‘Culinary Class Wars 2’: Now you can taste the dishes by these “Black Spoon” chefs
As Culinary Class Wars 2 heads toward its grand finale, the tension between the “White Spoon” team—an elite group of top-tier chefs—and “Black Spoon” team—talented, but lesser known chefs—has reached boiling point.
Some of them may have bowed out of the show, but fret not: diners can still experience their creativity first-hand at their restaurants. Tatler has rounded up a number of “Black Spoon” chefs of Culinary Class Wars 2, both eliminated and still running, who stand out with their unique culinary talents and visions. Each brings a distinct culinary language: from fine dining precision to rustic Korean sensibility and Japanese knife artistry.
Brewmaster Yun
Currently the only remaining “Black Spoon” contestant among the season’s top seven, Brewmaster Yun, born Yun Na-ra, has emerged as one of this year’s most pleasant surprises. In the first round, she advanced with her “A Table for the Mother of Liquor”, a course featuring her own house-brewed makgeolli, a Korean alcoholic drink, paired with a zucchini hotpot and poached pork infused with the same aromatic notes. Her mastery impressed the notoriously tough judge Ahn Sung-jae.
During the recent team battle, Yun displayed exceptional harmony with Chef Lim Sung-geun, transforming what would normally be a simple side dish into a supporting star that elevated a pork belly centrepiece.
Outside Culinary Class Wars 2, she runs Yunjudang, a beloved makgeolli house on a hillside in Seoul’s Haebangchon district. Known for its painstakingly traditional brewing process that relies only on rice and water, Yunjudang produces rare artisanal liquors paired with seasonal Korean anju (drinking dishes). The venue also offers one-day brewing workshops for locals and tourists—a hands-on taste of Korea’s liquid heritage.
Culinary Monster
The other remaining Black Spoon chef, Culinary Monster (Ha-sung Lee), was hailed as a “rising star” by judge Ahn Sung-jae from his very first appearance. His dishes combine unorthodox ingredients to create astonishing harmony—think “Spring Vegetable Porridge with Truffle”, which features wild mountain garlic, water dropwort and black truffle.
In a head-to-head Black and White duel, he returned with an imaginative sea squirt tartare seasoned with water celery, hyssop and rocket, subtly using edible flowers to stunning effect. In the Box of Revival challenge, he built an asparagus-based dish layered with homemade lemon koji purée and bacon, once again demonstrating masterful ingredient synergy.
His résumé reads like culinary royalty: former sous chef at The French Laundry in California, part of the team that works at Atomix in New York, which has two Michelin stars, and notably the first Asian chef to work at Copenhagen’s three-star Geranium. Unsurprisingly, when he appeared as a Black Spoon contestant, fellow chefs could not hide their astonishment: “How is he even on the Black Spoon side?”
His highly anticipated new restaurant, Oyatte, is set to open in New York later this year.
Barbecue Lab Director
Eliminated during the Box of Revival round of Culinary Class Wars 2, Barbecue Lab Director (Yoo Yong-wook) was arguably the season’s greatest loss. His ability to achieve precise control over fire, aroma and the flavour of meats in such a short time brought both judges and audiences to their knees—or at least to their screens, salivating.
He runs IMOK Smoke Dining, a high-end barbecue restaurant on Seoul’s Apgujeong-ro in Gangnam, known for its HK$800–1,180 tasting menus. Reservations are nearly impossible to secure—proof that his smoky expertise transcends the competition stage.
Loner in a Hole-in-the-Wall
Loner in a Hole-in-the-Wall (Kim Sang-heun) won over judge Baek Jong-won with a modern Korean anju set: truffled beef patties paired with mackerel bibimbap. Baek praised his handling of the mackerel as “bone-free, odourless and the perfect bar snack.”
The chef’s nickname comes from his beginnings in a tiny four-pyeong (13-square-metre) basement eatery. In 2021, he expanded to a 12-pyeong neo-Korean izakaya called Dokdo 16 Celsius in Seochon, maintaining an intimate, homely atmosphere while specialising in traditional Korean drinks and creative pairings.
Knife Omakase
Japanese cuisine specialist Knife Omakase (Shin Hyun-do) wowed judges early on with painstaking knife work and unmatched finesse. His first-round dishes included mountain yam noodles and cucumber-plum sushi rolls wrapped in paper-thin daikon instead of seaweed, achieved using the katsuramuki (rotary peeling) technique.
He currently helms Monologue, a minimalist Japanese restaurant in Gangnam featuring an open kitchen that turns intricate prep into visual theatre. Shin also operates a YouTube channel of the same name, where he demonstrates his knife artistry.
Dweji gomtang
Ok Dong-sik is one of the season’s most prominent and popular Black Spoon chefs. Nicknamed Dweji gomtang (meaning “pork bone soup”), he is the founder of Okdongsik, a restaurant group with branches in Seoul, New York, Hawaii, Tokyo, Paris and Los Angeles.
The Seoul flagship has been a Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand selection since 2018, and the New York branch is famously overbooked. His signature—a deceptively simple pork broth—has become an instant classic. Unsurprisingly, he recreated this dish in his first-round battle to much acclaim.
Three Star Killer
Over the past decade, the chef known as Three Star Killer (Jinho An) has worked under numerous Michelin three-star mentors at restaurants such as Monsieur Benjamin in San Francisco, Per Se in New York and even at judge Ahn Sung-jae’s Mosu.
Whether crafting a squid-ink risotto in the first round or a tongue steak with Sichuan peppercorn sauce in the second, his work displays impeccable technique and a sharp culinary philosophy. Although defeated by Chef Sun Jong-won in a one-on-one Black and White duel, he earned unanimous praise from the judges. Rumour has it a new restaurant project is already in the works.
Little Tiger
The youngest competitor of Culinary Class Wars 2, Little Tiger (Kim Si-hyeon), is only in her early twenties. She charmed judges with her passion for wild herbs, claiming a coveted advancement ticket from Baek Jong-won in the first round with her “Lightly Drunk Vegetables” dish.
After graduating, she joined the InterContinental Seoul COEX, overseeing VIP breakfast service before moving on to Michelin two-star Kwonsooksoo, where she mastered traditional Korean sauces, hotpot rice and fermentation techniques. She later refined her skills at one-star Bichana and three-star Gaon.
Now serving at one-star Solbam in Seoul, Little Tiger continues to explore the art of fermentation. She is a rising star who proves that seriousness and passion have no age limit.
This article was translated from Cathy Huang’s original version.
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