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In September 2024, a Netflix cooking show did something no Korean variety show had ever done: it topped the global charts for three consecutive weeks, turned unknown street chefs into national celebrities overnight, and — quite literally — changed what Koreans eat for dinner.
This is Part 1 of our deep dive into 흑백요리사 (Culinary Class Wars).
What Is Culinary Class Wars?
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| Courtesy of Netflix media.netflix.com |
흑백요리사: 요리 계급 전쟁 (Culinary Class Wars) is a Netflix original Korean cooking competition that launched on September 17, 2024. The concept: 100 chefs enter. Only one wins.
The 100 chefs are divided into two groups: 20 "White Spoons" (백수저) — elite chefs with Michelin stars, major awards, and fame — and 80 "Black Spoons" (흑수저) — unknown chefs from neighborhood restaurants, school cafeterias, or YouTube channels.
The terms 백수저 and 흑수저 are loaded words in Korea. They come from "born with a silver spoon" — 금수저 (gold spoon) means born rich, 흙수저 (dirt spoon) means born poor. The show weaponizes this class metaphor: can a nobody beat a master chef when you can only judge by taste?
The Judges: Two Philosophies, One Blindfold
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| Screenshot from Netflix Korea YouTube |
Baek Jongwon (백종원) is Korea's most famous food entrepreneur — owner of 30+ restaurant chains. His rule: "I judge only by taste." He represents the Black Spoon world: accessible, affordable, delicious food.
Ahn Sungjae (안성재) is Korea's only three-Michelin-star chef, running Mosu Seoul. His rule: "Taste is assumed — I'm looking for intention. Did the chef achieve what they set out to do?" He represents the White Spoon world: precision, artistry, conceptual cooking.
Both judges taste every dish blindfolded. No reputation. No fancy plating bias. Just flavor. Baek giving 97 points while Ahn gives 82 on the same dish — both with compelling reasons — became one of the show's signature moments. In a country obsessed with hierarchy, blind judging was revolutionary television.
The Characters Who Became Legends
Napoli Matfia (나폴리 맛피아) — The Champion
Real name: Kwon Seongjun (권성준). An unknown Italian cuisine chef who entered as a Black Spoon and dominated the entire competition. His chestnut tiramisu in the comeback round became iconic. His declaration — "No one can beat me in this mission" — went viral. After the finale, 110,000 people tried to reserve a table at his restaurant.
His winner's quote: "I will continue to be a chef who just goes back and forth between home and the kitchen." No celebrity ambitions. Just cooking. Korea loved him for it.
Edward Lee (에드워드 리) — The Heart
A Korean American chef from Louisville, Kentucky. He entered as a White Spoon but won fans through vulnerability. His Korean was imperfect. His ingredient knowledge sometimes lagged. But his connection to Korean food as a bridge between his American and Korean identities moved viewers to tears.
In the finale, presenting his final dish: "I have an American name, Edward. But I also have a Korean name — 이균. This dish was made by Lee Kyun." And then: "Edward drinks whiskey. But Lee Kyun drinks makgeolli." Many consider him the true protagonist of Season 1.
Choi Hyunseok (최현석) — The Strategist
Korea's most recognizable celebrity chef and TV veteran. He brought business strategy to a cooking competition — sourcing luxury ingredients through industry connections, creating dishes no competitor could match at the price point. His quote: "In the kitchen, there's something more important than the chef: the ingredients."
Yeokgyeongnae (여경래) — The Grand Master
A legendary Chinese cuisine master. One of the oldest competitors, he reminded viewers that every master was once a nobody: "I too started as an iron-bag chef." And when eliminated: "My knife has not rusted." — a line that became even more iconic in the Japanese dub.
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| Photo by Eyey / The Korea They Didn't Subtitle |
Bibim Daewang (비빔대왕) — The Meme King
A bibimbap specialist from Jeonju who performed a musical "bibim" chant with judge Baek Jongwon — a moment of pure joy — only to be immediately eliminated for making his dish too salty. The whiplash was peak Korean variety. The "bibim symphony" became one of 2024's biggest memes.
The Memes That Took Over Korea
No Korean cultural phenomenon is complete without memes, and Culinary Class Wars delivered generously.
"Gojo Baek Jongwon" — Baek's blindfolded judging looked like the anime character Gojo Satoru from Jujutsu Kaisen (ending at the same time). The crossover memes were unstoppable.
"Even-하게" — Ahn Sungjae's critique "The meat wasn't cooked evenly" — using the English word "even" mid-Korean sentence — became one of 2024's most quoted lines. Netflix Korea even used it in official video titles.
The Baek Jongwon restaurant troll — People posted photos from his chain restaurants (Paik's Coffee, Hong Kong Banjum) captioned "Visited a Culinary Class Wars contestant's restaurant." Technically true. Hilariously deflating.
The Global Numbers
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| The Korea They Didn't Subtitle · koreanotsubtitled.blogspot.com · @koreanotsubtitled |
The show topped Netflix's Global Top 10 non-English TV for three consecutive weeks — a first for any Korean variety show. Total viewing time reached 180.7 million hours across 28 countries. IMDb rating: 8.5/10. It won the Grand Prize (Daesang) at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards, Korean entertainment's highest honor.
Restaurant booking platform Catch Table reported search volume for competing chefs increased 74 times. Reservation rates jumped 148%. Forbes called it "more than a contest about fancy plating — it's about whose version of great food matters." CNBC documented the "Culinary Class Wars effect" on Korean food tourism, with Korea's Ministry of Culture incorporating food tourism into its 2026 national strategy.
Western anime fans called it "real-life Food Wars." Japanese viewers fell in love with the dubbed version, calling it "a cooking anime that happens to be real."
What Subtitles Miss
The weight of the 수저 metaphor in a society acutely aware of class. The tension when a Black Spoon beats a Michelin-starred White Spoon blind — and the studio erupts not in surprise but in something closer to justice. The way Baek tears up tasting school lunch food. The quiet devastation when a master says "My knife has not rusted."
This isn't a cooking show. It's a show about Korea — about who gets seen, who gets to succeed, and whether talent alone can overcome the system.
That's the Korea they didn't subtitle.
🎭 This is Part 1 of our Culinary Class Wars series.
📖 Next: From Culinary Class Wars to Please Take Care of My Refrigerator: Korea's Chef Universe Explained — how the show spawned a TV cooking renaissance, the Son Jongwon phenomenon, and what Season 2 & 3 mean for Korean food culture.
📺 Watch: Culinary Class Wars Season 1 & 2 on Netflix (English subtitles available)
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