Netflix is Cooking Up a Storm with ‘Culinary Class Wars’

What’s that smell? The fragrant scent of Netflix’s first-ever Korean culinary reality show.

Despite this show's poor marketing and social presence before its launch, it has risen to extreme popularity in several counties in the past 2-3 weeks. If you wonder if the 12 episodes are worth the binge, the answer is a resounding YES!

It is a South Korean production show centered around 100 chefs battling it out in the hottest kitchen on Netflix. While the premise seems similar to another show on Netflix also based in South Korea by the name of ‘Physical 100’, the show ‘Culinary Class Wars’ introduces a new dramatic concept I have not yet seen: a class division between the renowned chefs and unknown chefs.

The renowned chefs are classified as “White Spoons” with accomplishments such as Michelin stars, winners of competition shows, and more. On the other hand, the unknown chefs known as “Black Spoons” have a very wide variety from homemade chefs inspired by mangas, YouTube cooking experts, Michelin stars, and more.

Here is what makes this show extra spicy: there are only 20 renowned chefs of whom you know their full name. To have the privilege of battling the white spoons in this competition, you must first compete among the other 80 unknown chefs to make the top 20 spots. These unknown chefs are not to be called by their real name and are given interesting nicknames such as “Napoli Matfia”, “Cooking Mania”, “Comic Book Chef”, and “Triple Star” among a few until the finals.

This entire competition is a great balanced show as you find yourself rooting for both sides. With the Black Spoons, you admire their underdog spirit and passion to prove their worth. On the other hand, you can’t help but appreciate the dedication and skills the White Spoons accumulate with their years of experience to realize there is a reason they are renowned. Age and Culinary Cuisine also means nothing in this sizzling war as we see classics being taken on by youngsters and contemporary spins on Korean food with a Western flare.

Netflix stuck to a different formula by releasing several weekly episodes to keep viewers entertained. The editors made sure each pairing of releases kept fans entertained enough to come back the following week while still finding the perfect balance of knowing when to cut off the episodes. The challenges were new and interesting as someone who has watched several seasons of Iron Chef, Master Chef, The Great British Bake Off, and more.

The best show-off, however, is between the two judges pictured above: Baek Jong Won and Anh Sung Jae. If you frequently watch any Korean variety show or eat Korean food, Baek Jong Won should be a very familiar face. He is often called Korea’s Gordon Ramsey, owning over 100 restaurants, featuring in several cooking shows, and judging many competitions. When I went to Korea last year, his face was plastered on every major street. Anh Sung Jae, however, was unfamiliar to me. It seemed the premise of this show was evident in the judges as well. Contrary to what you might think, Anh Sung Jae showed himself to be merciless in the first few rounds of Black Spoon Cookoff as he is the only Korean chef to have 3 Michelin Stars.

Baek Jong Won and Anh Sung Jae bring so much complexity and heart into judging this competition that it is very entertaining for viewers to watch. They also rarely agree on a dish highlighting the differences in judging criteria and preference. Oddly, I find myself agreeing with both of them and wanting a bite out of the screen.

This show has garnered so much attention that these unknown chefs are better known now for their show nickname and have their restaurant reservations fully booked for the end of this year!

Some of the favorites to come out of this show:

Triple Star

Kang Seung-won or Scott Kang is the most popular chef with reservations at his restaurant “Trid” in Gangnam, Seoul fully booked.

With his leadership and impressive fine-dining skills, it is no wonder he was a top contender for many contestants to make it to the finals.

Edward Lee

Chef Lee is a fan-favorite as he truly captured viewer’s hearts with his inspiration story being a Korean-American Iron Chef.

Edward pushed limits and showed his expertise in flavor and texture through every challenge while remaining very calm and adorable.