Five student chef teams will face off Thursday at South Seattle College's Culinary Arts Building in a live Korean cooking competition that's free and open to the public.
The 2026 K-Seafood Hansang Cooking Competition finals run from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6000 16th Ave. SW. Each three-person team must build a complete Korean meal, or hansang (한상), using three required seafood staples: frozen oysters, dried anchovies and seaweed.
The competition, first reported by the West Seattle Blog, is sponsored by CJ CheilJedang, a global food company based in Korea, through its Cuisine.K initiative. The judging panel includes chefs who competed on Netflix's Culinary Class Wars, South Seattle College chef instructors and CJ CheilJedang representatives.
Culinary Class Wars is a South Korean cooking competition series. Its second season aired on Netflix from December 2025 through January 2026. The specific judges for Thursday's finals have not been publicly named.
What's a hansang?
MoonKu Jun, South Seattle College Culinary and Pastry Arts instructor and the competition's organizer, said the format pushes students beyond a single showstopper plate.
"In Korean food culture, it's not just about one main dish. It's about creating balance and harmony between rice, soup, side dishes, proteins, vegetables, and different flavors and textures," Jun said.
Jun said judges will weigh creativity and teamwork as heavily as technical skill. "I want them to understand the ingredients, Korean flavors, and the idea behind Hansang, and then bring their own creativity and culinary background into the final presentation," he said.
The five finalist teams
Eight teams competed in a preliminary round in late October. Radio host Heeok Park and South Seattle College alum and chef Freddy Robinson judged that round and selected the five advancing teams, according to a South Seattle College Instagram post.
The finalists:
- Beyond The Tide: Michael, Harmandeep, Daniela
- Two Roots: Spencer, Mya, Trevor
- Little Red Wagon: Lilly, Rachael, Will
- Seoul Sisters: Foziya, Deeqa, Shreya
- Kimchi Smosas: Noelle, Andrea, Adrian
What's at stake
First place takes home $1,000 and a CJ CheilJedang certificate. Second place earns $300, and third place earns $100. All top-three finishers receive certificates.
Cuisine.K, the CJ CheilJedang program sponsoring the event, focuses on discovering and cultivating chefs specializing in Korean cuisine, according to the company's website. The program offers participants master classes and dining internships in Korea.
The Culinary Arts Building is marked "CAB" on the South Seattle College campus map. Admission is free.
