Netflix 'Culinary Class Wars' Star Park Eun-young Announces Wedding Live on TV — Here's What She Said

Park Eun-young, the star chef who won over millions of viewers as the "Goddess of Chinese Cuisine" on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, made a surprise announcement live on television on March 29: she is getting married. The 35-year-old will wed her partner — a physician — at the Shilla Hotel in Junggu, Seoul this coming May, according to reports confirmed on March 30.

The announcement came during a broadcast of JTBC's long-running culinary talk show Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, where MC Kim Sung-joo introduced the moment to the audience: "There's a chef here today who will announce her marriage." What followed was the kind of personal disclosure that rarely happens on live television — and the reaction from fans and fellow industry figures has been overwhelmingly warm.

From Netflix Sensation to May Bride

Park Eun-young's path to this moment has been one of Korean food television's best stories of recent years. She trained under master chef Yeo Gyeong-rae, one of South Korea's most respected names in Chinese cuisine, and built her reputation through years of dedicated work in the kitchen. But it was her appearance on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars (흑백요리사) Season 1 that introduced her to a genuinely mass audience.

On the show, which pits Black Spoon chefs — those without Michelin-star recognition — against White Spoon chefs who already carry the industry's highest honors, Park competed as a Black Spoon, representing the grassroots talent of Korean cooking culture. Her skill, personality, and the credibility she brought as a student of Yeo Gyeong-rae made her one of the season's most memorable competitors, and the show itself became one of the most talked-about Korean food programs of 2024.

Since then, she has joined the cast of Please Take Care of My Refrigerator and appeared across a range of entertainment programs on MBC, KBS2, and JTBC, building on the visibility that Culinary Class Wars provided. She also operates her own restaurant in Gangnam-gu, Seoul, where her Chinese cuisine background continues to define her professional identity.

The Groom and the Wedding Plans

Park Eun-young's future husband is a physician. His name has not been publicly released, with her management declining to comment on specific personal details beyond confirming the wedding. What has been confirmed is that the couple developed their relationship over time, building trust before deciding to take the step toward marriage.

The wedding venue — the Shilla Hotel in Junggu, Seoul — is one of South Korea's most prestigious and storied settings for such occasions. Founded in 1979, the hotel has hosted countless significant events in Korean public life, and its selection for Park Eun-young's wedding speaks to the significance the couple is placing on the occasion.

The wedding is scheduled for May 2026. Park has indicated that she plans to share the news with her colleagues on Please Take Care of My Refrigerator first — a gesture that reflects the warmth with which she has spoken about her work on the show and the relationships she has built there. The show's April 5 episode is expected to feature her formal announcement to the cast.

Fan and Industry Reaction

The response from fans and the Korean entertainment industry has been immediate and positive. Park Eun-young's visibility following Culinary Class Wars gave her a fanbase that extends well beyond the traditional food television audience, and many who followed her journey on the show have expressed genuine happiness at the news.

On social media, the hashtags associated with the announcement trended throughout the day on March 30, with fans sharing their congratulations and recalling favorite moments from her television appearances. The warmth of the response reflects the affection she has built with audiences who have watched her work — not just as a skilled chef, but as someone with a distinct and engaging personality on screen.

Within the food and entertainment industry, the announcement was received with similar warmth. Park Eun-young has developed meaningful professional relationships through her television work, and the connections she has made in the industry have added to the celebratory atmosphere surrounding the news.

What Comes Next

Park Eun-young has not indicated any plans to step back from her professional work following her marriage. Her restaurant in Gangnam-gu continues to operate, and her television presence remains strong. The trajectory she has been on since Culinary Class Wars — expanding from food television into broader entertainment programming — shows no signs of slowing.

The announcement on Please Take Care of My Refrigerator was described by those present as a genuinely emotional moment, one that captured something real about the warmth Park Eun-young brings to her public life. For an audience that has followed her journey from the competitive kitchen of Culinary Class Wars to the stages of mainstream entertainment, the news of her wedding feels like a natural and happy chapter in a story that continues to unfold.

As May approaches, Park Eun-young's fans will be watching — not from the competition floor this time, but from a place of genuine celebration for someone who has become one of Korean food culture's most beloved faces in a remarkably short time.

The Rise of Celebrity Chefs in Korean Entertainment

Park Eun-young's trajectory reflects a broader shift in Korean entertainment culture, where culinary figures have moved from supporting roles on talk shows to becoming full-fledged celebrities in their own right. Culinary Class Wars, which launched on Netflix in 2024, was a major driver of this shift. The show's premise — pitting Michelin-starred White Spoon chefs against talented but unrecognized Black Spoon chefs — created a compelling underdog narrative that resonated far beyond the traditional food television audience.

As a Black Spoon chef competing with the credibility of Yeo Gyeong-rae's training behind her, Park Eun-young occupied an interesting position within that narrative. She was simultaneously a relative newcomer to mainstream television and someone with deep professional credentials in Chinese cuisine. The combination worked. Her presence on the show helped build the argument that Black Spoon chefs were not simply underdogs but genuine professionals whose work deserved the kind of attention that the competition format could provide.

The personal announcement of her wedding continues that trajectory — a chef who became a celebrity, and a celebrity who has handled her personal life with the same directness and warmth that made her compelling on screen. As she moves toward the next chapter of her life, Park Eun-young's fanbase has shown every sign of moving with her.