The production team of the hidden gourmet road 'Walking Food Warriors' disclosed their thoughts on returning for a regular season after two years and behind-the-scenes stories through a written interview.
Set to premiere on August 7 at 9:20 p.m., the visually pleasing eating show travelogue 'Walking Food Warriors,' co-produced by Channel S and SK Broadband, is a culinary exploration program that finds local 'hidden eateries' unknown to tourists by solely 'putting in effort'. Featuring a fresh combination of 'Kwon Yul', 'Yeon Woo-jin', and 'Lee Jung-shin', known for their unreal visuals, the show is already attracting significant interest prior to its broadcast.
In this context, the production team of 'Walking Food Warriors' amplified expectations for the main broadcast by revealing behind-the-scenes details of the unexpected casting of Kwon Yul, Yeon Woo-jin, and Lee Jung-shin, along with local episodes that showcase the hidden charms of the members. They also clarified the program's strong identity, which aims to convey the beauty and flavors of the locals from the perspective of travelers with its unique concept of 'Walking'. They expressed a desire to convey the excitement of 'real trips with friends' in a Q&A session with the production team of 'Walking Food Warriors'.
Q. I'm curious about your feelings on returning for a regular season after two years since the pilot in 2023.
A. First of all, I'm very delighted to return for a regular season as the responsible producer. During the pilot, we received a lot of love not only from Korean viewers but also from international audiences, and even gained some fans, which made me truly happy. That's why it took two years to present a more refined program in the regular season. While the pilot focused mainly on traditional restaurants, this time we are making an effort to show a variety of local cuisines by broadening our scope.
Q. What was the reason behind choosing Florence, Italy, as the first travel destination for the regular season?
A. For Koreans, Italy is a familiar country that many have a basic understanding of its history and cuisine among various European nations. Among them, Florence has not been officially filmed in a Korean entertainment program, so it seemed suitable to showcase fresh attractions within familiarity. Florence is a place where history, gastronomy, and romance coexist, and when talking about food, it is characterized by the preservation of the natural flavors of the ingredients rather than extravagance. We wanted to introduce the excellence of Florentine cuisine through our program. Moreover, all three cast members mentioned that they have never been to Florence as a travel destination. The fact that it is a city none of them has visited made it even more attractive, leading us to choose Florence as the first shooting location.
Q. The new combination of food warriors Kwon Yul, Yeon Woo-jin, and Lee Jung-shin is quite fresh; what criteria did you use for their casting?
A. First of all, we wanted members of 'Walking Food Warriors' to be cheerful, sociable, and have a strong interest in food. I thought it would be great if they could talk comfortably together like the brothers in the drama 'My Mister', and Kwon Yul, Yeon Woo-jin, and Lee Jung-shin showed a delightful sight of chatting in front of food like high school girls throughout the filming. I was also surprised that all three of them exhibited a deep knowledge of food. They recognized the ingredients in the unfamiliar dishes they tried, and although the food was foreign, they made comparisons to Korean food that felt familiar. Their candid and cheerful demeanor in front of travel and food was also moving. I believe viewers will be entranced by the unexpected stories and new food combinations created by the three.
Q. Could you introduce a memorable episode?
A. Kwon Yul and Yeon Woo-jin played brothers in the 2012 drama 'Ordinary Love,' and he's a fan of the songs of the group CNBLUE that Lee Jung-shin is part of. Kwon Yul is actually the nephew of actress Choi Myung-gil. Notably, Kwon Yul frequently sang CNBLUE songs during the filming, proving his fandom, and I'm very curious whether that will make it to the broadcast. (laughs) Another thing is that there's a theme song for 'Walking Food Warriors' that was performed during our pilot. It repeatedly sings the part 'Tubi Tuba Tutu Ba' from Kim Kuk-hwan's song 'Tubi Tubi with Dad', and Yeon Woo-jin was bashful and just smiled until the end of the Italy episode. We would appreciate it if everyone looks forward to whether they will sing that song together before the end of the broadcast.
Q. What is 'Walking Food Warriors' unique charm that differentiates it from other travel and eating programs?
A. Through the concept of 'Walking', we captured the true essence of a traveler's perspective of local beauty and taste. We aim to introduce local eateries favored by residents and local hotspots while sometimes facing unexpected situations, wanting to show viewers what a genuine travel experience entails. I hope you will experience the joy and excitement of 'real trips with friends' as well as the local flavors through 'Walking Food Warriors'.
The journey to discover hidden eateries in Italy with Kwon Yul, Yeon Woo-jin, and Lee Jung-shin, co-produced by Channel S and SK Broadband, will first air on August 7 at 9:20 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Channel S, SK Broadband 'Walking Food Warriors'
[OSEN]