Culinary Class Wars - Sfida agli Chef (2024)

"Are they Squid Gaming us?"

Culinary Class Wars managed to highlight the Korean culinary world’s hierarchy without being mean spirited even with layers of ambition and main courses of egos served piled high. Chefs and judges Baek Jong Won and Anh Sung Jae were the ring masters who declared who stayed and who went home in this high stakes cooking competition.

Eighty chefs, many self-taught or working as street vendors or in average restaurants came to take on 20 professional fine dining chefs for a prize worth 3 million won/215,000 (USD). The chefs on the lower rung of the hierarchy were titled Black Spoons and only given nicknames. The professional chefs were given the title of White Spoons and their real names were used. Only 20 Black Spoons would move on to the next level after the first challenge. After the winnowing, Black Spoons went head-to-head against the White Spoons in ever demanding challenges.

My favorite challenge was the Blindfolded Challenge. I’ve seen too many cooking shows where the established chef is treated deferentially and preferentially. The Pros freaked out when their advantage diminished. With only their senses and not their sight, Baek and Anh had to determine which dish tasted best. For this alone, I gave the show a .5 bump. The Infinite Cooking Hell mission would be my second favorite as the chefs had to utilize the blandest ingredient I can think of in numerous dishes. Honestly, I would have preferred for this to have been the semi-final with ALL of the remaining chefs participating to see what they were truly made of. The final by comparison was a limp noodle and anti-climactic. At least have them make a three-course meal to demonstrate a range of skills.

If I have any other quibbles, it would be with the editing. The class wars took place there as well. The Black Spoons also had a hierarchy. Two of the female contestants I was invested in, had much shorter screen time than most of the male BSs. It wasn’t difficult to determine who would be the finalists due to the editing as some chefs were barely shown.* There were also a couple of conflict of interests, including using Baek’s products in one challenge. The Professional Chinese chef’s protégé was given several second chances which wasn’t a good look. The maneuvering to keep some contestants and the ratio of White Spoons vs Black Spoons even was over obvious. Also, thirty minutes to do the introductions in the first episode was overkill. I’d rather watch them cook.

The culinary social statuses were clearly delineated. Early on the White Spoons may have admired some of the cooking techniques they observed by the Black Spoons, but often acted superior as if their skills were untouchable. After all, many of them were award winning, well established, famous, and far removed from prepping the highest quality ingredients for the meals served in their restaurants. The Black Spoons were mostly chefs fighting for recognition and validation, true hustlers innovating with the ingredients available to them. I will nearly always root for the underdog, and cheered each time a BS took down a WS, even more so when the WS had a shocked look as they tried to process losing. My heart broke for one Black Spoon who beat a White Spoon and was so overcome he pulled a peasant in a Sageuk and kneeled head to the floor in respect and was never acknowledged by the old dude.

The White Spoons had only their egos on the line. At first, they didn’t seem too worried about the rookies. As the WSs began to hit the floor it became obvious the BSs had nothing to lose and were playing for keeps. They weren’t just fighting for prize money, they were fighting for recognition and to show they were worthy of respect. The biggest exception I had to the White Spoons was Edward Lee. He embodied not only a competitive spirit but also a humility unusual for someone skilled in discovering unique and clever flavors and presentations. I’m still a little salty that one of his dishes was significantly downgraded over his name for the dish and not the flavor. Now that is culinary elitism at its best.

Many of the Black Spoons knew their chances of winning were slim, but they still persevered to prove themselves to others and to themselves. Despite working in what would appear to be basic places with whatever ingredients they could afford, they took pride in their food and desired recognition. Often judged for their lack of fine dining skills, they still prepared delicious food. I’m okay with the winner though the result felt too scripted, a common drawback in most cooking competitions. I was just relieved they didn’t turn it into a Game of Thrones or Squid Games to make the show more dramatic. Watching chefs work to create delicious and memorable dishes was thrilling and entertaining enough.

"Once you start walking you have to go all the way through to the end." Edward Lee

16 November 2024
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#JusticeforTheLunchLady! I hated that her head-to-head competition with a White Spoon was barely shown. This was the biggest upset of that challenge for me! She survived several rounds and had very little screen time. She and Hanbok Auntie punched above their weight throughout the competition.

I did love the Italian chef's response when he lost, "Fabri always stays positive" while holding up finger hearts. And classy! I knew he was screwed when their ingredient to work with was skate.

While her attitude could sometimes grate, I had to admire Jung Ji Seon for her tenacity to become a famous chef in a profession often ruled by men.

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The Best Cooking Show of All Time!

I’ve watched many cooking competitions, but Culinary Class War is in a league of its own. This show has everything I could ask for: talented chefs, intense cooking battles, innovative ideas, and authentic Korean cuisine that makes you want to hop into the kitchen yourself!

The format of the show is fresh and exciting. From the challenging missions to the unexpected twists, each episode kept me on the edge of my seat. The chemistry between the judges and the contestants is spot-on, and I appreciate how they respect and celebrate the art of cooking. The show truly captures the essence of Korean cuisine and presents it in a way that feels both traditional and modern.

The chefs featured on Culinary Class War are incredibly skilled and passionate, and watching them create masterpiece dishes under pressure is absolutely thrilling. The judges’ critiques are insightful and balanced, highlighting both the strengths and areas for improvement without being harsh.

Overall, this show sets a new standard for culinary competitions. It’s more than just a cooking show—it’s a celebration of food, culture, and creativity. Culinary Class War isn’t just about who wins; it’s about the journey, the learning, and the appreciation of good food.

If you love cooking competitions or want to see Korean cuisine in all its glory, I highly recommend Culinary Class War. It’s a must-watch!

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Best Cooking Show of 2024 on Netflix

Dang, Chef Edward made me teary eyed. Even if he didn’t win, he fought a good fight and earned my respect as a chef. Emerging as the top White Spoon chef is already an amazing achievement. To me, his demeanor is very down to earth and sincere when he cooks. His KFC creation using the tofu was 🤯

It makes sense to me that they’d choose a Black Spoon as a winner through Chef Napoli Matfia. It will give inspiration to aspiring chefs to go for their dreams rather than letting another White Spoon (a Korean-American at that sadly). Still, I love Chef Edward and I became a fan! If Tofu Hell was the final challenge, I think Chef Edward will win against Napoli Matfia.

This was a great show but I hope they tweak the number of judges to an odd number to break ties. I love another judge addition, Chef Paik and Ahn had a tough job judging. Won’t mind if Chef Edward returns as an additional judge next season. Please bring him back in!

Bring it on Season 2, an easy 4/5 stars for S1. My wishes:

1. Odd number of judges, make it 3 to break ties.
2. Tweak the restaurant challenge as it was unfair to the fourth team that was formed. Less manpower and time.
3. Cooking Hell challenges best for Final 2.

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A new form of delightful torture when you are watching it hungry

I'm in overall very satisfied by this new competition cooking show launched by Netflix. It is a bit reminiscent as some of their other survival shows (such as Physical 100 with one hundred contestants competing). Here, it is similar principle: 100 individuals (mostly all skilled-professionals active in restauration field / highly respected chefs and so on..) are competing with each other through various cooking challenges.

The food is really appetizing, the candidates have pretty varied skills and cooking styles and there are enough variety in the challenges they do to not bore the viewers. In addition to having a good cast, the editing style of Netflix as well as the way they often finish their episodes on a cliffhanger make it an highly bingeable TV show. The pacing of the competition is really nice and tight with the format being a breath of fresh air from the usual cooking shows.

I would recommend this to people that are looking for a refreshing take on competition / survival cooking show. The food is simply mouthwatering so be careful to have some food at home when you watch it (or be prepared to be delightfully tortured). I hope they make a season 2 with hopefully some new ideas to keep the concept interesting without repetition.

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one of the best cooking showdowns - came for Triple Star, stayed for the addictive format!

As a foodie + amateur cook, I adore culinary reality shows, especially MasterChef. But lately, they’re all about sob stories and unnecessary cursing—just cook and crown a winner already! While Scott Kang drew me in with his looks and talent (thank you, social media) - it is the format of the show that made be stick. Was planning to see only Triple Star's parts and skip the rest, but Korean show-makers really know how to deliver a crisp, thrilling show with really intense cliffhangers. I mean really when those challenges ended at a cliffhanger and the beats of ending credits rolled in - I was like ARGGGHHH no I NEED to watch the next episode - who won and who was eliminated!

Though am not going to deny the fact that most of it is scripted and I was not really thrilled with the winner (he kind of had a cocky attitude from day 1 and the way he survived in last 8 made it pretty straightforward that they all knew the winner then and there). Still it was great to see - all the chef, their amazing work and some backstories!

The rating on MDL is for drama/movies as ACTING here would mean something else, so this is what I mean with my ratings:
1) Story = Format of the Reality Show: Was it thrilling, exciting and stuck to focus of cooking!
2) Acting = Talent of the Chefs, and Rating Mechanism by Judges, their Comments etc
Rest are as the word suggests.

Overall: Recommend watching this - as a way to pass time, and especially if you do like reality shows!

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❤️Special Mention - My Favorite Chefs & Why ❤️
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1) Triple Star (should have been the winner, but I guess it would have been obvious then too)
2) Chef Cooking Maniac - what a cutie, and his backstory really echoed on a personal level. #appearences-are-not-everything
3) Chef Edward Lee - what a genius! Made some of the most ingenious dishes.
4) Chef Choi Hyun-seok - love his salt theatrics before this show, and here what a cunning and winning mindset he had. I think he shocked himself with his own result in the survivor challenge. Or it was scripted.
5) Chef Jung Ji Sun - I think want to see more of her - loved every dish she made, especially dimsums. No wonder she is called the Queen of DimSums!

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THE cooking show

Chef Edward absolutely moved me. Every dish he made contained so much creativity and flavors that made me root for him. Such a shame he got 2nd place…
Triple Star. Just his name gives me chills, I payed almost no attention to him at the start. And funny enough he became my favorite, not just because of his looks but because (for me) he was the ideal leader. I’m also a perfectionist so seeing the way he cooks and handles situations made me feel at ease.
Auntie Omakase #1 and Master of School Meals!!! I was almost moved to tears by them, I love the home and cultural feel they brought to the competition. :(

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Amazing contestants amazing work!

From the setup of the kitchen... to the idea of the competition.. everything was laid out perfectly. From 100 contestants to #1... the creativity of their cuisines was astonishing.
I'm truly proud of their hard work as a chef!
I've always wanted to be a chef... but my dad was against it because it doesn't make a lot of money... watching this show gives me flashbacks of my High School days when I used to cook and bake in class.
I'm happy with the ending .... even though the second contestant deserved the win as I believe he/she was more creative, more risk taker, innovative, and would go above and beyond to present his cuisine... I am still proud of his/her hard work. The story behind his every meal was inspiring and motivational.
I would def go visit his/her restaurant to taste his/her delicious meals!

The other contestants were AMAZING ASWELL!
I LOVE SEEING THEIR POST ON IG. TOP8♡
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