"Cheonha Baking" is stepping up to showcase the power of "K-bread" that will captivate the world.
On the afternoon of the 30th at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, an MBN new variety show production press conference for 'Cheonha Baking: Bake Your Dream' was held. The press conference was attended by PD Yoon Se-young, as well as MC and judges Lee Da-hee, Noh Hee-young, Lee Seok-won, Kwon Sung-joon and Mimi, who talked about the show.
'Cheonha Baking' is the country's first 'K-bakery survival' that leads the craze of 'K-bread,' which has become a trend beyond plain food, selecting the world's strongest pastry and baking masters. From masters gathered from across the nation to world-class pâtissiers, unconventional recipe underground bakers, and a total of 72 bakers and pastry chefs from around the world, it is a large-scale global pastry and baking competition where competitors drop their ranks and compete, spreading the power of 'K-bread' that will surprise the world in the first half of 2026.
On the day, PD Yoon Se-young, asked about his feelings ahead of the first broadcast, said, "I feel like a baker about to launch a new product. We are nervous and excited wondering how consumers will react to our product. We have been planning for about a year and are about to air, and we have prepared to convey well the warm, passionate feelings that our bakers have, so please show enthusiastic interest," he said.
He said, "Because a survival program using baking as the subject has never been tried, I wondered whether this would work and why it wasn't done before. As we prepared, we understood the reasons it hadn't been done. It takes a lot of time and the visible results can be similar. To bring all the processes into a survival program requires a lot of physical and mental time, so there were difficulties. Ultimately, when deciding by what standards to make the program, there are several elements, but the final criterion was whether this could become a bread that could draw attention from global consumers. Which bread will be the 'one bread to conquer the world'? The process can be an individual's bread, but through rounds and developing new breads to match themes, we focused on whether the result could be globally appealing and have merit for consumers. The judges have evaluated those aspects. I think viewers will find parts that pique their curiosity when they watch the broadcast," he said.
MC Lee Da-hee said, "It feels like not long since we started recording, and now we are about to broadcast. I expect the first episode with the hope that the stories of the 72 challengers and what they have walked through until now will be well conveyed to viewers," she said. Oh My Girl's Mimi, well known as a 'bread lover,' said, "As a bread lover who loves bread so much, I'm so happy and want to congratulate that 'Cheonha Baking' is coming into the world. Finally, the era of bread has come. Bread lovers, stand up, grab your bread and start waiting. You will take the world," she joked, adding, "You can expect anything. I hope viewers see, feel and empathize with what happens in the process of bread being made and the love that the pâtissiers and bakers put into it. Please look forward to it," she said confidently.
Brand consultant Noh Hee-young also joins the program as a judge. He said, "Ten years ago when I did 'MasterChef Korea' and went to the first recording again, I had forgotten how hard it was. I truly regretted it on the first recording day. It's much harder than cooking. Judging is difficult and filming is too. In fact, auditions carry the hope, passion and heart-throbbing feeling that nobody can become somebody. I regretted much on the first day, but on the last day I felt rewarded and happy to be at the moment when somebody was born. I think you can look forward to it," he said.
Lee Seok-won, the 17th master of pastry and baking, said, "While doing the program for the first time, I worked hard to judge in harmony with the other participants and judges by my side," and added, "Like bread born after a long fermentation, I hope the development of Korea's pastry and baking industry will be achieved through a well-aged 'Cheonha Baking.'"
Kwon Sung-joon of 'Napoli Mafia' said, "I was a survival contestant until recently and now I am a judge. Because of that, I felt a lot of empathy for the contestants. It was a new emotion, and as someone still studying cooking, baking and desserts, it was a meaningful experience with much learning," he said of his impressions.
A former winner of Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, he, as someone with culinary survival experience, was asked about judging points and said, "From a participant's perspective, when doing a survival show, judges and the production team also suffer, but there are many times when contestants want to give up. They think, 'Why am I doing this, why did I come here?' Especially at year-end when their main jobs are busy and they work through the night, doing this as well becomes physically and mentally exhausting and many think about quitting. Having gone through that, I often said the line, 'If you give up, you may regret it for life.' I tried to give psychological triggers that stimulate competition. Knowing it could be an opportunity to change my life, I tried to convey that more," he said.
In particular, 'Cheonha Baking' was called the 'baking version of Culinary Class Wars' since the teaser was released. Regarding this, PD Yoon Se-young said, "The broadcast timing is similar, so that could be a reason. I think we heard the question 'Isn't this the baking version of Culinary Class Wars?' the most. As a survival program, the process to pick a single winner will be similar. What we think distinguishes us most from Culinary Class Wars is that Culinary Class Wars depicts a class war where star chefs compete, whereas most of our contestants wake up at 3 or 4 a.m. and are owners of small shops running their businesses. They want their bread to be proven and want authenticity; we gave the chance to those who sincerely do the work to challenge the program," he said, pointing out the difference.
Regarding the appearances of stars such as Lee Hye-seong and Park Dul-seon, he said, "You may not know, but these are not people who learned for a month or two. Through years of process, Park Dul-seon personally runs a bakery, and Lee Hye-seong obtained a pastry technician certificate five years ago and now operates at near-expert level, cultivating sourdough and working in a studio. They appeared to prove authenticity through the program. The English title is 'Bake Your Dream.' Since we provided opportunities to people who are nurturing their dreams, it is a contest of dreams, which differs from Culinary Class Wars," he said.
Master Lee Seok-won also said, "They were not recruited by solicitation. They came up through formal document screening. When I asked if it was really delicious, it was truly delicious and they had skill. At first I looked at them skeptically, wondering if this person really knows the product and makes it themselves or if someone helped them, but seeing the work process, I can say they were more skilled than anyone," he said.
Kwon Sung-joon, who experienced both season 1 and season 2 of Culinary Class Wars, said, "I participated in all missions of Culinary Class Wars season 1 and judged season 2, and now I'm doing 'Cheonha Baking.' If you forcibly compare 'Cheonha Baking' and Culinary Class Wars, they are completely different. The method, participant personalities and colors are all different, so I think it will be fun to watch. When I dare ask myself which looks tougher, I think 'Cheonha Baking' is tougher in the process. In cooking, with one to two hours of cooking time, even if you make a mistake there's enough time to recover. If you fail in 10 or 20 minutes, you can recover, but in pastry and baking, after 30 minutes a mistake can be the end. It will be pressured, thrilling and enjoyable," he said, conveying the show's distinctive points.
Finally, when asked about viewing points, PD Yoon Se-young said, "While editing, filming and holding meetings, I keep watching the breads made by the participants on the monitor. Watching them makes me peckish and want to eat. I think our program will be more enjoyable to watch while eating," he said.
Mimi said, "There will be many hidden bread lovers. Watching this program, you'll realize the breads you ate started from here and are made this way. As you learn about the care and effort of so many bakers and pâtissiers, it will connect to the breads you have eaten and resonate a lot. I thought I loved bread and knew a lot, but during filming that all shattered. Many diverse breads and many desserts appeared and were newly born. I hope many people give interest and love to the show," she added.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Ji Hyung-jun
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