*This content was translated by AI.
Chef Song Hoon (48) gave his honest thoughts on the challenge of "Black and White Cook 2"
Song Hoon is an elite graduate of the prestigious CIA, one of the world's top three culinary schools, and a former Michelin three-star restaurant Souschef in New York. After returning to Korea, he made his name as a judge for a number of programs, including Olive's "Master Chef Korea 4" (2016) and JTBC's "Cooking: The Birth of a Cooking King" (2021), and MBN's "Korea Chicken Fair" (2021).
He also appeared in various entertainment shows such as MBN's "Altoran," tvN's "Wednesday Food Dinner," "Sumine Side Dish," Olive's "Sikbugs," KBS 2TV's "The Boss's Ear Is Donkey's Ear," and SBS's "Law Pioneers of the Jungle." In 2019, he also played an active role in JTBC's 'Please Take Care of My Refrigerator'. Currently, Chef Song Hoon runs Crown Pig (Song Hoon Park) in Seoul and Jeju. In particular, Chef Song worked hard to promote the excellence of domestic livestock products and was appointed as an ambassador for the National Institute of Animal Science of the Rural Development Administration in 2021.
Chef Song Hoon, who boasts such a brilliant history, participated in the global OTT 'Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War Season 2' (hereinafter referred to as 'Black and White Chef 2') as a challenge for the white spoon team and drew attention. After its first debut last month, "Black and White Chef 2" successfully ended with the winner Choi Kang-rok on the 13th of this month.
Chef Song Hoon was unfortunately eliminated from the 1:1 black-and-white match in the second round, but he impressed viewers by showing a chewy confrontation with a junior cooking monster (real name Lee Ha-sung).
In a recent interview with Star News, Chef Song Hoon revealed all the behind-the-scenes stories related to his appearance in "Black and White Chef 2." He said, "Actually, I was invited in season one as well. At that time, it was before the launch, so he didn't say anything about whether he was a judge or a challenger, and he just wanted me to do an interview. But I was spending most of my time in the United States at that time, so I said sorry and refused."
Then, in December 2024, the cast came in again. I didn't think season 1 would go this well (laughs). According to the production team, they were the first to cast me, but they said they would let me unfold as I wanted. In the meantime, no one had ever read the chef's mind, so it was impressive to listen to the request. So I said, 'I want to introduce Korean native pigs.' The production team said, "It will be a good opportunity to inform the chef as he wants, and I will put that intention well into it," so I decided to appear after thinking about two weeks. "I appeared as a white spoon team, but in fact, my heart was okay with the black spoon," he said.
He also expresses his burden. Chef Song Hoon said, "I was a little worried when I heard that many CIA juniors such as Chef Son Jong-won and Chef Lee Jun will come out. I didn't know, but Chef Lee Ha-sung was also from the CIA. "I had such a shallow concern, what if I can't find the money after I go out?" he confessed.
Soon after, Chef Song Hoon said, "When I entered the set of 'Black and White Chef 2', my cooking instinct burst as soon as the recording started. In the past, I felt good because my sharpness was expressed during "Macheco 4." Of course, there was something exhausting as it continued until dawn, but I was more energized and excited. The age difference and experience are not important, and it was an environment where you could really focus on cooking. It created a good tension that made you fall into cooking. I think I'm addicted to survival," he said, reflecting on his initial intention.
Chef Song Hoon warms up the cooking monster that emerged as a "villain" this season. The cooking monster was criticized by viewers for being rude when he pointed out Chef Song Hoon as his opponent and said, "Chef Michael Anthony said, 'I'm better than Chef Song Hoon.' Later, in an interview to commemorate the runner-up, the culinary monster eventually responded to the remarks, saying, "At the time, the expression was excessive because I thought I had to be chosen. I also apologized to Chef Song Hoon," he explained.
Chef Song Hoon said, "At that time, three chefs, including a cooking monster, pointed out me. That's why I heard that the cooking monster made such a strong statement to be chosen. Chef Michael Anthony is a mentor chef that I really respect, and he is very special to me. I remember being embarrassed, not the one who would say that. Even though he was a long junior, talking about this created a stimulating atmosphere full of dopamine, saying, "Wow, crazy." It has become an atmosphere that I have to choose. Survival is a genre that has that kind of fun, so I was stimulated and had fun. Later, a cooking monster came separately and apologized, saying it wasn't really his intention, so he said he did a good job."
At the same time, Chef Song Hoon praised the cooking monster, saying, "I haven't tried it myself, but I think I did a good job resourcefully."
Chef Song Hoon said, "Personally, I'm very disappointed that I can't show you a variety of dishes. Still, it was very nice to meet many chefs, and I was happy to participate in a program that focused only on food and chefs. Macheco 4 was also a great set, and so was Black and White Chef 2. I think the authenticity of the production team and the chefs combined to create a hot synergy effect," he said.
In particular, Chef Song Hoon said, "The number one priority is to promote Korean ingredients to the world, but the biggest reason for the 0th priority was that I challenged for my son like a French papa (real name Lee Dong-joon). I wanted to show it to my two sons, 'Go for it'. "I wanted you to know that there are opportunities to challenge yourself in life, and that it is important to try your best even if it is not your place," he said.
I asked my juniors to be "sincere" and gave them a glimpse of their great character. Chef Song Hoon said, "I feel it while looking at the seniors above me, but I think the most important thing for a chef is 'integrity'. Actually, this job is very boring. It is our job to grill meat again even though we know that we use the same ingredients today and tomorrow. But you just have to find fun somewhere else. It's like what I give you, but all the customers are different. Since the feedback is different, I think this is important to be sincere in finding improvements while cooking the same food. To do so, I try to go out earlier than anyone else, and I don't know this, but if I do it continuously, I know everything. If you are diligent, there is no reason to fail in this industry, and you have no choice but to succeed," he stressed.
Finally, Chef Song Hoon said, "These days, I go back and forth between the United States and Korea for a month. "I want to work a lot when I'm healthy, and I'm grateful to be able to do this," he said. "I've always been a challenging character. It was also a challenge to fold the Western style and cook pork, but it has already been eight years. This year, Crown Pig is set to open in Singapore. I want to export our pig and show this taste to many people. Of course, there is a price, but I think it is my role to give justification for its value and reason, and I am working with a sense of mission. I hope you will realize your dreams beyond your imagination when you are young," he said.
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*This content was translated by AI.
