“I've never met someone like this. I was amazed at how well she did and how well she followed along. She has the best skills among the celebrities I've taught.”
The tvN weekend drama ‘The Tyrant's Chef’, dubbed the ‘second Dae Jang Geum’, has captivated audiences worldwide, declaring that food is another main character, with the cast and crew putting great effort into the food and cooking.
In particular, Lim Yoona, who plays the role of Yeon Ji-young, a chef who suddenly falls into Joseon after winning a French cooking competition, revealed that she performed 95% of her cooking scenes without a stunt double, drawing attention.
With the hard work and dedication of many, ‘The Tyrant's Chef’ has achieved the highest ratings among mini-series aired this year, ranked first for two consecutive weeks in non-English TV shows on Netflix (according to Netflix's official site Tudum), and Lim Yoona has topped the popularity index for five consecutive weeks (Good Data Corporation's Fundex TV-OTT comprehensive and drama cast popularity section), proving to be a phenomenon.
In ‘The Tyrant's Chef’, which is gaining global popularity beyond Korea, the person responsible for menu development, cooking, and training is ‘Master’ Chef Shin Jong-cheol.
Chef Shin has served as the head chef at the Shilla Hotel, the executive chef at JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, and the senior executive in charge of F&B operations at Hoban Hotel & Resort, and is currently the executive chef at Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel.
As the creator of the signature dessert mango bingsu at the Shilla Hotel and having developed buffet menus for five-star hotels, earning the title ‘God of Buffets’, Chef Shin Jong-cheol is also a familiar figure to the public through appearances on variety shows like ‘The Boss's Ears Are Donkey Ears’ and ‘It's a Relief to Rest’.
Recently, in an interview with Maeil Business Star Today, Chef Shin Jong-cheol praised Lim Yoona's performance, saying, “I've never met someone who does it this well,” and called her “a desirable talent.”
“I sent a real chef to the set as a stunt double, but they said she hardly needed it. She did almost everything herself. I think Lim Yoona would have a high chance of success if she pursued a career as a chef.”
Chef Shin, who rated Lim Yoona as having the ‘best skills’ among the celebrities he has taught, added, “She is very intelligent. She understands the process perfectly and thinks ahead. She has great sense and is quick to understand.”
Regarding the success of ‘The Tyrant's Chef’, Chef Shin commented, “The quality of the work is very high,” and stated, “I believe that Lim Yoona's skills, mindset, passion, and Director Jang Tae-yu's excellent directing are the two pillars of its success.”
Unfortunately, the character Yeon Ji-young, the ‘great royal chef’, has only two episodes left. With the latest episode achieving its highest rating of 15.8% (Nielsen Korea nationwide), viewers around the world are paying attention to what kind of conclusion and dishes will be presented in the remaining two episodes of ‘The Tyrant's Chef’.
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
