Last year’s Korean Netflix show Culinary Class Wars helped fuel a surge of interest in reality cooking competitions, as well as the chefs who star in them.
Riding that wave of popularity is chef Anh Sung-jae of Seoul-based restaurant Mosu, which held three Michelin stars before its relocation earlier this year.Ahn, one of two judges on Culinary Class Wars, has partnered with HSBC to create a new, strikingly similar contest set in Hong Kong.
Red Hot Chef, a three-episode series, dropped its first episode on Hong Kong TV channel TVB Jade on July 19. The remaining two are set to air on July 26 and August 2.
The competition features eight Hong Kong chefs, chosen from over a hundred applicants, fighting for the grand prize: a restaurant marketing package worth HK$1 million (US$127,000).
The final eight contestants of Red Hot Chef were chosen from hundreds across Hong Kong, selected by a panel of judges led by Ahn Sung Jae. Photo: TVB Jade/Red Hot Chef