“Culinary Class Wars” Ahn Sung-jae “I wasn’t excited about eliminating Choi Hyun-seok, it’s unfair”
“Culinary Class Wars” is a Netflix original variety program featuring cooking battles between 20 famous chefs (“White Spoon”) and 80 underground masters (“Black Spoon”). The show gained immense popularity, ranking No.1 in Netflix’s global top 10 for non-English TV series in its first week.
When asked if he expected this success, Ahn Sung-jae said, “I didn’t foresee or aim for this kind of boom from the start. However, as I looked around my chef colleagues and the business, I felt there was a need for a new type of energy.”
Ahn Sung-jae emphasized the importance of chefs showing their pride and determination in their work, rather than just providing laughs. He said, “I wanted a program that could help the restaurant industry by showcasing the raw, unfiltered aspects of chefs. I’m thankful the production team understood and accepted my ideas.”
Ahn Sung-jae also explained why he asked chefs about their intentions behind their dishes, “Everyone probably brought their best skills, so of course, the food had to taste good. I asked about their intentions to add another layer of distinction.”
He further stated, “Even though I’m an expert, it’s dangerous to believe my evaluation is absolute. If I judged the dishes based on just one bite without understanding the chef’s intention, I wouldn’t be giving them a fair chance. Chefs are people who turn their imaginative concepts into a final product, so asking about their intentions felt natural to me.”
When asked if he had seen the memes created from his appearance on “Culinary Class Wars”, Ahn Sung-jae said, “I couldn’t avoid seeing them since people kept sending them to me. But I was suspicious—what are they trying to say?“
The editor then asked about a meme portraying Ahn Sung-jae as excited to eliminate Choi Hyun-seok. Ahn Sung-jae responded, “That’s the most unfair part. I really didn’t act that way with that intention. My comments about the food were actually affectionate remarks about the diverse flavors. There was even a photo of me smiling while looking at Chef Choi Hyun-seok’s back, which was simply me admiring his dedication and thinking, ‘Wow, he’s amazing.’ But people took it differently.”
Source: Daum
