Meet Netflix's 'Culinary Class Wars' Chefs & Where To Find Their Restaurants

The latest K-reality show that has had us glued to our screens: Culinary Class Wars.

Consider it Netflix's culinary spin on Physical:100, with the show also kicking off with 100 contestants. But here's the twist: The contestants are split into 20 White Spoon chefs who are the creme de la creme in South Korea's culinary scene, and 80 Black Spoons, considered the lesser-known talent. The two teams duke it out in a bid to be the last chef standing and win 300 million KRW (approx. S$291,383).

From Michelin-starred chefs to experts in Chinese cuisine and Italian cuisine, here's what to know about the cast of Culinary Class Wars, and the dining outfits they helm. With the show's success, though, it looks to be a challenge to book any tables.

SPOILER ALERT! The winner of the show is revealed below.

1. Ahn Sung-Jae (Judge)

One of the two judges on the show, Ahn Sung-jae is the owner of Mosu, South Korea's only restaurant to have been awarded three Michelin stars. The 42-year-old father of two grew up in California and honed his skills at renowned establishments like Urasawa and The French Laundry. He then opened Mosu in San Francisco in 2015, which received a Michelin star within its first year. Later on, he moved back to Seoul and opened Mosu in Itaewon, which was awarded three Michelin stars for its innovative take on Korean cuisine. Mosu Seoul is temporarily on a hiatus due to a partnership change but is slated to reopen in 2025. In the meantime, you can try Anh's food at Mosu Hongkong, which opened in 2022.

Instagram: @sungmosu

2. Paik Jong Won (Judge)

This veteran restauranteur is a household name in Korea and helms a Korean food empire with over 2,000 restaurants. He also has food products (a contestant used one of his food products during a convenience store challenge) and several TV shows under his belt. In fact, you'll find his brands in Singapore too — Paik's Noodle, Paik's Bibim and Paik's Coffee.

Instagram: @paikscuisine_official

3. 'Napoli Matfia' Kwon Sung-joon

A Black Spoon contestant and known throughout the show as 'Napoli Matfia', Kwon Sung-joon emerged as the winner of the show, narrowly edging out Edward Lee in the finals with a lamb and pasta dish that won praises from both judges.

The 29-year-old is the chef-owner of Via Toledo Pasta Bar. He earned his chops in a two-Michelin-star restaurant, Dani Maison, near Naples in Italy, and focuses on Italian food with Korean influences.

Instagram: @napolimatfia

4. Edward Lee

Wowing judges and the audience alike with his creative dishes, Korean-American 'White Spoon' contestant is a celebrity chef, author and restaurateur who has made numerous TV appearances, including as a judge on Gordon Ramsay's Culinary Genius and as the winner of Iron Chef: America. In 2023, the 52-year-old also served as a visiting chef for the White House State Dinner.

The nine-time James Beard Award nominee currently owns various restaurants in the US including 610 Magnolia, Succotash Prime, and Nami Restaurant.

Instagram: @chefedwardlee

5. Choi Hyun-seok

Considered one of the top chefs in Culinary Class Wars and South Korea, Choi Hyun-seok is also well-known as a TV personality, rising to fame as a regular cast member on variety programme Please Take Care of My Refrigerator in 2014. He currently helms Korean-European restaurant Choi Dot, and serves as a chef at Chinese restaurant Central Reducer as well as vegan restaurant Dahlia Dining in South Korea.

Instagram: @crazypenne

6. Jung Ji-sun

Jung specialises in Chinese cuisine and is known 'Queen of Dimsum', and aptly so, given that her shrimp dim sum was a hot favourite of the mukbang content creators invited as judges for a team challenge. A protege of famed Chinese master chef Yeon Bok Lee, she's the owner of Tian Mi Mi, which has two outlets, and focuses on Sichuan cuisine and dim sum.

Instagram: @chef_jisunjoung

7. 'Triple Star' Scott Kang Seung-won

Impressing with his technical finesse and billed by other contestants as one of the chefs to win the competition, Triple Star, whose real name is Scott Kang Seung-won, previously worked under judge Ahn Sung-jae at Mosu as a sous-chef. Now he heads the contemporary fine-dining restaurant Trid in Seoul's Gangnam district, which has appeared in the Michelin Guide numerous times.

Instagram: @scottiey_

8. 'Auntie Omakase' Lee Mi-ryeong

Black Spoon chef Auntie Omakase made her entrance in a Korean hanbok, which suits her style perfectly as she's known for elaborate homestyle meals with seasonal ingredients. The chef, whose name is Lee Mi-ryeong, runs two restaurants: Andongjip Son Kalguksi, where her signature guksu (noodles) is offered for $6, and Joyful Drinking Table (Jeulgeoun Sulsang), which features a Korean omakase experience. At Joyful Drinking Table, diners enjoy about 40 small plates over two hours for 50,000 won (approx. $48.50).

9. 'Cooking Maniac' Yoon Nam No

This passionate chef is no stranger to competition cooking shows, having been a contestant on MasterChef Korea Season 4. Off-camera, he’s worked at Bennelong, the iconic restaurant at the Sydney Opera House, and now leads the kitchen at Deepin, a natural wine bar and restaurant in Seoul.

Instagram: @ynncook

10. Jang Ho-joon

One of the White Spoons, Japanese cuisine is chef Jang Ho-joon's specialty. He is the CEO of Negi, a food and beverage company that runs seven restaurants ranging from casual eateries to Japanese fine-dining cuisine. Establishments he owns include upscale Japanese restaurant Negi Live, Negi Sukiyaki, fishcake bar Modern Odeng, and Cavistry, a caviar, tapas and pincho bar.

He recently also started his own YouTube channel.

Instagram: @fly.johoon

11. Comic Book Chef (Cho Kwang-hyo)

This self-taught chef's journey started with a pot of tteokbokki. Inspired by the various dishes in the comic books he’d read, the chef would re-create them at the comic book shop he used to co-run. In fact, he recreated some of them in the show too. Needless to say, the judges were impressed.

Outside of the show, he's the chef-owner of Cho Kwang 101, an experimental Asian tapas bar and Cho Kwang 201, both located in Seoul's Songpa district.

Instagram: @cho__kwang

12. 'Master of School Meals' Lee Mi-young

Prior to the show, regular folks probably wouldn't have the chance to taste the food by Lee Mi-young aka the Master of School Meals unless they were students at the elementary school where she served as head cook. Impressively, she climbed into the top 15, surpassing many renowned chefs. But in a recent Instagram post, she shared that she'd left the elementary school, and is ready to start a new chapter in her life. Would that be a new establishment of her own? We're keeping our hopes up.

Instagram: @schoolfood_chef

All episodes of Culinary Class Wars are now on Netflix.