High school student wins top skill award for baking
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Lee Seung-ha
By Kim Rahn
It is the charm of baking that such a common and simple ingredient as flour can satisfy people’s palate and heart, says Lee Seung-ha, a high school student who has won the top prize in a skills contest.
Lee, 19, a senior at Yeosu Information Science High School in Yeosu, South Jeolla Province, won the President’s Award in the baking section at the National Skills Competition in Ulsan from Oct. 5-12.
The win comes only three years after Lee began baking when she entered high school and chose a cooking major.
“Even before choosing the major, I used to be interested in baking, partly because I’ve seen fancy decorations and various foods through my parents who are engaged in the wedding business,” she said.
Lee said she was also attracted by sugar craft and small cakes.
For several weeks before the competition, Lee practiced for more than 12 hours a day to prevent mistakes, because she failed in last year’s competition with a sugar craft error.
This year, she made a flying Pegasus with sugar, drawing praise from judges and the audience.
“From the lesson of last year’s mistake, I tried harder this time, and this may have made me win,” she said. “I tried not to lose concentration during the three-day competition.”
With this win, she obtained the right to participate in a contest to select national team members for the World Skills Competition in the United Arab Emirates in 2017.
“I’ll enter the contest as an adult then,” Lee said. “I’ll practice more to become a national team member and show my ability.”