The throne of chefs is shaking: generational change in cooking entertainment and the counterattack of reality > News

'Street Restaurant Fighter', which is about to air recently, has completely shifted the paradigm of cooking entertainment from 'show' to 'real life'. This program, which recreates a real commercial district on a huge outdoor set measuring 1,200 pyeong, provides a harsh environment that does not allow any protection to the performers. It is very interesting that the greats who dominated the industry, such as Lee Yeon-bok and Lim Ki-hak, have to prove their standing in front of a very basic standard called 'customer's choice'. The fact that one's career, built over decades, can be shaken by a cold reaction from a customer serves as a powerful catalyst that causes the contestants to put down their pride as chefs along with embarrassment.

While cooking entertainment shows are strengthening their reality, the professional entertainer market is also rapidly changing. In the recently announced 'K-Brand Index' expert entertainer category, Chef Kwon Seong-jun took first place, pushing out Baek Jong-won and Lee Yeon-bok, who were traditional chefs, out of the rankings. This result has significant implications. This means that the public no longer just responds to simple information or familiar faces. This proves that an era has arrived where a new type of expert who combines expertise, a unique character that penetrates the public's heart, and the ability to empathize is chosen by the public.

Meanwhile, the roles of chefs within entertainment programs are expanding in more diverse and unconventional ways. Chef Lee Yeon-bok's cheerful reaction upon seeing Kim Jae-joong's unconventional transformation into an 'applause shaman' clearly shows how chefs no longer simply stay in the kitchen but communicate at the center of entertainment narratives. They are now going beyond the position of teachers who pass down recipes, and are pioneering the field as 'entertainers' who interact with various people and maximize the fun of content based on public awareness. These changes are constantly asking questions about how flexibly cooking content can be integrated with other genres and how experts should communicate with the public.

Of course, there are many hardships experienced by veteran chefs amid this flow of change. It is a painful lesson for them that fame and career can actually be toxic when taking on new challenges. However, the reason they jump into survival programs and challenge new types of content is probably because of their desire to show the public the dynamism of the restaurant industry. The sight of these people turning the wok and holding the knife in the end, even in situations where their pride may be hurt, is a process of proving that their sincerity in cooking is still valid, regardless of whether they win or lose.