REVIEW: ‘Culinary Class Wars’ Season 2 Serves Us A Strong Second Course

There’s a certain, understated thrill to the Netflix reality series Culinary Class Wars Season 2: it is a prime example of a competition reality show for audiences who want – no, need – to chill out. Kick back and watch some really talented people make food I’m desperate to eat, but will never achieve any modicum of skill to replicate myself. While there are other series that accomplish a similar, laid-back, and relaxing feat, such as Bake Off or The Great Pottery Throw Down, Culinary Class Wars has the added edge of spark due to the wide variety of cuisines being tackled.   

Similar to its premiere season, the Korean show maintains a balance in how it introduces its competition. However, Culinary Class Wars Season 2 offers a new, albeit seemingly arbitrary twist. The series begins with 98 chefs, Black Spoons, entering under their nicknames (only allowed to reveal their real names if they win the competition). The Black Spoons face off against the White Spoon chefs, who are lauded as some of the finest in the world, many of whom run Michelin Star restaurants. 

The “twist” seems, more than anything, like an opportunity to reintroduce a fan-favorite from Season 1, who went on to enjoy his own bout of celebrity as a guest judge on the Korean series Chef & My Fridge. The first three episodes introduce the concept of Hidden White Spoons, two returning chefs who were White Spoons in Season 1. However, where the other Black Spoon contestants must only impress one of the two judges – Ahn Sung-jae and Paik Jong-won, the Hidden White Spoons must impress both to move past the first round. 

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 reintroduces a Season 1 favorite. 

Choi Kang-rok and Kim Do-yun are the two to return, the former stating, in his well-known, dry, slightly self-deprecating delivery, “They say if you do nothing, nothing will happen. And it did seem like nothing would happen, so I decided to come back.” He’s a welcome presence, but again, one that has no real effect on the game. More than anything, it looks like a Chef & My Fridge promo, considering the arrival of Jung Ho-young, Raymon Kim, Sam Kim, and Son Jong-won, who are all regular cast members. 

Beyond that, however, there’s an immediate influx of new talent, many of whom among the Black Spoons seem to have already achieved a level of visibility and success. From former chefs who worked with Ahn Sung-jae, to Culinary Innovator (real name Shin Dong-min), who the White Spoons favor, to a New York-based restaurateur, there’s plenty of “characters” to latch onto, even as Ahn and Paik mercilessly eliminated anyone in the qualifying round who doesn’t meet their expectations. 

Of course, there’s always going to be the one you instantly latch onto. A protagonist type who fits the bill for the underdog story that the Black Spoon versus White Spoon narrative is promoting. And when it works, it works because it will be hard not to root for Brewmaster Yun (Nara Yun) at this rate.

Brewmaster Yun and French Papa are early, Black Spoon favorites. 

A tavern owner who brews her own soju with bar-style snacks in the preliminary round, she makes the case as an early favorite immediately. Yes, there are scripted elements in all reality shows that make the case for the production’s own favorites. But watching her pack the soju distiller with dough, or when her hands shake as she meticulously portions out her meal, she is immediately more relatable than the owner of a mega-famous restaurant, a previous winner of Master Chef, or, in this case, celebrity chefs.

French Papa is another contestant who goes straight for the emotional throughline, having entered the competition to bring joy to his son, who lives with a developmental disability. For him, he finds a language through food. 

While it’s fun to see the many high-skill recipes these chefs bring to the table, Culinary Class Wars Season 2 suffers from an overlong introductory segment. Yes, it helps us get to know the final group of contestants who will go on to face the White Spoon chefs. That said, the time we spend getting to know chefs who will be cut seems like a waste of time, given the length of the episodes. It takes well into the third episode before we’ve moved onto the next showdown.

The joy of the Netflix reality series comes from the competence and artistry of its contestants. 

That next showdown, where a White Spoon chef stands up and a Black Spoon chef can choose to challenge them, is where the spark and personality of the chefs really begin to shine through. It shows who is inspired by whom and which culinary expertise the contestants truly thrive in. It also allows for a more leisurely, one-on-one pacing that gives more time to those in the spotlight.  

More than anything, the joy of Culinary Class Wars Season 2 remains the mouth-watering delights that pop up. The easy rhythm and cadence familiar to those who watch Korean reality shows are present, even when it tries to adopt a gusto equivalent to Physical 100; it’s still relaxing. Really, though, it’s the high-level competence and skill that wows us, inspiring us to try and become our own house master chefs and realizing that even plating is its own art form and that burning garlic is a novice hazard. 

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 arrives when we need it the most, as we slip into the winter months, where our inner, feral energy tries to convince us that an open bag of stale chips scrounged from the back of the cabinet is an acceptable snack. No, we can’t all become master chefs, but the series and the capable hands in which food is being prepared on screen, make us want to try or, at the very least, let us luxuriate through an escapist medium that allows us to daydream we can. 

Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Episodes 1-3 are available now on Netflix.