Food business becomes new reality TV trend

From left, posters for cooking shows “Ramyun Brothers In Japan,” “Happy CEO” and “Welcome to Fishermen's Seafood Bar” / Courtesy of TV Chosun, JTBC and Channel A

By Lee Gyu-lee

Cooking shows featuring celebrities running their own restaurants have emerged as a new reality TV trend.

JTBC rolled out a new cooking reality show, “Happy CEO,” Sunday, starring comedians Lee Kyung-kyu and Park Na-rae and actor Kang Yul. The show invites the cast to jump into the food delivery business.

The three hosts each run their own delivery-only food service with a menu they personally invented. Joined by other celebrities like actors Han Seung-yeon and Yoon Park, the three team up and compete against each other to see who will survive in the business.

“The show is about celebrities, who are devoted to food and cooking, competing for business. I'm interested in the tension that surrounds the kitchen,” producer Seo Dong-gil said during an online press conference for the show.

“There are a lot of emotions within the kitchen and that brings out people's character. So I took the concept of a delivery food service and made it into a show.”

Veteran actor Lee Deok-hwa and comedian Kang Ho-dong also took a stab at running a food business with a reality show.

The popular reality show “The Fishermen and the City” got its spin-off, “Welcome to Fishermen's Seafood Bar,” inviting the original show's cast to open a seafood restaurant.

The 12-part show, which wrapped on June 8, followed six celebrities ― actors Lee Deok-hwa, Lee Tae-gon and Yoon Se-ah, and comedians Lee Kyung-kyu, Lee Soo-geun and Kim Jun-hyun ― operating a raw fish restaurant with the seafood they caught themselves.

Opening the restaurant for nine days over three months, the cast members served about 280 customers, raising over 11.4 million won ($8,700).

On the other hand, Kang teamed up with singer-actor Lee Seung-gi and actor Bae In-hyuk to introduce the world of Korean noodles with the food show “Ramyun Brothers In Japan.”

The show, which premiered last month, stars the three cast members running a Korean noodle restaurant in Japan. Each day, they come up with a new variation and different toppings to go with the Korean noodles for the local Japanese customers. If any one of the customers dislike the menu, they have to switch to a new one.

The three come up with creative offerings incorporating Korean dishes like jeyuk bokkeum (spicy marinated pork) or haejangguk (dried pollack soup), to captivate locals in Japan, the country that is famous for ramen itself.

“Since right after (Kang) confirmed joining the show, he experimented with different recipes using various ingredients like curry, beef brisket and octopus,” the show's producer Eum Jin-seok said. “His effort to fully immerse himself in his role and take responsibility in whatever he takes on will drive (the show) to capture viewers' empathy.”

Scenes from tvN's reality show "The Genius Paik" / Courtesy of tvN

Celebrity chef and restaurant business owner Paik Jong-won also took the lead in bringing a group of celebrities abroad to run a Korean restaurant.

TvN's reality show "The Genius Paik," which ended on Sunday, invited Paik and a group of celebrities, including actor Lee Jang-woo and singers John Park and Kwon Yu-ri, to start their own restaurants in cities in Morocco and Italy where locals are unfamiliar with the cuisine.

The 13-part show created a buzz with the realistic obstacles the crew faced while trying to run a restaurant in an unfamiliar neighborhood and with Baik's quick-witted business skills and know-how to make it successful.

“It's been over 20 years that I've been running a business on my own. But with 'The Genius Paik,' I had a chance to truly start from scratch for the first time in about 20 years … It would have been really hard to do by myself. I got a lot of help from the cast who have been on my side,” Baik said, explaining that the show's experience reminded him of his early days in business.

“I also realized it's important to introduce the taste of Korean cuisine and how to enjoy it. Just by doing so, I believe this challenge has already achieved significant success.”