There are tasting events open to the public at the APTC’s Aria Restaurant throughout the year where you can try some of the culinary school’s finest creations.

I sampled octopus soused at 77 degrees in a sealed bag packed with various seasonings for five hours. The octopus was lightly grilled and served with a breadfruit puree and coconut.

Beef fillet with sweet potato fondant, roast root vegetables and a red wine reduction. Credit: Godfreeman Kaptigau

The breadfruit, usually smoked on open coals or cut up and fried in Papua New Guinea, was used in this dish as a puree.

‘It’s just something the guys [student]) came up with,’ Chef Christopher says. ‘We try to get a hint of localisation in there; we encourage creativity and give them space to use local ingredients.’

For dessert, I sampled guava pie served with miso caramel butter and sour cream ice cream – a local twist to the pear pie, with an ingredient abundant in the country.

Getting apprentices ready for the workforce goes beyond skill and creativity for Chef Christopher.

‘As a Papua New Guinean, I put a lot of effort on mind set–we do industry consultation and we often hear that there are absenteeism and punctuality issues. So we emphasise to our students that they need the right mind set for this profession,’ he tells PNG Now.

‘If someone is not cut out for this industry, they’ll stick out like a sore thumb – there are a lot of stars here; they just need to be moulded,’ he says.

The article ‘Cooking class’ was first published in the April/May 2022 issue of PNG Now, Papua New Guinea’s leading lifestyle magazine. Read it online here.