Who is Sam Kim from Culinary Class Wars season 2? Here's everything to know about the chef

Culinary Class Wars season 2 premiered on December 16, 2025, on Netflix. The cooking reality show received much attention during its first season. It reached number one on Netflix’s Global Top 10 for three weeks. 

This made it the first non-scripted Korean reality show to do so, as reported by Netflix in 2024. 

The show’s format is quite unique, where 100 chefs compete with each other. These chefs are divided into two groups, the White Spoons and the Black Spoons. 

The White Spoons are celebrated and acclaimed chefs who compete in the show with their real names. 

The Black Spoon chefs are comparatively new, and they participate in the show with their alias. 

In second 2 of the Culinary Class Wars, the White Spoons are some of the most revered and celebrated chefs in Korea. 

One such White Spoon in the show is Chef Sam Kim. He is one of the most recognizable faces in the show. He has also participated in Please Take Care of My Refrigerator in the past. 

Sam is renowned for his smiling face and happy demeanor.

He operates two Italian restaurants named Trattoria Sam Kim and Osteria Sam Kim. 

His real name is Kim Tae-hee. 

Culinary Class Wars season 2: Meet the White Spoon, Chef Sam Kim 

Chef Sam Kim is one of the 18 White Spoons that were introduced in episode 1 of the Culinary Class Wars season 2. 

One Black Spoon contestant stated after his introduction:

“One of the best meals I ever ate was at one of Chef Sam Kim’s restaurants.” 

Sam Kim appeared on several shows on Korean television.

The character of Chef Choi Yoon-wook on the Korean drama series Pasta was inspired by him.

Lee Sun-kyung played the role of Chef Choi Yoon-wook, who specializes in Italian food. 

Apart from being the inspiration, he also played a cameo on the drama. 

He appeared in the drama as a guest at Choi Yoon-wook’s restaurant and praised his food. 

Sam Kim is the owner of the Osteria Sam Kim in Seoul, serving Italian food. 

It is the first restaurant he owned after being a chef for 20 years, as reported by Korea AngJoong Daily in 2017. 

About opening a restaurant so late in his career, he stated (via Korea AngJoong Daily):

“I’ve had opportunities to open one up before, but I was quite cautious and worried about a lot of things. Some people think opening up a restaurant can be an easy fallback plan, but it’s really not. People don’t come to restaurants just for the food.

"You have to meet a lot of people, do a lot of research, explore areas, and try a lot of dishes. Above all, the concept of the restaurant is so important. Whether it be about the food or the interior design, there needs to be something about the restaurant that sticks in their minds after their experience.”

Chef Sam Kim is quite active on social media. 

He frequently posts about his restaurants and dishes on his Instagram handle, @chefsamkim. 

Kim also has a YouTube channel where he shares vlogs, recipes with the viewers. 

His YouTube channel, @Samkim-s8c, has 35 videos and 81.8K subscribers. 

According to an article in the Korean Herald, Sam Kim's restaurant, Trattoria, features an open kitchen. 

The chef checks in “every plate” until it’s served. 

It would be interesting to see Chef Sam Kim’s journey in Culinary Class Wars season 2 when he competes with the rest of the Black Spoons. 

Stay tuned for more such updates.