A Korean cooking show, Culinary Class Wars has taken Netflix by storm. The show premiered on September 17, 2024 and since then, it has steadily grown its viewership. This show is the first Korean cooking show on Netflix.
As is evident from the name, Culinary Class Wars divides its participants in two classes. These two classes are Black Spoons and White Spoons.
The Black Spoons group features not yet famous chefs of Korea, whereas the White Spoons represent well established ones.
A total of 100 contestants, 80 Black Spoons and 20 White Spoons compete against each other for the ultimate prize money of 300 million Won (about $225,000).
Who are the White Spoons in Culinary Class Wars?
The White Spoons represent the elite class in Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars. This group consists of Korea’s top chefs, including restaurant owners who have their signature dishes.
Some of the White Spoon chefs are
Choi Kang-rok, owner of the restaurant Neo. He specializes in course-meals inspired by Japanese culture.
- Choi Ji-hyung, owner of the restaurant Lee Buk Bang. His specialization lies in North Korean-style course meals.
- Lu Ching Lai, owner of the restaurant Hong Bo Gak. He is a specialist when it comes to Chinese cuisine.
- Joseph Lidgerwood, owner of the restaurant Evett. He is an Australian chef, offering Michelin 1-star Korean cuisine.
- Park Joon-woo, owner of the restaurant Aux Petits Verres. He was the runner-up of MasterChef Korea Season 1. Currently Park Joon-woo owns a dessert cafe.
- Edward Lee, owner of the restaurant 610 Magnolia. He is an award winning American-Korean chef who was invited to the White House in 2023 to cook for a state dinner when South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol visited the US.
Who are the Black Spoons in Culinary Class Wars?
The Black Spoons in Culinary Class Wars is that group of chefs, who, despite being good at what they do, have not yet been as famous as the White Spoons. A number of them own their small restaurants and eateries and have been in the cooking business for years.
The Black Spoons are given different nicknames for their identification. Some of the Black Spoons in the show are Cooking Manic, Side Dish Master, Family Style Meal Mogul, Master of School Meals, Aunty Omakase #1, Comic Book Chef etc.
Who are the judges in Culinary Class Wars?
The 100 chefs competing against each other in Culinary Class Wars are judged by Anh Sung-jae and Paik Jong-won.
While Anh Sung-jae is the head chef at the only Michelin three-star restaurant in South Korea, Paik Jong-won is a celebrity chef and veteran restaurateur.
How does Culinary Class Wars work? Format, Elimination and more
Culinary Class Wars is no ordinary cooking show. Besides the huge number of participants taking part in it, the very format of established and famous chefs going against non-established ones is pretty new.
The 20 White Spoons were given a bye from the get go, however the 80 Black Spoons didn’t receive any such privelege. In the first round, the 80 Black Spoons were asked to cook a signature dish of their own, based on which they would be judged.
This was like a rapid fire round as the judges tasted their dishes immediately and whoever gave an unsatisfactory performance were eliminated on the spot. The ones who passed were sent to the next round, making their place in one among the 20 Black Spoons who would be directly competing with the White Spoons.
However, when one judge was not sure regarding the performance of a Black Spoon, that contestant was put on hold to be judged by the other judge.
In the next round, each White Spoon chef got challenged by a Black Spoon. This round required them to feature a random ingredient in a dish of their choice. These dishes were then tasted by the judges who were blindfolded and fed by spoon.
The creator of the dish that would be approved by the judges will then move onto the next round, while the other chef will get eliminated. This is how the rest of the show will proceed.
The first seven episodes of Culinary Class Wars are available to stream on Netflix.
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