Culinary Class Wars season 2 delivered an intense finale on 13 January 2026 that ended with the victory of White Spoon chef Choi Kang-rok. With calm precision and laser-sharp focus, Choi outperformed his rivals and, eventually, defeated Black Spoon finalist Culinary Monster to be crowned winner of the Netflix cooking show Culinary Class Wars season 2.
After being eliminated in season 1 of the reality series, Choi returned for season 2 with quiet resolve. His journey reached a turning point in episodes 11 and 12, where he surpassed the highest score in the semi-final round, Infinite Cooking Heaven, in a single attempt, becoming the first contestant to secure a place in the final.
In episode 13, chef Choi faced the Culinary Monster, aka chef Lee Ha-sung, in a head-to-head final built around the theme, ‘A One-of-a-Kind Dish for Me’. With a unanimous verdict from chefs Paik Jong-won and Anh Sung-jae, Choi’s victory became one of the show’s most emotionally resonant endings.
In his winning speech, Choi shared, “I will take to heart the feedback the judges gave me, cherish the connections I made here, and live my life thinking even more deeply about food.”
Meet ‘Culinary Class Wars’ season 2 winner Choi Kang-rok: His finale dish, relationship status and more
Chef Choi Kang-rok’s winning dish
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For the final cooking challenge, Choi presented a broth-based sesame tofu dish. He explained that, although he initially didn’t want to choose something so demanding for a personal dish, the 90-minute time limit pushed him towards sesame tofu as a way of checking in with himself. He said that the dish had taught him discipline and resilience, repeatedly reminding him not to grow complacent.
After tasting both dishes presented by the two final contenders, the judges selected Choi’s dish as their top choice. With this verdict, he was crowned the winner of Culinary Class Wars season 2 and took home prize money of KRW 300 million (approximately USD 225,000).
Also read: Know the 20 White Spoon chefs in Culinary Class Wars season 2
His early life and academic background
Born in South Korea in 1978, Choi Kang-rok, also known as Roi Choi, followed an unconventional path into the culinary world. Before a passion for cooking entered his life, he aspired to become a drummer. He then briefly enrolled in college to study Spanish before dropping out.
During this period, he worked part-time kitchen jobs to support himself. It was then that he encountered the Japanese food manga Shōta no Sushi (1992–1997). Before long, it ignited his fascination with cooking and planted the idea of becoming a chef in his head.
Choi graduated from Jungsan High School and went on to formally train in Culinary Technology Management at the prestigious Tsuji Culinary Institute in Japan.
Career setbacks and breakthroughs
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Choi opened his first restaurant at 24, but the venture failed. A second sushi business also closed, leaving him financially strained. At one point, he lived in a Buddhist temple before returning to Japan to pursue training at Tsuji.
After struggling to stabilise his career, he took a salaried position at a tuna trading company to pay off debts. It was during this difficult period that he impulsively applied to MasterChef Korea season 2 (2013).
The decision proved life-changing. Choi won the competition and became one of the most respected figures to emerge from the franchise.
Choi has also appeared in The Blank Menu for You, a popular South Korean Netflix talk show which premiered in February 2025.
Relationship status
Despite his television success, Choi has remained notably private about his personal life. Choi is reportedly married and has a daughter.
He is also an author
In 2025, Choi released Cooking for Life, his first essay collection and second book following the 2023 recipe book Choi Kang-rok’s Cooking Notes. Cooking for Life was selected as one of 10 titles featured in the 2025 Seoul International Book Fair’s showcase of newly published works.
During the fair, Choi shared that his long-term dream is to build a library-cum-kitchen, a space that combines a working kitchen with shelves of cookbooks, allowing visitors to cook, read and explore his extensive culinary library in one place.
His new YouTube show
After running the Japanese restaurant Neo (2022-2025), Choi has shifted focus to new projects. On 12 January 2026, he launched a YouTube series titled Food Otaku. The six-part Korean reality show follows Choi as he travels through Japan searching for high-quality food ingredients, drawing on his deep knowledge of Japanese cuisine and culture.
(Hero and featured image credit: Netflixkr/Instagram)
Note : The information in this article is accurate as of the date of publication.
