Lotte Hotel Chef Awarded 'Korea Master Craftsman' and 'Presidential Citation'

Chef Cheon Deok-sang of Lotte Hotel World, who received an award at the '26th Vocational Competency Month Ceremony' held on the 1st.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeon Jinyoung] Lotte Hotel announced on the 4th that Chef Cheon Deok-sang of Lotte Hotel World and Chef Shim Dong-wook of Signiel Seoul Stay were honored with the titles of Master Craftsman of Korea and the Presidential Citation, respectively. They received these awards at the ‘26th Vocational Competency Month Ceremony’ held on the 1st by the Ministry of Employment and Labor and the Human Resources Development Service of Korea.

The Master Craftsman of Korea is a qualification awarded to the highest skilled technicians among industry workers with more than 15 years of experience. Among the total of 15 Master Craftsmen in the culinary field to date, 5 are from Lotte Hotel. Currently, Lotte Hotel has two Master Craftsmen, including Executive Chef Kim Song-gi and Chef Cheon.

Chef Cheon, who earned the fifth Master Craftsman title among Lotte Hotel chefs, has worked at Lotte Hotel for 35 years since 1988, making significant achievements in the development and globalization of Korean cuisine. He was in charge of Korean cuisine at historic national events such as the Korea-China-Japan Summit, the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, and Pope Francis’s visit to Korea, showcasing the finest dishes. He has also researched and developed standardized Korean recipes to maintain taste and tradition.

From 2018 to 2020, he served as the head Korean cuisine chef at Mugunghwa, Lotte Hotel Myanmar’s first overseas branch, educating local Myanmar people on cooking methods and presenting Korean menus using local ingredients.

Chef Cheon said, “I feel even more meaningful and honored as I think this is the result of the time and effort devoted to the globalization of Korean cuisine,” adding, “I will strive to develop recipes using Korea’s unique flavors and regional ingredients and contribute to nurturing culinary professionals.”

Chef Shim was the only culinary awardee among the medal and citation recipients, highly recognized for his contributions to the advancement of cooking skills, food culture, and encouragement of skill development. At Pierre Gagnaire Seoul of Lotte Hotel Seoul and Stay of Signiel Seoul, he learned the secrets of world-renowned master chefs and developed original menus and sauces, working to diversify domestic food culture.

Chef Shim said, “I will do my best to develop new fusion dishes by combining Western cuisine, including French, with Korean cuisine, and to develop healthy foods using domestic ingredients.”

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