Louis Eguaras

Chef Louis Eguaras was born and raised in Manila, Philippines and is of Spanish (Basque) and Filipino descent. He has been hooked into cooking since he was thirteen years old when his mother showed him how to cook spaghetti with meatballs. Because the US Navy has one of the best culinary schools of all the military branches, with civilian instructors from Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Arts Academy to the Culinary Institute of America, Chef Louis specifically joined the United States Navy as a Culinary Specialist at the age of 20. Chef Eguaras joined and graduated from the US Navy's intensive Culinary Arts Academy in 1992, and out of more than 250 culinary arts graduates, he was selected as one of the two graduates to be chefs for President George H. W. Bush Senior at Camp David Presidential Retreat. Having passed all the necessary clearance and investigations by the FBI and USSS, Chef Eguaras was stationed as chef at Camp David and served President Bush Sr., First Lady Barbara Bush, Vice President Dan Quayle and Second Lady Marilyn Quayle and their guests. At Camp David Presidential Retreat, he had the honor and privilege to also cook for Prime Minister John Majors of Great Britain, Prime Minister Mulroney of Canada and celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, Amy Grant, George Strait and many more. Eight years after arriving in the United States of America in 1984, Chef Eguaras ended up working for a President of the USA in 1992! During President Clinton's administration, Chef Eguaras was asked to be transferred from Camp David to The White House as one of the chefs at the West Wing's fine dining restaurant that served the President, First Lady and Senior Staff including David Gergen, Leon Panetta, Sandy Berger, George Stephanoupolis and Dee Dee Myers. While at The White House, he also worked with Executive Chef Walter Scheib (Iron Chef Winner in July 2006) at the main presidential residence on various state dinners and special events. He was fortunate to have cooked and worked on events that served many foreign dignitaries including Nelson Mandela and celebrities like Tom Hanks, Jimmy Buffett, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Oliver Stone, James Woods, Mick Jagger and the Rolling Stones, Crosby, Stills and Nash and many more. In addition, Chef Eguaras was also a member of the Presidential Advance Travel Team and worked along with the United States Secret Service and travelled with the President and Senior Staff within the United States and abroad (Germany, France and Italy) to make sure that the meals prepared for the President were secure and safe. During his hours off at The White House, Chef Eguaras also volunteered his time working at the The French Embassy in Washington, DC, where he gained more culinary knowledge and techniques, and had opportunities to cook for more dignitaries. Chef Eguaras was then transferred to Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet US Naval Station in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii to be a private chef for the highest ranking admiral in charge of all the US Navy ships at the fleet. In 1997, Chef Eguaras left the US Navy with an honorable discharge, ventured to Los Angeles and established a catering company, Presidential Culinary Services. In 2005, he helped establish the Culinary Arts Program at College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, CA and joined the Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts as chef instructor. He helped establish curriculum and taught various culinary arts courses including online degree programs. Teaching culinary arts has become his passion. He also taught at William Hart School District's Regional Occupational Program and established their Culinary Arts Program for high school students. In 2008, he was a national spokesperson for Sara Lee Deli, where he developed recipes and did various television and radio interviews. Chef Louis Eguaras is the Department Chair and Chef Professor of the Culinary Arts Institute at Los Angeles Mission College. Chef Eguaras is the author of, 101 Things I Learned in Culinary School, which was published in May 2010 and continues to receive positive reviews and is available in ten different languages. In addition to his passion for teaching and culinary arts, Chef Eguaras enjoys travelling, reading, martial arts, and spending time with his wife, Agnes.