"Culinary Class Wars 2" chef Son Jong-won's recruitment behind the scenes was revealed.
On the morning of the 17th, a press conference for the Netflix variety show 'Culinary Class Wars: Culinary class wars 2' was held at the Grand Ballroom on the LL floor of JW Marriott Dongdaemun in Jongno-gu, Seoul. Present were PD Kim Hak-min, PD Kim Eun-ji, as well as white-spoon contestants Seonjae monk·Hudeokjuk·Son Jong-won·Jung Ho-young, and black-spoon contestants French Papa·Chinese cuisine witch·Yun Ju-mo who brews liquor·Baby beast and others.
'Culinary Class Wars: Culinary class wars 2' depicts a fierce culinary class war fought by underground master "black-spoon" chefs who aim to overturn class by taste alone and Korea's top star chefs, the white-spoon contestants, who try to protect it. Following the first installment released last September, season 2 was released after a year, and season 1 sparked a gourmet craze in Korea, positively affecting the industry by reviving the then-stagnant fine-dining sector. In addition, judges Paik Jong-won and Anh Sung-jae's comments became catchphrases, and the chefs gained popularity rivaling entertainers and received great love.
The results were also remarkable. It ranked No. 1 in Netflix global TV (non-English) for three consecutive weeks and made the top 10 in 18 countries including Korea·Hong Kong·Singapore·Taiwan. Expectations are high to see what records season 2 will set and whether it can surpass its predecessor.
In the season 2 black-and-white cooking battle that gave the white-spoon contestants their first win, Son Jong-won said, "On the broadcast I acted confident and tough, but I was actually nervous and shaken during the match. I'm glad I survived. It was a challenge for me too. Culinary Class Wars was a big challenge, and I thought it could be an opportunity for growth, so I appeared. The restaurant industry was stagnant in the past, but season 1 created a lot of buzz. I hope season 2 will also help the food service industry."
Chef Son Jong-won worked harder than anyone, but it turned out he was the chef the production team had the hardest time recruiting.
Producer Kim Eun-ji said, "He once gave a perfect refusal. So I thought 'I understand if it's difficult,' and I swallowed my tears and gave up, but in the meeting room I felt like 'just one more time.' I couldn't forget Chef Son Jong-won's face," noting, "I pretended to be crazy one more time and made the offer. After that last try, he is now with us. I want to say thank you."
Regarding the reason for his refusal, Son Jong-won laughed, "I placed great importance on taking on the challenge" and said that, whatever happened, his main job as a chef was the most important, so it was important to dedicate time to his establishment. Fortunately, the filming days did not overlap with his restaurant's operating days. The production team trusted me. I was so touched by how many times they told me that that I really worked hard during filming."
Meanwhile, 'Culinary Class Wars: Culinary class wars 2' was first released on Netflix on the 16th.
[Photo] Jo Eun-jung reporter
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