Video Posted on Chimchakman YouTube Channel on the 17th
Napoli Mafia Chef Kwon Seong-jun, the winner of Netflix's cooking survival show 'Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War,' appeared on Chimchakman’s YouTube channel to share updates since his victory.
On the 17th, Chimchakman’s YouTube channel uploaded an interview video with Chef Kwon, who was visited by Chimchakman at his restaurant. Chef Kwon revealed that reservations have been pouring in since his win, saying, "We received 110,000 reservation requests. I'm considering whether to increase the number of reservations or expand the restaurant."
He also mentioned his past experience opening and then closing a cafe, saying, "When I ran the espresso bar, I sold Americano under the 'NON COFFEE' concept. I was thinking about how to sell it faithfully to the concept without getting criticized."
He continued, "The cafe was very short-lived. It was very different from cooking. I have a quick temper and can’t stand waiting, but a cafe is all about waiting. Getting stressed at the cafe even affected my pasta restaurant. So I boldly decided to close the cafe."
Chef Kwon also shared the difficulties of running a cafe. He explained, "No matter how well prepared a cafe is, there’s an 80% chance it will fail. It’s a business that depends on the neck, and competition is fierce. It’s also hard to differentiate. The investment cost is very high."
He emphasized that he grew by meeting various chefs through 'Black and White Chef.' Chef Kwon said, "I met chefs from various fields and developed a lot of respect for their cooking. One of the results that came out by mixing various influences was a pasta using geogukji (fermented seafood stew). I was influenced by many people during the competition, which changed me."
He added, "It was the final round, right? There was 300 million won at stake, and it could have ended in one go. Even then, Chef Edward Lee was doing experimental things." He said, "Honestly, I wanted to win. Compared to Chef Edward Lee, who felt like the final boss, I had a shorter career and hadn’t achieved much. So I made safe dishes and used good ingredients." He explained that he chose safe cooking to win.
He said, "I cooked dishes I was confident in, but when I saw what Chef Edward Lee made, I felt a bit embarrassed even though I used my secret weapon. Chef Edward Lee kept challenging until the end, with the mindset of 'I will challenge even if I have something to lose.'"
Meanwhile, Chef Kwon appeared on tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block’ (hereafter ‘You Quiz’) aired on the 16th and revealed that he used his 300 million won prize money to rent a jeonse (long-term deposit) house. He said, “Actually, I’m someone who is very cautious about becoming lazy, so I hoped not to see this money. To focus more on the restaurant, I immediately put 300 million won into a jeonse house next to the restaurant. It also makes commuting easier so I can focus on the restaurant.” He added, “I thought I shouldn’t see the money, so I made sure it was out of sight right away. I rented a jeonse house.”
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