“In school catering, we have the most difficult ‘customers’!” Yet this is the specialty chosen by chef Laurence Upigit after her training at the hotel school. Inspired by her father, a chef of West Indian origin, Upigit had always wanted to work in the restaurant business, so she took up her post as canteen manager at Gabriel-Païta secondary school in Ondémia (New Caledonia). She faced many challenges, including managing a team that was not trained in the trade.
Today, her main challenges are to educate and please students through the meals she serves. This is made all the more complicated by the fact that the chef is regularly faced with shortages of certain products, so she has to be inventive to diversify her recipes.
Sustainable food is also a core concern. She has done away with individual packaging and is working to reduce food waste. She also strives to promote local produce. In addition to her role as canteen chef, Laurence Upigit has become president of the Pacific Food Lab cluster. Her aim is to help change practices in the catering industry, notably through the “Bonheur dans ma cantine” charter and the “Cantines à l’unisson” event.
