What is Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars about? Black spoon vs White spoon battle, eliminations, & more explained

Culinary Class Wars is a Korean cooking battle show on Netflix. Its first season started on September 17, 2024. The 100 cooks are participating in a culinary competition on the show to see who is the best in Korea. The Culinary Class Wars became the first-ever Korean culinary show on Netflix. The show has a total of 12 episodes.

As the show’s name suggests, the culinary show is divided into two classes, namely White Spoon and Black Spoon. While the White Spoon includes star chefs, the Black Spoon category represents hidden gems of the culinary world. The one who wins will receive 300 million won (S$290,000).

The first seven episodes are currently available on Netflix. Three more episodes are scheduled for October 1, before the finale episodes drop on October 8.

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Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars involves 100 talented chefs in the cooking battle

Culinary Class Wars is the streaming platform's first Korean food reality show, and it follows in the footsteps of Single's Inferno, a dating reality show that has been airing on the network since 2021. Therefore, the streamers hope to have the same kind of success.

Netflix provided the following description of the show on its website:

“Enter Culinary Class Wars, the sizzling competition that will see 100 talented chefs going apron-to-apron in a dramatic battle for culinary excellence.”

It further talked about the White Spoon and Black Spoon classes in the competition:

“Among the 100 competitors are hidden masters (aka “Black Spoon” contestants) who will challenge the star chefs (aka “White Spoon” contestants) to become the best of the best in Korea.”

Netflix's Tudum article about the show accurately portrayed the 12-episode series as a ‘Physical: 100’, albeit with more appealing uniforms and an arena equipped with culinary equipments, because on this platform, 100 skilled chefs compete for culinary distinction. Both classes, come head to head in a series of culinary events, with participants being eliminated until only one Spoon is left.

Paik Jong-won, a restauranteur with many awards and TV shows to his name, is the judge of the competition. The other judge is Chef Anh Sung-jae, who works at the three-starred Mosu Seoul restaurant.

From the outset, 80 Black Spoons are explicitly criticized by the top 20 White Spoons, who have been deliberately positioned on a podium. Sixty Black Spoons have already been swiftly removed in a rapid challenge, leaving 20 to compete against the 20 White Spoons. Since the White Spoons' reputations are at stake, the format tends to engross its viewers.

Master of School Meals, Cooking Maniac, Comic Book Chef, and Auntie Omakase #1 are some of the Black Spoons in the Culinary Class Wars. These Black Spoons have also been cooking Korean cuisine for years. Some have been running their restaurants, while others have been making cafetaria food for years.

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Culinary Class Wars has helped illustrate the diverse range of South Korean cuisine, and introduce them to the world.