 |
| ▲ Baek Jong-won (L), Korea's widely published culinary expert and CEO of The Born Korea, poses for photos with Ahn Sung-jae, Korea's only Michelin 3-star chef, at the media conference for Netflix' culinary reality show "Culinary Class War," held in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2024. (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Sept. 11 (Yonhap) -- What happens when a local restaurant owner goes head-to-head with a Michelin-starred chef in a culinary battle? This question will be answered by the upcoming Netflix cooking competition show "Culinary Class War," which will be unveiled on the 17th.
The show features 100 chefs, both unknown and renowned, fiercely competing for culinary pride.
The premise pits lesser-known chefs, referred to as "Black Spoon" chefs, who have honed their skills without formal training, against top-tier "Silver Spoon" chefs in Korea. Baek Jong-won, the famous culinary mentor and CEO of The Born Korea, will judge alongside Ahn Sung-jae, Korea's only Michelin 3-star chef.
At a press conference held on the 11th, Baek Jong-won expressed confidence, saying, "A new chapter in Korean cuisine will be written." He added, "I travel abroad frequently and have noticed a growing interest in Korean food. With this Netflix show highlighting Korean cuisine, I thought it would contribute to the growth of Korea’s food industry."
Baek mentioned how many foreigners, who often encounter Korean food through dramas, assume Koreans mainly eat kimbap and ramen. "I wanted to showcase the diversity of Korean food," he said, emphasizing dishes that reflect Korea’s regional flavors and seasons. He hopes the show inspires foreigners to try Korean cuisine and brings more international attention to Korean food culture.
 |
| ▲ Baek Jong-won (C), Korea's widely published culinary expert and CEO of The Born Korea, and Ahn Sung-jae (2nd from L), Korea's only Michelin 3-star chef, attend the media conference for Netflix' culinary reality show "Culinary Class War," held in Seoul on Sept. 11, 2024. (Yonhap) |
The show will feature 100 chefs, including Korea’s first Michelin 1-star head chef, the winner of MasterChef Korea, the nation’s 16th Master Craftsman of Cooking, and a two-time champion of one of the world’s top three culinary competitions. Together, they will present a total of 254 recipes.
Baek admitted initial skepticism about the show's concept, noting the challenges of a cooking competition with 100 participants, but praised Netflix for pulling it off. He also shared that disagreements between the two judges were common, requiring intense discussions to reach fair decisions.
Chef Ahn Sung-jae, who co-judges with Baek, noted, "We come from different culinary backgrounds, so our perspectives were bound to clash. While emotional exchanges did happen, we worked hard to make the right calls."
Director Kim Eun-ji teased viewers with the show's grand scale and unique challenges. "We built a 1,000-pyeong set and created a system where 40 chefs could cook at once. The 'class war' element is what sets this show apart from other cooking competitions."
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
