Kwon Sung-jun, better known by his chef nickname “Napoli Matfia,” won Season 1 of Culinary Class Wars.

Who won Season 1?

  • The first-ever champion of Culinary Class Wars Season 1 is Napoli Matfia (real name Kwon Sung-jun).
  • He defeated Korean American chef Edward Lee in the final cook-off to claim the title.
  • As winner, he received the grand prize of 300 million won (around US$220,000).

A quick bit of context

  • Culinary Class Wars is a high-pressure Korean cooking survival show on Netflix that started with 100 chefs split into “Black Spoon” underdogs and “White Spoon” star chefs.
  • Napoli Matfia entered as a Black Spoon chef and became a fan-favorite underdog as he advanced through the missions.

What decided the finale?

  • In the final, Edward Lee presented a creative dessert riff on tteokbokki with makgeolli , while Napoli Matfia served an intricate lamb and pistachio dish with Barolo sauce, truffle, and stuffed raviolo.
  • The two judges unanimously chose Napoli Matfia’s course, citing his balance of flavor, technique, and storytelling through Italian-inspired dishes.

TL;DR: The winner of Culinary Class Wars Season 1 is Napoli Matfia (Kwon Sung-jun), the Black Spoon underdog who beat Edward Lee in the final and took home 300 million won.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.