"Glasses and Shoes Worth 10 Million Won"…Why 'Heukbaek Chef' An Yuseong Wears Luxury Brands

"Belief in 'Customer Management and Serving Guests'" Conveyed

"Master Chef of Korea" Ahn Yu Sung explained on the 4th through his YouTube channel 'Baeksujeo Ahn Yu Sung' about the luxury outfit he wore in the Netflix show 'Black & White Chef: Culinary Class War'.

Photo by Netflix

Ahn's fashion showcased during his appearance on 'Black & White Chef' became a hot topic as it was revealed that all items were luxury brands. These included glasses from the American high-end accessory brand Chrome Hearts, shoes from the French luxury brand Dior, and pants from the Italian contemporary brand Stone Island. The glasses and pants were known to be priced at 2.7 million KRW and 500,000 KRW respectively, while the shoes were so popular that their resale price soared up to 8 million KRW.

Ahn said, "The glasses are indeed from the mentioned brand, but they are not actually that expensive," adding, "A friend who runs an optical shop gave me a huge discount." Regarding the shoes, he also responded, "They are not expensive." He expressed surprise, saying, "There was even talk about the pants. They even called me a fashion king," and "I never expected such reactions."

He conveyed his belief that paying attention to his outfit is also "for customer management and for the guests." He said, "I exercise and go to the sauna every morning to take care of my body. Clothes are in the same context. It is the minimum courtesy to customers," but also answered, "I am not rich."

Born in 1972, Master Chef Ahn Yu Sung is a Japanese cuisine expert who runs 'Gamae Ilsik' in Seo-gu, Gwangju, and was selected as a "Master Chef of Korea" last September. He is the first master chef in the entire Jeollado region in the culinary field. When former presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in, and current president Yoon Suk-yeol visited Gwangju, they visited his restaurant, earning him the nickname "President's Sushi Chef." It is especially known that former President Kim enjoyed Ahn's sushi so much that he took it to the Blue House to eat.

Regarding his participation in 'Black & White Chef,' he revealed, "Among the Baeksujeo chefs, there are various compositions such as fine dining, Michelin stars, and the U.S. White House, but I heard that there was not a single one from the Honam region," and added, "Honam is the city of taste, so I thought this didn't make sense and decided to appear." He was eliminated after finishing last in the team mission called 'Sales Battle.' Netizens expressed regret over his elimination, saying, "They eliminated the Japanese cuisine master without even showing sushi once. Eliminated because of the lowest sales? What kind of cooking competition is this?" and "We wanted to see the cooking king, not the sales king."

In response, Ahn said, "Although I feel a bit disappointed about being eliminated, the love from viewers is greater overall, so it turned out to be a blessing in disguise." Regarding his restaurant being fully booked every day recently, he posted on Facebook, "What on earth is going on?" showing a happy reaction.