'Culinary Class Wars' crowns first-ever winner in debut season — spoilers inside

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'Culinary Class Wars' crowns first-ever winner in debut season — spoilers inside

Published: 08 Oct. 2024, 18:12 Updated: 08 Oct. 2024, 19:32

LEE JIAN
lee.jian@joongang.co.kr

* This article includes spoilers about the last two episodes, 11 and 12, of Netflix Korea's "Culinary Class Wars."

″Napoli Matfia″ Kwon Seong-joon [NETFLIX KOREA]

Netflix Korea's 12-part cooking survival show "Culinary Class Wars" came to an end on Tuesday, with the final two episodes determining the show's winner from its initial 100 chefs.

"Napoli Matfia" is the winner of Netflix Korea's "Culinary Class Wars" and its prize of 300 million won ($223,000).

"Napoli Matfia," whose real name is Kwon Seong-joon, joined "Culinary Class Wars" as a Black Spoon, a group of cooks considered the lesser-known, underdogs of the industry compared to the higher-powered White Spoon chefs.

He produced various Italian dishes for the judges, including a bisque risotto inspired by the Amalfi Coast and a fagottini stuffed pasta that captures the history of Naples.

Judge Anh Sung-jae in a scene of "Culinary Class Wars" [NETFLIX KOREA]

Last week, Kwon automatically moved up to the top 2 after winning the challenge in episode 10 where chefs were asked to create a dish that best represented themselves. He cooked a pasta dish that infused his great-grandmother’s crab soup.

″Napoli Matfia″ Kwon Seong-joon on "Culinary Class Wars" [NETFLIX KOREA]

In the final, the last dish that pulled him to victory was a lamb and pistachio dish served with Piedmont-style Barolo sauce, deep-fried morel mushrooms, black truffle shavings and sage as well as ravioli filled with lamb's heart and lamb shoulder rack, dyed red with beet.

″Napoli Matfia″ Kwon Seong-joon on "Culinary Class Wars" [NETFLIX KOREA]

His dish beat Korean American celebrity chef Edward Lee's deconstructed tteokbokki (rice cake) reimagined as dessert, served with makgeolli (Korean rice wine) infused with Korean melon and water celery.

Kwon is the chef-owner of pasta bar Via Toledo in Yongsan District, central Seoul. It is a cozy fine dining establishment offering a single seven-course Sicilian dinner, mainly featuring various kinds of pasta and risotto, along with appetizers and desserts. The current price is 89,000 won ($67.40) per person, though this is expected to rise slightly this month, according to the restaurant’s social media. The dishes in the course change every two months or so.