Itaseong, CEO of Gwangju Hanhaemulhane, Wins Gold Award at International Cooking Competition

Three Types of Mulhoe Sauce Developed Over 3 Years Exhibited... Praised for "Capturing Both Health and Umami"

CEO Lee: "Will Devote All Efforts to Advancing Korean Cuisine, Including Globalizing 'Low-Sodium Barley Gulbi'"

Lee Tae-seong, CEO of Gwangju Han Haemulhane, a seafood stew specialty restaurant operating in the Gwangju area, won the gold medal at the largest international cooking competition.

[Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Yoon Jamin] A chef running a seafood stew specialty restaurant in the Gwangju area has stood out by winning the gold prize at the largest international cooking competition.

The protagonist is Lee Taeseong, CEO of Gwangju Han Haemul Hane.

CEO Lee recently won the gold prize in the individual category at the ‘2021 Korea International Cooking & Confectionery Competition.’

This competition is the largest single cooking contest in Korea, divided into general, university, and high school divisions, held annually to compete skills and share information for the globalization of Korean cuisine.

CEO Lee submitted three types of mulhoe, a representative summer seafood dish.

Mulhoe is a summer delicacy made by finely chopping raw fish, seaweed, and crustaceans, mixing them with seasonings such as green onions, garlic, gochujang, and doenjang according to regional characteristics, and eating them with a refreshing broth.

He received high praise for using broth made from natural seasonings developed over more than three years of research and ice containing seasonal fruits, capturing both umami and health benefits.

Lee Taeseong, CEO of Gwangju Han Haemulhane, submitted a mulhoe sauce to the cooking competition.

This seems to have been well received as it directly reflected CEO Lee’s usual philosophy that ‘food should be delicious and comfortable for everyone to eat.’

Born in Jido-eup, Sinan-gun, Jeollanam-do, CEO Lee grew up naturally observing foods made with salt and developed a strong interest in salt.

In particular, he was very interested in ‘borigulbi,’ one of Korea’s traditional fermented foods, and to learn low-salt techniques, he met Professor Park Sanghye of Hyejeon University and began studying natural seasonings and salt.

Seven years ago, he opened Han Haemul & Daegae Susan and worked as a Japanese cuisine chef while researching ‘low-salt borigulbi’ in his spare time. He is also in the process of patenting a method to remove fishy odors using low-salt techniques.

In addition to low-salt borigulbi, he was devoted to developing an original mulhoe sauce, which he submitted at this cooking competition and earned the honor of the gold prize.

CEO Lee does not settle for being an ordinary chef running a restaurant but intends to continuously contribute to the development of Korean cuisine.

He said, “Having grown up watching foods made with salt, I naturally became interested in salt, the original natural seasoning of Korea. Using this salt, I will study and research to create low-salt borigulbi that anyone can comfortably eat and globalize it.”

He added, “I am deeply moved by this unexpected great award, and the times I prepared flash through my mind. I also want to thank my wife who shared the difficult times, and I will actively take the lead in promoting Gwangju’s seafood cuisine as a proud small business owner and chef.”

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