Presidential couple to highlight seasonal Korean cuisine and holiday traditions
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and first lady Kim Hea Kyung are set to guest star on the hit JTBC cooking variety show “Chef & My Fridge,” the presidential office announced Thursday.
Airing Sunday at 9 p.m. local time, the special holiday installment is titled “Chuseok Special: Please Take Care of My K-Refrigerator” (translated). In the episode, the presidential couple will spotlight seasonal produce from Korea’s farms and seas while celebrating traditional Chuseok dishes, weaving in personal anecdotes about their favorite foods and cherished holiday memories.
“Through this Chuseok special, which will also be available worldwide on Netflix, the program aims to convey the warmth of the holiday spirit to the Korean people while showcasing the fresh appeal of K-culture to a global audience through food,” the presidential office said in a statement.
“Chef & My Fridge,” which first ran from 2014 to 2019, quickly became a breakout hit for JTBC with its one-of-a-kind format: Guests’ refrigerators are transported to the studio, where top chefs face off in a culinary battle, creating original recipes using only the ingredients in the fridge.
After a five-year hiatus, the show returned for a second season in 2024, once again fronted by veteran emcees Kim Seong-ju and Ahn Jung-hwan -- the latter a former soccer star. The revival has been fueled by renewed interest in food-focused entertainment, following the breakout success of Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars.”
Among the new faces this season is star chef Choi Kang-rok, who rose to fame on “Culinary Class Wars,” joining returning fan-favorites Kim Hyun-suk and Kim Poong.
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