Lotte Hotel Chef Nam Dae-hyun Selected as Master Artisan of Korea

From the left, Nam Dae-hyun, Master Craftsman of Korea and Executive Chef at Signiel Seoul; Na Seong-ju, Excellent Skilled Technician and Pastry Chef at Lotte Hotel Seoul; Kim Se-han, Culinary Technician at Lotte Hotel Seoul; and Shim Dong-wook, Culinary Technician at Signiel Seoul. (Photo by Lotte Hotel)

[Asia Economy Reporter Seungjin Lee] Lotte Hotel announced on the 3rd that three individuals, including Nam Dae-hyun, Executive Chef of Signiel Seoul, were selected as Korea Masters, the highest honor for skilled technicians, and Excellent Skilled Technicians, a qualification awarded to the top-level skilled workers in the country.

The Korea Master qualification is granted by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea to those with over 15 years of experience in the industrial field who possess the highest level of skilled techniques. It is a nationally recognized system akin to being a ‘master artisan.’ This year, after receiving nominations through local governments nationwide, candidates underwent document review, on-site inspections, and interviews, with only 13 individuals earning the title of ‘Korea Master.’

Nam Dae-hyun, currently serving as Executive Chef at Signiel Seoul, has been with Lotte Hotel for 34 years since 1986. He is a veteran who has managed major events such as Blue House state banquets, the G20 Summit, and the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. He is praised for introducing modern-sensibility traditional Korean cuisine to the public and contributing to the globalization of Korean food. He received the Culinary Master Craftsman certification in 2015, the Prime Minister’s Award in 2019, and this year was honored as a Korea Master.

Excellent Skilled Technicians are selected from industrial workers with over seven years of experience in the same field who possess outstanding skills. This is considered an intermediate step toward becoming a Korea Master and is referred to as ‘jun-master’ in the industry. At Lotte Hotel, three chefs?Na Sung-joo, Kim Se-han, and Shim Dong-wook?were selected as Excellent Skilled Technicians this year.

Na Sung-joo, a master pastry chef, is a recognized veteran of Lotte Hotel’s bakery with 28 years of dedicated experience. He was the first Asian to win the gold medal in the individual category at the 2008 IKA Culinary Olympics. Known for his excellent skills and research attitude reflecting trends, he developed bubble cakes and slice cakes, which have recently gained popularity on social networking services (SNS), expanding the customer base of Lotte Hotel’s bakery.

Kim Se-han, a master chef, has worked at Lotte Hotel for 28 years and is a versatile chef who has developed new menus for various outlets. Based on extensive field experience, he has represented the country in international culinary competitions such as the Luxembourg World Cup, dedicating himself to the development and popularization of culinary arts. He currently serves as the head chef responsible for high-quality meals at ‘Le Salon’ in Lotte Hotel Seoul’s Executive Tower.

Shim Dong-wook, a master chef with over 14 years of Western cuisine experience at Signiel Seoul, joined Lotte Hotel in 2005 and is an expert in Western cuisine who has worked across various Western restaurants. Among the Excellent Skilled Technicians selected by Lotte Hotel, Shim Dong-wook is the youngest and is currently responsible for various foods and desserts served in the lounge and guest rooms of Signiel Seoul.

Chef Nam Dae-hyun said, “It is a great honor to receive the title of Korea Master as a chef of Lotte Hotel,” and added, “Together with the three chefs selected as Excellent Skilled Technicians this year, we will pay more attention to talent donation for underprivileged groups and nurturing future talents.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.