“Culinary Class Wars”, which first aired in September, brings together chefs, who are skilled yet under-the-radar, to challenge elite star chefs in a fierce culinary competition. Even after the season ended, the show has kept its buzz.
Chefs like Napoli Mafia’s Kwon Seong-jun, the winner of the competition, have seen a surge in restaurant reservations. Kwon Seong-jun not only won the 300 million won (approx 225,000 USD) grand prize, but the popularity of his restaurant caused his reservation app to crash under demand from over 100,000 users.
Other chefs like Yoon Nam-no, Im Tae-hoon, and David Lee are now set to join Baek Jong-won’s new variety show, “Baek Jong-won’s Les Misérables”, on ENA. Judge Ahn Sung-jae, now a sought-after event figure, has seen record attendance at his gourmet events, and “Culinary Class Wars” star chef Choi Hyun-seok’s restaurant was recently included in France’s prestigious “La Liste 2025”.
Yet, while some chefs soar to success, others have found themselves embroiled in controversy. Former “Korean Food Battle” winner and now “Culinary Class Wars” chef Lee Young-sook has been accused of failing to repay a 100 million won (aprrox 75,000 USD) loan from 2010, even after a court ruling. It was revealed she allegedly continued to avoid repayment following the creditor’s passing.
On October 30, further allegations surfaced against Triple Star chef Kang Seung-won. According to Dispatch, his ex-wife and a former girlfriend have accused him of personal misconduct, lobbying for Michelin recognition, and verbal abuse. The most shocking revelation came from an alleged letter of remorse, where he described secretly watching a female guest via CCTV in a dark warehouse and coercing a partner into meeting other men for his personal gain.
Source: Daum
