Culinary Class Wars, a Korean cooking reality show on Netflix, has taken the world by storm due to its unique concept. As the name suggests, it pits chefs from two diametrically opposite classes – the elites and the commoners – against each other. The Korean show’s popularity has led many to look for more cooking shows like Culinary Class Wars.
It is a smart concept, no doubt, since class struggle is one of the most significant issues in many countries. Even in South Korea, an otherwise developed country, class inequalities continue to exist, which are highlighted in K-dramas and movies. Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019), one of the highest-grossing Korean movies of all time, is perhaps the finest example of class depictions in Korean cinema.
Running along similar lines, Culinary Class Wars sees 80 unknown chefs, grouped as Black Spoons, from across Korea competing against 20 award-winning chefs, collectively called White Spoons. It is symbolic of the struggle of the poor people against the rich, which is also smartly played up in the promotional trailer in which the White Spoons are looking down upon the Black Spoons from a higher podium.
The 10-episode Netflix show sees the contestants competing in various rounds. In some of them, the Black Spoons take on White Spoons directly, whether one-on-one or as teams. In others, members of Black Spoons and White Spoons are mixed and then pitted against each other. The prize money for the winner was KRW 300 million (around USD 222,000/HKD 1,700,323).
Paik Jong-won, widely known as South Korea’s most famous restaurateur, and chef Anh Sung-jae of Mosu Seoul, which is South Korea’s only three-Michelin-star restaurant, were the judges. They had to taste the dishes blindfolded to ensure impartiality.
Culinary Class Wars became the most-watched non-English series globally for two consecutive weeks on Netflix. Although the celebrity chefs were quite popular already, the show has reportedly given a new boost to their restaurants. On the other hand, many of the Black Spoons, who have humble origins, have found popularity among the masses. In fact, when the show concluded on 8 October, the winner standing tall over the 99 others was from the Black Spoons – Napoli Matfia, whose real name is Kwon Sung-jun.
So, if you are still hungry (no pun intended) for more shows like this surprise Netflix hit, we have a list of titles you will definitely enjoy.
Watch 'Culinary Class Wars' on Netflix
Korean and other cooking reality shows like Culinary Class Wars
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Created by: Franc Roddam
Seasons: 11
Episodes: 146
Runtime per episode: 30 minutes
IMDb rating: 6
About the show: This is the show that can rightfully be credited for making cookery look cool on TV. MasterChef is the title of the original British competitive cooking reality show that gave birth to the franchise of the same name spawning versions and spin-offs in almost every major country and language around the world.
Some of those versions, especially MasterChef Australia (2009–), are counted among the most-watched TV shows in their respective countries, while others, like MasterChef USA (2010) for its judge Gordon Ramsay. Numerous contestants from almost every version have been able to build a successful culinary career after their appearance on the show.
Is It Cake? (2022–)
Created by: Dan Cutforth, Jane Lipsitz
Seasons: 3
Episodes: 24
Runtime per episode: 40 minutes
IMDb rating: 6
About the show: The title of the show is inspired by the famous meme of the same name. In every episode, contestants, who are skilled bakers and cake artists, create delicious cakes shaped like everyday objects for a prize money of USD 5,000. The ultimate prize every season is USD 50,000.
Seasons: 1
Episodes: 8
Runtime per episode: 30-50 minutes
IMDb rating: 7.6
About the show: Presented by renowned Swiss-French chocolatier Amaury Guichon, who takes under his wings eight top pastry and chocolate professionals in a contest in which they are given various challenges all involving chocolates. Among the tasks which the contestants had to do both individually and in teams were building chocolate showpieces and sculptures. The winning contestant in each episode was named best in class.
Created by: Jon Favreau
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 25
Runtime per episode: 30 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.2
About the show: Yes, the Jon Favreau of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) created this outstanding Netflix cooking TV reality show. Together with Korean-American chef Roy Choi, Favreau samples delectable cuisines and interviews celebrity guests like Gwyneth Paltrow, Robert Rodriguez, Seth Rogen, Dave Filoni and Sam Raimi.
It’s no surprise that Favreau also directed this series. True, he is internationally better known for helming epic blockbusters like Iron Man (2008), The Jungle Book (2016) and The Lion King (2019). But, he is also particularly noted for directing the critically acclaimed comedy-drama Chef (2014), in which he played the titular character of a chef who is forced to open a food truck after losing his job at a top restaurant. Interestingly, Choi was one of the producers of the film.
Created by: David Gelb
Seasons: 6 (Plus 5 spin-offs)
Episodes: 52 (including spin-offs)
Runtime per episode: 50 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.5
About the show: One of the most critically acclaimed Netflix documentaries of all time, Chef’s Table follows the life and cooking style of renowned international chefs from around the world. Each episode sees a different chef as the subject, which lends a unique dimension to the series as it throws light on the culinary cultures of countries, from South Korea and Peru to Russia and Australia.
The main series has six seasons. Its spin-offs are titled according to the type of cuisine or dish they are about: France (2016), Pastry (2018), BBQ (2020), and Pizza (2022). Its fifth spin-off, titled Noodles, premiered on 2 October 2024. Chef’s Table has to date received eight Primetime Emmy nominations.
Directed by: Na Young-seok, Lee Jin-joo
Seasons: 2
Episodes: 20
Runtime per episode: 1 hour 40 minutes
IMDb rating: 8.8
About the show: No list of cooking shows like Culinary Class Wars can be complete without the mention of Youn’s Kitchen. It is like an ode to all Korean cooking reality shows.
The acclaimed series follows four Korean stars who open a pop-up in a foreign country and have to operate it. Its title refers to the group’s leader, Youn Yuh-jung, who is internationally renowned for Minari (2020) for which she became the first Korean actress to win a Screen Actors Guild Award, a British Academy Film Award, and an Academy Award among other accolades. She is joined by Shin Goo, Lee Seo-jin, and Jung Yu-mi in the first season. Park Seo-joon of Concrete Utopia (2023) fame replaces Shin Goo in the second season.
What seems to be simple isn’t actually so as the individuals have to manage the restaurant business they have opened in a foreign land. The popularity of the show led to two spin-offs: Youn’s Stay (2021) and Jinny’s Kitchen (2023).
(Hero and Featured images: Netflix)
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
There are several Korean cooking shows which are very popular. These include 'Youn’s Kitchen,' 'Paik’s Spirit,' 'Kang’s Kitchen,' 'The Backpacker Chef' and 'Coffee Friends' among others.
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Manas Sen Gupta writes at the intersection of tech, entertainment and history. His works have appeared in publications such as The Statesman, Myanmar Matters, Hindustan Times and News18/ETV. In his spare time, Manas loves studying interactive charts and topographic maps. When not doing either, he prefers reading detective fiction. Spring is his favourite season and he can happily eat a bowl of noodles any time of the day.
