this drink and works with chefs and restaurateurs in the country for beer and food pairings. He imports beers mostly from the US and Europe, and continues to explore and discover different beer products in his travels abroad.