One month later, 'Culinary Class Wars' desserts still flying off shelves

Home > Business > Industry

One month later, 'Culinary Class Wars' desserts still flying off shelves

Published: 19 Nov. 2024, 17:39 Updated: 19 Nov. 2024, 19:48

KIM JU-YEON
[email protected]

Models hold up GS25's marshmallow cake and tiramisu products inspired by Netflix show "Culinary Class Wars." [GS RETAIL]

More than a month after Netflix's “Culinary Class Wars” came to an end, desserts inspired by the hit cooking show are still flying off Korea's shelves.

GS Retail said Tuesday that its convenience store chain GS25 had sold more than 20 billion won ($14.4 million) worth of four desserts based on chefs' on-screen creations and the program's black and white color scheme, created in partnership with Netflix, in the first 17 days of November.

The lineup — including two chocolate marshmallow cakes and two tiramisu confectionaries — currently ranks as GS25's four best-selling snacks of the month, with the marshmallow cakes holding the top two slots followed by the two tiramisus.

Between Nov. 1 and Nov. 17, GS25 sold 2.6 times the total tiramisu that it did in the same period of last year.

The dessert garnered public attention after chef Kwon Seong-jun, nicknamed “Napoli Matfia,” created a marron tiramisu as part of a challenge on “Culinary Class Wars.”

The Italian confectionary with a chestnut twist was also a part of convenience store chain CU’s first lineup of commercial products made in collaboration with Kwon. CU opened mobile preorders for the product, Marron & Tiramisu, on Oct. 8 with plans to roll it out in stores on Oct. 23. All 150,000 cups of the tiramisu sold out in the first nine days of presale.

Ready-to-eat meals collaboratively developed by celebrity chef Paik Jong-won and sold through convenience store chain CU are displayed at a CU shop in Korea. [BGF RETAIL]

CU and GS25 have also found success with premade meals made in collaboration with the show’s cast, including judge Paik Jong-won and popular contestants.

BGF Retail, the operator of CU, said sales of its products created with celebrity chef Paik had jumped by up to 240 percent over the 40 days following the premiere of “Culinary Class Wars.” Paik-branded items made up 20 percent of CU’s ready-to-eat sales, with three of his products currently standing as CU's three top-selling lunch boxes of 2024.

The packet version of Paik’s instant ramyeon brand, Paik Ramen, sold 250 percent more after the show's conclusion than it had been before its premiere, CU said. His ramyeon also received widespread attention after fellow “Culinary Class Wars” judge Anh Sung-jae used in a now-viral garlic ramyeon recipe on YouTube.

GS25 released a pork belly lunch box, side dishes and a French toast sandwich created with chef “Auntie Imokase” and Chinese food items like mala xiang guo (stir-fried hot pot) and firecracker chicken with contestants “Comic Book Chef” and “Self-Made Chef.”

GS25's white and black marshmallow cakes were inspired by the color scheme of Netflix show "Culinary Class Wars." [GS RETAIL]

The convenience stores plan to continue collaborating with the show's cast and creating products that use Netflix’s intellectual property.

BGF Retail merchandiser Lee Eun-gwan said CU would carry on its now 10-year partnership with Paik to create more products exclusive to the chain.

“We will expand our collaboration with Netflix to include products in other categories,” GS25 confectionary merchandiser Choi Won-pil said in GS Retail’s Tuesday news release.

BY KIM JU-YEON [[email protected]]