Memorably, this chef competed in the first challenge wearing a traditional hanbok. It was fitting, as she’s known for concocting elaborate homestyle meals using seasonal ingredients. She runs the popular eatery Drinks and Merriment in Seoul’s famed Gyeongdong Market.

Chef Choi is such a recognizable Korean celebrity chef that he’s even appeared as a contestant in The Masked Singer. When he’s not making cameos or serving as a judge in food competition shows, this famous chef heads the kitchen at Seoul’s fine-dining Korean-European restaurant Choi Dot and the Chinese-fusion restaurant Central Reducer.

It all started with a pot of tteokbokki for this self-taught chef. After encountering various dishes in the comic books he’d read, the chef would re-create them at the comic book shop he used to co-run. Needless to say, his meals were a hit.

This impassioned chef is a veteran of competition cooking shows — he’s a former contestant on MasterChef Korea Season 4. Off-camera, he’s worked at Bennelong, the iconic restaurant at the Sydney Opera House, and now heads up the kitchen at Deepin, a natural wine bar and restaurant in Seoul.

Fans of competition cooking shows might recognize Chef Lee, who won Iron Chef America in 2010. The nine-time James Beard Award nominee, restaurateur, and author served as visiting chef at the White House in 2023 for the official state dinner for the Republic of Korea. He has also appeared in Top Chef and was a judge in Gordon Ramsay’s Culinary Genius. 

Chef Jung carries the esteemed title of being the first female celebrity chef in Korea to specialize in Chinese cuisine. In fact, her nickname is “the Queen of Dim Sum.” In addition to being head chef at Tian Mimi, a Sichuan-style restaurant at the four-star hotel Mercure Ambassador Seoul Hongdae, Chef Jung has appeared on the popular K-variety shows Please Take Care of My Refrigerator and Boss in the Mirror.

This chef knows something about feeding large groups as the head cook of an elementary school in Yangsan City, just north of Busan. She’s been making cafeteria food for 15 years, so it’s no surprise that her meals are bountiful, nostalgic, and made to satisfy the pickiest eaters.

Napoli Matfia strives for perfetto when it comes to handmade pastas, using techniques any nonna would endorse. After earning his chops in Italy, the chef returned to Korea to run his own Italian restaurant, Via Toledo, and introduce Seoul to the authentic flavors of Napoli.

As his nickname suggests, this chef had humble beginnings, starting out in food delivery. From there, he worked his way into kitchens, where he taught himself how to cook by experimenting with Chinese cuisine.

This chef’s nickname is a cheeky reference to his award-winning training: He’s worked at three Michelin-starred restaurants. Today, he’s the chef and owner of Trid, a Seoul-based restaurant serving contemporary fare that has — full circle — appeared in the Michelin Guide multiple times.