# Hasung Lee
**Hasung Lee** (이하성, Lee Ha-sung), known on screen by the nickname **Culinary Monster** (요리괴물), is a South Korean fine-dining chef who finished as runner-up in the second season of Netflix's cooking competition *Culinary Class Wars* (흑백요리사: 요리 계급 전쟁), losing the January 13, 2026 finale to White Spoon chef [Choi Kang-rok](https://www.edgepedia.org/choi-kang-rok)[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/). He competed as a Black Spoon, the label the show gives lesser-known chefs facing established stars, and built his reputation in New York fine dining before appearing on television[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/) • [2](https://www.hasunglee.com/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Known as | Culinary Monster (요리괴물), his Black Spoon nickname on *Culinary Class Wars*[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/) |
| Season 2 result | Runner-up; lost the finale on January 13, 2026 to Choi Kang-rok, whose winning dish took the 300 million won (roughly $203,000) prize[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/) • [3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-class-wars-season-2-winner-choi-kang-rok/) |
| Training | Culinary arts at a Korean university and the Culinary Institute of America[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/) |
| Kitchen career | Chef de cuisine at Atomix in New York from its opening; earlier stage at the French Laundry[2](https://www.hasunglee.com/) |
| Signature final dish | Sundaeguk, a blood-sausage soup he called his comfort dish, cooked for the theme "Just One Dish For Myself"[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/) |
| Current project | Opening his own restaurant in New York, where he has been based since filming wrapped in May 2025[4](https://www.tvguide.com/news/culinary-monster-on-culinary-class-wars-season-2-finale-opening-his-restaurant-in-new-york/) |
## Training and kitchen career
Lee studied culinary arts at both a Korean university and the Culinary Institute of America, the [Hyde Park, New York](https://www.edgepedia.org/hyde-park-new-york) cooking school[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/). His professional record centers on New York fine dining: he was chef de cuisine at Atomix from the restaurant's opening, and before that he worked at the French Laundry, Thomas Keller's three-Michelin-star restaurant in California's Napa Valley[2](https://www.hasunglee.com/). In a season 2 interview he named Keller as the chef he would most like to compete against[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/).
His cooking on the show blended Korean and Western technique, and the season's chefs identified him early, from his fine-dining résumé and quiet confidence, as the contestant to beat[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/).
## Culinary Class Wars season 2
*Culinary Class Wars* pits 100 chefs in two tiers: celebrity "White Spoons" against lesser-known "Black Spoons" competing for the title of Korea's top cook[5](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241015006300315). Lee entered season 2 as a Black Spoon at the urging of his close friend Kim Taesung, the season 1 contestant known as Hidden Genius; the two had worked together at the sister restaurants Atomix and Atoboy, and Lee recalled Kim telling him, "Ha-sung, go out here. I hope it will be an opportunity to gain confidence on your own"[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/).
During the competition he fought a one-on-one battle against White Spoon chef [Son Jong-won](https://www.edgepedia.org/son-jong-won), a matchup that became one of the season's talking points[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/). He reached the top seven as one of only two Black Spoons still standing, alongside the traditional barkeep Brewmaster Yun[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/). In the semifinal "Infinite Cooking Hell" round on the theme of carrots, he outlasted the field to reach the final[6](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202601131739248906_).
**The final.** The 90-minute finale asked the two finalists to cook "Just One Dish For Myself," a theme both said was difficult because they were trained to cook for others[3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-class-wars-season-2-winner-choi-kang-rok/). Lee made sundaeguk, a blood-sausage soup inspired by meals he ate after going to the bathhouse with his father as a child; Choi won with a soup featuring sesame tofu, served with soju, taking the unanimous judges' vote and the 300 million won prize[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/) • [3](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-class-wars-season-2-winner-choi-kang-rok/). In his finale statement Lee said, "As a chef, I want to be someone who's really good at cooking... And through this profession and ability to cook well, I want to make the people around me happy, including myself"[1](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/).
## After the show
Lee has been in New York since filming for season 2 wrapped in May 2025, preparing to open his own restaurant there[4](https://www.tvguide.com/news/culinary-monster-on-culinary-class-wars-season-2-finale-opening-his-restaurant-in-new-york/). In interviews after the finale he described his goal as providing the best possible experience of food and service to guests[4](https://www.tvguide.com/news/culinary-monster-on-culinary-class-wars-season-2-finale-opening-his-restaurant-in-new-york/). His personal site also documents past collaborations, including a project with the New York restaurant Noreetuh[7](https://www.hasunglee.com/event/project-three-jkft7).
## References
1. [Who Is the 'Culinary Class Wars' Season 2 Runner-Up? All About Hasung Lee, a.k.a. Culinary Monster, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-monster-hasung-lee-culinary-class-wars-season-2/)
2. [Hasung Lee, official website](https://www.hasunglee.com/)
3. [Who Is the 'Culinary Class Wars' Season 2 Winner? All About Choi Kang-rok, Marie Claire](https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/tv-shows/culinary-class-wars-season-2-winner-choi-kang-rok/)
4. [Culinary Monster on Culinary Class Wars Season 2 Finale, Opening His Restaurant in New York, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/news/culinary-monster-on-culinary-class-wars-season-2-finale-opening-his-restaurant-in-new-york/)
5. ['Culinary Class Wars' creators address concerns about class divide, tease Season 2 plans, Yonhap News Agency](https://en.yna.co.kr/view/AEN20241015006300315)
6. ['흑백요리사2', 최종 우승자 탄생...파이널 진출자 반전은 없었다, YTN](https://www.ytn.co.kr/_ln/0117_202601131739248906_)
7. [Sura 1.0 — Hasung Lee](https://www.hasunglee.com/event/project-three-jkft7)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Food, cooking and hospitality › Restaurants, chefs, and culinary practice › Chefs, culinary professions, and hospitality › Chefs by nationality and region*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license