R.C 🛑 ATTENTION: If you haven’t seen the final episode of Season 2 of Culinary Class Wars on Netflix, stop right now. This article contains the biggest spoiler of the entire show.
Still here? Perfect. Then you already know that the internet just broke, but not because of an impossible molecular technique or a gold-plated dish. It broke because of one man, a pot, and infinite patience.
The Culinary Class Wars 2 winner didn’t just take the title and the money; he took the heart of the global audience and, curiously, became the most viral meme of 2026.
We are talking, of course, about the living legend: Choi Kang-rok.
From “White Spoon” to “Jorim-ping”: The Victory of the Quiet Man
When Choi Kang-rok claimed victory this Tuesday, it wasn’t just because of his refined dishes. It was because, in a competition designed to generate anxiety, he decided to go at his own pace.
While other chefs raced against the clock seeking drama and complexity, Choi stayed true to his philosophy: “Braise first, ask questions later.”
Korean fans quickly gave him a nickname that is now history: “Jorim-ping” (an untranslatable mix that would roughly be “Mr. Braise”). And what started as a local joke crossed borders. According to The Korea Herald, international viewers filled social media with untranslatable but hilarious wordplay like “You braise me up” (instead of raise me up) or “Braise the Lord.”
As one YouTube user aptly commented: “He doesn’t fry. He doesn’t rush. He braises.”
“I will braise them all”: The Phrase That Defined the Season and the Culinary Class Wars 2 Winner
The path of the Culinary Class Wars 2 winner was marked by a disturbing calmness. In a show where speed is everything, Choi distinguished his style by resisting the urge to rush.
During the semifinal, in the challenge known as “Infinite Cooking Hell,” Choi dropped the line that Netflix even used to title its official clips: “I will braise them all, until it’s over.”
It wasn’t arrogance; it was devotion. While others fought against time, fans said that “Choi was braising time itself.” That technical consistency was what finally disarmed the judges.
The Final Dish and the Champion’s Irony
However, the moment that cemented his legendary status occurred in the final mission. The prompt was to cook “one dish for himself.”
What did the man famous for braising even rocks do? He didn’t make a braise. He chose a simple soup with tofu and ingredients he liked. His explanation was so honest it left the set silent: he confessed that he had spent much of his career “pretending to be good at braising” to please others, but when cooking for himself, he prefers absolute simplicity.
It was a poetic ending for the Culinary Class Wars 2 winner: taking the world title while admitting his own culinary vulnerability. As a fan on Reddit summarized: “He will braise. Always.”
🧐 FAQs: Everything You Need to Know About Choi Kang-rok, the Culinary Class Wars 2 Winner
If you were left wanting to know more about the man of the moment after watching the season finale, here we answer the most googled questions about the chef who conquered Netflix with calmness and stews.
1. Who exactly is Choi Kang-rok?
Before becoming the Culinary Class Wars 2 winner, Choi was already a cult legend in Korea. He is a chef specializing in Japanese cuisine (with Korean touches) and owner of the restaurant Neo. He originally gained national fame in 2013 by becoming the winner of MasterChef Korea 2. He is known for his introverted personality, dry humor, and obsession with broths and slow cooking.
2. Is it true that he learned to cook by reading manga?
It is 100% real, and he confirmed it himself. Unlike chefs who boast titles from Le Cordon Bleu, Choi confessed that his initial “culinary school” was the famous Japanese manga “Mr. Sushi King” (Shota no Sushi). He read the comic, got inspired, and practiced the techniques he saw in the drawings until he perfected them. Later, obviously, he professionalized his career, but his foundation is purely self-taught and “otaku.”
3. Why did he return to compete if he had already won a reality show?
Precisely for that reason: he sought redemption. Choi Kang-rok participated in Season 1 as a “White Spoon” (due to his status as a MasterChef champion), but suffered a shocking and early elimination in the 1vs1 duel round. His return in Season 2 was to close that wound and prove that his slow cooking could defeat the system that expelled him the first time. And boy, did he succeed.
4. Where is his restaurant and what is served there?
His restaurant is called Shikdang Neo (or simply Neo) and is located in the Songpa-gu district in Seoul. It is not a traditional restaurant with an open menu; instead, it operates as an Omakase style bar (tasting menu where the chef decides what to serve) focused on anju (dishes to accompany alcohol). Getting a reservation was difficult before the show; now, after becoming the Culinary Class Wars 2 winner, it is practically impossible.
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5. What does the viral nickname “Jorim-ping” mean?
It is an untranslatable pun that combines two concepts:
- “Jorim”: Means “Braised” or “Stewed” in Korean (his favorite technique).
- “Ping”: Comes from the popular children’s series Catch! Teenieping, where characters have names ending in “ping.” Fans named him this because Choi tries to “braise everything” (even ingredients that shouldn’t be braised), turning him into a cute and obsessive character like those in the cartoon.
6. Does he have a YouTube channel?
Yes, and it is a phenomenon in itself. His channel is called “Choi Kang-rok’s Cooking World.” The funny thing is that he doesn’t edit the videos to be frantic like TikToks; he maintains his slow pace, speaks little, and sometimes mumbles, generating a “cooking ASMR” atmosphere that fans adore. There you can see the original recipe for the braised chicken that made him famous.
7. What cookbook did he write?
Leveraging his technical knowledge, he published the book “Choi Kang-rok’s Taste.” It is considered a “bible” for understanding the use of soy sauce, mirin, and dashi (stocks) in high-level home cooking. Many of the dishes he presented on the show have their roots in the techniques explained in this book.
8. What is his MBTI personality that fans comment on so much?
Choi is the classic example of an INFP (Introverted, Intuitive, Feeling, Prospecting). Throughout the show, he was seen avoiding conflict, speaking softly, and staying true to his own internal values rather than following external trends. His victory is seen as a triumph for introverts in a world of loud and aggressive chefs.
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