After winning the third place of the Western Dessert Group in the Southern District Skills Competition in April this year, Bai-Cheng Ren from the Department of Hospitality Management, STUST, did not take any comfort. Instead, he spent the entire summer vacation stepping up his pace in practice. He won the silver medal of Pâtissenrie and Confectionery in the 50th National Skills Competition and advanced to the National Championship to be held in October.

[Chocolate craftwork "Century Wedding" completed by Bai-Cheng Ren from the Department of Hospitality Management, STUST]

The theme of Bai-Cheng Ren’s work in this competition is wedding. He follows the process of a wedding and matches the parts of his work with each procedure. First, he starts with marzipan, which represents happiness. Then he uses chocolate to make wedding props, such as crackers and flower baskets. There are bow gift boxes to present the joyful atmosphere of the wedding preparation. Then, in making the big cake, he presents a beautifully looking carriage carrying the bride. The filling of the cake is made of Fernance with apple filling and passion lemon filling. Coupled with coffee, wine, syrup and crisps, the bride’s shyness and expectation are presented with a taste. The last chocolate craft is named “Century Wedding,” using memories of the new marriage and the groom holding the bride as a performance, fully expressing love and blessings.

[Chocolate craftwork "Made in Heaven" by Yu-Juan Chang from the Department of Hospitality Management, STUST]

In addition, Yu-Juan Chang, a sophomore student of STUST who won a silver medal in the national competition last year, had a better performance this year, winning the qualification for the National Competition to be held in October. Yu-Juan Chang presented a love story in the mythology of ancient Roman with her chocolate craftwork—"Made in Heaven." The loving bride is holding a bouquet and is ready to pass on this joy. The groom in the lines is passing on the love to the bride as the passion is expressed in the work.

[The team members from the Department of Hospitality Management, STUST (from left to right): Ting-Deng Su, Chair Mei-Lan Lin, Bai-Cheng Ren, Yu-Juan Chang, and Prof. Zheng-Sheng Lin]

Assistant Professor Zheng-Sheng Lin, Advisor of the team this time, said that he joined the baking team of STUST in August this year. He took on this difficult task when he entered STUST, so he was very worried. The competition schedule was complicated and lengthy, which was a big challenge not only for students but also for teachers. Prof. Lin, who has always been the executive chef of Pâtissenrie and Confectionery in a five-star hotel, has considerable industry experience and his own unique insights into Pâtissenrie and Confectionery. However, he was still cautious in the face of the National Skill Competition. It is obvious that this competition is a very difficult challenge for both students and the industry.

Mei-Lan Lin, Chair of the Department of s Hospitality Department, STUST, said that the Department has made every effort to help students participate in various competitions with the resources and strength of the whole department. During the preparation for this competition, the department, supported by the virtual currency "South Taiwan Dollar" developed by the College of Business and Management, organized an exchange activity of pastry products. Because the students’ works were quite exquisite, they were well received. Both Bai-Cheng Ren and Yu-Juan Chang said that they received a lot of good opinions and inspirations from the feedback questionnaire of the exchange activity. They expressed their gratitude to the teachers in the department for their help and to students who gave them a lot of feedback.