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'Culinary Class Wars' chef Choi Kang-rok starting 'Food Otaku' show on YouTube

Published: 08 Jan. 2026, 14:38

YOON SO-YEON
[email protected]

Poster for the YouTube series ″Food Otaku,″ featuring chef Choi Kang-rok [TEO]

“Culinary Class Wars” (2024-) star chef Choi Kang-rok will start his own YouTube show series titled “Food Otaku” on Jan. 12.

The six-part series will revolve around Kang, a known “otaku” — which refers to both a subculture enthusiast as well as a zealous fan of any field — searching for the best food ingredients in Japan using his knowledge of both food and Japanese culture. A teaser video was uploaded to the YouTube channel of TEO, the show's production company.

Choi is said to have began his gourmet career after reading famed Japanese sushi manga “Shōta no Sushi” (1992-97). He also runs a Japanese restaurant named Neo in Songpa District, southern Seoul.

Choi appeared as a “white spoon” chef on the first season of hit Netflix cooking show “Culinary Class Wars,” where he got eliminated in the sixth episode. Still, he gained popularity with his unique personality and appetite-inducing recipes.

He has made it to the final competition in the show's second season, which was released on Dec. 16 and ends on Jan. 13.

BY YOON SO-YEON [[email protected]]