Culinary Class Wars Season 2 sets the table with star chefs and a brewing judge controversy

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 sets the table with star chefs and a brewing judge controversy as Netflix prepares to launch the next chapter of its high-profile cooking competition, bringing together an expanded roster of elite culinary figures while navigating renewed scrutiny around one of its most recognizable judges.

With its second season, the series doubles down on spectacle and pedigree, positioning renowned chefs, veteran masters and television personalities at the center of a format that has already proven its global reach.

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 arrives following the franchise’s unprecedented performance on Netflix, where the first season became the platform’s first Korean variety show to top the Global Top 10 Non-English TV Shows chart for three consecutive weeks.

Domestically, the series also ranked first in Gallup Korea’s “Favorite Programs Among Koreans” survey for September 2024, marking a first for an OTT variety program.

That momentum sets high expectations for a season defined less by novelty and more by the weight of its participants.

From its earliest promotional materials, Culinary Class Wars Season 2 has emphasized the scale and stature of its White Spoon lineup.

Posters and teasers highlight chefs whose reputations were established long before the competition, signaling a season built around names as much as dishes.

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 assembles its most decorated roster yet

At the forefront is Jun Lee, founder and executive chef of the two-Michelin-starred Soigné in southern Seoul.

Joining him is Son Jong-won, who holds Michelin stars for both L’Amant Secret and Eatanic Garden and is widely known to television audiences through his regular appearances on JTBC’s Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.

Their inclusion reinforces the show’s emphasis on chefs whose careers are defined by formal recognition and media visibility.

The White Spoon group also includes Kim Hee-eun of the one-Michelin-starred Soul, known for modern Korean cuisine, and Kim Geon of the one-Michelin-starred Goryori Ken.

International experience enters the competition through Jennie Wallden, winner of MasterChef Sweden in 2013, and Shim Sung-chul, owner-chef of New York restaurants Kochi and Mari, both of which have been awarded one Michelin star.

Veteran authority remains a central pillar of Culinary Class Wars Season 2. Ven. Seonjae, recognized as Korea’s first master of temple cuisine, brings decades of practice rooted in tradition.

Chinese cuisine specialist Hu Deok-juk, an executive chef at the Ambassador Seoul hotel, enters with more than half a century of experience.

French cuisine master Park Hyo-nam and Cheon Sang-hyun, former executive chef to the presidential office at Cheong Wa Dae, further anchor the lineup in institutional prestige.

Television familiarity rounds out the cast. Jung Ho-young, Sam Kim and Raymon Kim, all known for their appearances across Korean variety programming, compete alongside Song Hoon, a former judge on MasterChef Korea, and Im Seong-geun, winner of Hansik Battle Season 3.

Together, the White Spoon chefs represent a cross-section of Michelin recognition, broadcast fame and culinary longevity.

Opposite them, Culinary Class Wars Season 2 once again introduces the Black Spoon chefs under aliases, maintaining the rule that only the final winner may reveal their identity.

Promotional content suggests a group defined by specialization rather than celebrity, positioning underground masters against household names.

Producers Kim Hak-min and Kim Eun-ji addressed the expanded participation in a statement released ahead of the premiere. They said,

“Gratefully, more chefs have resonated with the spirit of ‘Culinary Class Wars’ and decided to participate. We worked hard to properly lay out a stage where the chefs, in gratitude for their courage to take on the challenge, could play to their hearts’ content.”

While the roster has drawn widespread attention, Culinary Class Wars Season 2 enters the spotlight amid ongoing discussion surrounding judge Paik Jong-won, CEO of restaurant franchise operator Theborn Korea.

Paik, one of the show’s two judges, has faced multiple controversies since the beginning of the year, including issues related to product quality, alleged violations of farmland laws, accusations of maintaining an employee blacklist, country-of-origin labeling errors and claims of poor franchise management.

These developments led Paik to temporarily suspend his broadcasting activities starting in May.

The situation has influenced the show’s promotional approach. Netflix’s press conference for the Season 2 launch is scheduled to proceed without Paik’s attendance, instead featuring the producers alongside four White Spoon chefs and four Black Spoon chefs.

The decision has fueled speculation about how the controversy may impact the public's reception of the season, particularly given Paik’s long association with culinary programming.

As Culinary Class Wars Season 2 prepares to premiere, its identity rests on two parallel forces: the concentration of culinary star power and the unresolved attention surrounding its judging panel.

The season’s opening episodes promise to foreground competition and craft, even as external scrutiny remains part of the conversation.

For Netflix, the challenge is no longer proving the format’s appeal, but sustaining it under a brighter, less forgiving light.

Stay tuned for more updates.