The battle between Korea’s top chefs and its rising stars is back. Culinary Class Wars Season 2 returned to Netflix on December 16, 2025, bringing even more intense cooking battles and a fresh lineup of culinary talent. The core format remains a clash between 20 elite White Spoon chefs and 80 ambitious Black Spoon challengers, all vying for a grand prize. This season introduces a major twist with the return of two chefs from the first season, adding a new layer of strategy and surprise.
For viewers, keeping track of the huge cast can be a challenge. This guide breaks down every key figure in the kitchen, from the exacting judges to the world-renowned veterans and the talented newcomers known only by their creative nicknames.
The Judges: Ahn Sung-jae and Paik Jong-won
The final decision on every dish rests with the show’s two returning judges. They bring distinct but equally formidable perspectives to the competition.
Ahn Sung-jae is the chef-owner of Mosu, the only restaurant in South Korea to hold three Michelin stars. His background is international; he moved to Southern California as a teenager, served in the U.S. Army, and trained at esteemed restaurants like The French Laundry in San Francisco before opening his own. On the show, he is known for being extremely meticulous and detail-focused. For this season, he promised an even stricter approach, stating, “This time, I’ll be more meticulous”.
Paik Jong-won is a celebrated restaurateur and television personality with a massive public following. He is the CEO of TheBorn Korea, a company that operates dozens of restaurant franchises including Paik’s Noodle and Paik’s BBQ, some of which have locations in the United States. He is also a veteran of Netflix food shows, having hosted Paik’s Spirit and the Rhapsody series. His role on the judging panel often contrasts with Ahn’s, providing a viewpoint shaped by decades of building successful food businesses for the public.
The Elite White Spoon Chefs
The White Spoon team represents the pinnacle of culinary achievement in Korea and beyond. This season’s group includes multiple Michelin-starred chefs, legendary masters with over half a century of experience, and winners of major televised cooking competitions.
Here are some of the standout veterans:
- Lee Jun: The chef-owner of Soigné, one of only nine two-Michelin-star restaurants in South Korea. He is considered a trailblazer for introducing bar-style fine dining to Korea.
- Son Jong-won: The only chef in Korea to own and operate two different one-Michelin-star restaurants at the same time—L’Amant Secret (French) and Eatanic Garden (Korean).
- Hou Deok-juk: A master of Chinese cuisine with over 57 years of experience, referred to as a “legend of Korean culinary history” on the show. He leads the one-Michelin-star restaurant Haobin.
- Park Hyo-nam: A pioneer of French cuisine in Korea with 47 years of experience. He was the first Korean executive chef at a major Western hotel in the country and has cooked for international airlines.
- Venerable Seonjae: Recognized as Korea’s first master of temple cuisine, specializing in mindful, plant-based Buddhist cooking.
- Jennie Walldén: A Korean-Swedish chef who won MasterChef Sweden in 2013. She owns restaurants in Sweden that blend Korean and Scandinavian flavors.
Other notable White Spoons include Kim Hee-eun of one-Michelin-star SOUL, Shim Sung-chul who owns Michelin-starred restaurants in New York City, and popular TV chefs like Jung Ho-young, Sam Kim, and Raymon Kim from shows like Chef & My Fridge.
The Returning “Hidden White Spoons”
A major new element this season is the introduction of two “Hidden White Spoons.” These are chefs who were White Spoon contestants in Season 1 but have returned to compete again, starting from the very first Black Spoon elimination round.
The two returning chefs are:
- Kim Do-yun: The chef behind the Michelin-recognized restaurant Yun Seoul, known for his obsessive focus on ingredients. In Season 1, he was famous for bringing his own expensive noodle-making machine to the competition.
- Choi Kang-rok: A former winner of MasterChef Korea Season 2 and a White Spoon contestant from the first season.
Their participation came with special rules. Both judges had to taste their dishes, and they needed unanimous approval to advance. This led to immediate drama, as judge Ahn Sung-jae eliminated Kim Do-yun in the first round despite praise from Judge Paik, shocking many fans.
The Ambitious Black Spoon Challengers
The 80 Black Spoon chefs enter the competition using creative nicknames that hint at their specialty, only revealing their real names if they win the entire season. This season, producers noted that the overall skill level of the Black Spoons is even higher, with many being local culinary celebrities in their own right.
From the intense first elimination round, 19 Black Spoon chefs advanced to challenge the White Spoon team. Notable qualifiers include:
- Brewmaster Yun (Yun Nara): She impressed the judges by distilling her own soju from makgeolli (Korean rice wine) within the 100-minute time limit and serving it with a full Korean tavern-style meal.
- Barbecue Lab Director (Yoo Yong-wook): He runs award-winning barbecue research spaces and advanced with Texas-style beef ribs enhanced by a Korean soy-based seasoning.
- Iron Arms (Park Ju-sung): The owner-chef of a noodle restaurant, he hand-made soba noodles for his dish despite having a physical disability, demonstrating remarkable skill.
- Culinary Monster (Hasung Lee): A former head chef at a two-Michelin-star restaurant in New York, he presented a creative wild chive porridge finished with truffles.
- French Papa (Tommie Lee): The owner of a French bistro, he stood out with a classic bouillabaisse served piping hot to perfectly control the fish’s flavor.
Other advancing challengers go by nicknames like “Witch with a Wok,” “Three-star Killer,” “Boss in the Kitchen,” and “Rebellious Genius,” each bringing a unique story and culinary point of view to the competition.
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How to Watch and What Happens Next
Culinary Class Wars Season 2 is streaming now on Netflix. The season is being released in weekly batches:
- Episodes 1-3: Released on December 16, 2025.
- Episodes 4-7: To be released on December 23, 2025.
- Episodes 8-10: To be released on December 30, 2025.
- Episodes 11-12: To be released on January 6, 2026.
- Episode 13 (Finale): To be released on January 13, 2026.
With the first elimination round complete, the competition now moves into the intense one-on-one battles, where surviving Black Spoons will directly challenge the elite White Spoon chefs.
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