[K-Women Talk] The Career Paths of "Black and White Chef" Contestants from an Employment Perspective

Various Paths: From Culinary School Graduates to Overseas Study
Climbing Up from the Bottom in the Kitchen
No Royal Road: Perseverance and Steady Effort Are Essential

Lee Sook-eun Publisher of Employment Backbone

Netflix's "Black and White Chef" remains a hot topic even after its finale. News of the contestants' restaurant successes, collaborations with major corporations, and various parodies continue to pour in. While the program raises many keywords to consider such as skill, attitude, teamwork, and leadership, here we will discuss it from a career perspective.

What career paths did the contestants of Black and White Chef take? Analyzing publicly available profiles online reveals four routes. Let's follow the path of professional chefs through these.

First, there are the domestic chefs who graduated from culinary departments at Korean universities or colleges and gained experience at restaurants and hotels. Jang Hojun, who proved himself as a master of Japanese cuisine with tofu dishes in the Infinite Cooking Hell episode, falls into this category. Ahn Yuseong, who presented the presidential favorite Tendon, appears to have entered culinary school later after gaining cooking experience.

Many university graduates apply to franchise and hotel kitchens. Regardless of the place, newcomers handle ingredient transport, preparation, hygiene, and cleaning, often earning less than minimum wage, causing 60% to quit within 1-2 months due to the tough initial adjustment. Some may ask, "If you just need to cook well, why go to university?" but cooking is a blend of technique and experience. The more solid the theory about ingredient properties and uses, the wider the scope for application. Korean universities are highly regarded for their level and diverse curricula, making them good for building fundamentals.

Second, some graduate from domestic culinary departments and then study abroad. Jeong Jiseon, who conquered the male-dominated Chinese cuisine field, studied at Yangzhou University’s culinary department after graduation. The winner of the 300 million KRW prize who made 100 servings of risotto alone, known as the "Napoli Mafia," also studied at a culinary department before training at Italy’s Alma. Choi Jihyung, an expert in North Korean cuisine, studied at Johns Hopkins University in the U.S. Learning Chinese and Western cuisines locally allows one to absorb culture and tradition and keep up with local trends. It also broadens job options such as menu development.

There are also those who entered overseas culinary schools immediately. The "Triple Star," who sliced spring roll wrappers for seven hours and presented flawless dishes, is An Seongjae from Le Cordon Bleu LA. Choi Gangrok, who impressed judges with oysters braised in perilla oil, studied at Japan’s Tsuji Culinary Institute. These two schools, along with the Culinary Institute of America (CIA), are known as the world’s top three culinary schools.

Third, some come from unrelated academic backgrounds but started as kitchen assistants out of love for cooking and built their own careers. Edward Lee, regarded as the de facto winner of this competition, graduated from New York University’s English Literature department and worked at a publishing company. What led him to cooking were memories of cooking with his grandmother in the kitchen as a child and working in restaurants during his youth. His humility and dignity shown on Black and White Chef may reflect the traits of a humanities scholar who has published three food-related books.

Fourth, there are those who literally climbed up from the bottom step by step. Choi Hyunseok, an invincible leader who led his team to victory through ingredient preemption and clear target analysis, is a general high school graduate who never attended any culinary school. The passionate icon who embraced the villain character and brought vitality to the program, the "Cooking Madman," graduated from a culinary high school. The deliveryman-turned-chef "Cheolgabang Chef" has done all kinds of kitchen work in both Korean and Western restaurants.

In summary, there is no royal road. You can choose the path that fits your situation. The path to starting this tough, long, and sometimes risky job varies, but there is only one way to succeed: endure and keep moving forward!

Lee Sook-eun, Publisher of Employment Backbone

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.