"Choi Hyun-seok Smiling at the Thought of Dropping?"... An Seong-jae Speaks Out on the Popularity of the 'Meme'

"Felt the Need for New Energy" Reveals Reason for Appearance
"Asked About Cooking Intent to Ensure Distinctiveness"

Chef An Seongjae, who gained much popularity through the Netflix variety show 'Black & White Chef,' has released a photo shoot, during which he clarified the 'meme about being excited to knock down Chef Choi Hyunseok.' On the 18th, Singles published an interview along with the photo shoot of An Seongjae, who appeared on 'Black & White Chef.'

Chef An Seongjae, who gained great popularity through the Netflix variety show 'Black and White Chef,' has revealed photos from a pictorial, and he clarified the 'meme about being excited to beat Chef Choi Hyunseok.' The photo is not related to the specific content of the article. [Photo by Yonhap News]

The released photo shoot cuts featured Chef An Seongjae wearing a black coat and black slacks, exuding a unique atmosphere. In the following interview, when asked if he had anticipated this popularity, An Seongjae said, "I did not expect or intend this boom from the beginning," adding, "But looking at myself, the chefs around me, and the business, I felt that some new kind of vitality was needed."

He continued, "As someone who takes food very seriously, I wanted chefs to show not laughter but their strong pride and persistent attitude toward their work," and said, "I hoped that through such raw authenticity, a great program that could actually help the dining industry would be created. Thankfully, the production team fully understood and accepted my opinion."

In 'Black & White Chef,' An Seongjae asked chefs about the intention behind the food they prepared. He said, "Everyone must have brought their secret weapons, and of course, the taste has to be there, but I asked about the intention to have a distinguishing factor beyond that." He added, "No matter how much of an expert I am, believing that my evaluation is absolute is a dangerous thought. If I judge a dish as good or bad just by tasting it without hearing the chef's intention, I think that is not a fair opportunity for the chefs," and continued, "Chefs are the ones who imagine, execute a series of tasks, and create the final product, so asking about their intention was very natural to me."

I also asked if he had seen the memes edited with Chef Ahn's image from "Black and White Chef." Chef Ahn replied, "Even if I didn't want to see them, I ended up seeing them because people around me kept sending them."
[Photo by Online Community 'FM Korea']

He was also asked if he had seen the memes edited from his appearances on 'Black & White Chef.' Chef An replied, "Even if I didn't want to see them, people around me kept sending them, so I watched." Regarding the 'meme about Chef An Seongjae being excited to knock down Chef Choi Hyunseok,' An said, "That is actually the most unfair thing; I did not act with that thought," explaining, "It was my affectionate expression that there were really many diverse flavors, and wasn't there a photo of me smiling while looking at Chef Choi's back? That was truly my feeling that the chef is giving his all with passion, which is amazing and admirable. But somehow, it was connected in that way," he clarified.