An Hyo-seop studied 'Black and White Chef' to prep for JTBC's 'Final Table', premiering Oct 24

JTBC's Final Table premieres October 24 at 10:40 PM. An Hyo-seop has been doing his homework.

He plays Kang Han, a mysterious genius chef, in the new Saturday-Sunday drama written and directed by Kim Do-hoon — the filmmaker behind The Moon Embracing the Sun and Royal Family. At the production presentation October 22 at The Link Hotel in Guro-gu, Seoul, An Hyo-seop walked through how he prepared for a role that demanded real kitchen credibility.

Knife skills, wok work, and cooking show research

"I practiced hard to ensure there were no flaws when showing techniques like knife skills, wok skills, and plating," he said. He watched Black and White Chef and Master Chef Korea to study how competition chefs carry themselves—their gestures, their expressions—and thought about folding that composure into Kang Han. (He also admitted feeling guilty throwing away vegetables during practice.)

Hong Hwa-yeon plays Choi Song-yi, the new owner of Restaurant Familia and head chef Choi Seung-ho's only daughter, working as the restaurant's hall manager. She described the character as someone with a "salty taste"—starting from hardship before arriving at comfort and emotion. Jang Ryul takes on Cha Woo-jin, Kang Han's rival and the top domestic star chef. He trained roughly two months of daily mornings with a real chef before filming began, working through knife skills and wok technique. Jung Yu-jin plays Seon Jeong-won, the overall producer of the competition. She called the ensemble "a bibimbap-like work where diverse ingredients with unique characters harmonize together."

What the show is actually about

The drama unfolds around "The Table: K-Chef 2026," a competition to find the best Korean chef, drawing contestants from around the world. Director Kim Do-hoon drew a clear line between Final Table and cooking variety shows: "If variety shows focus on cooking techniques, winning and losing, and individual stories, we focused more on why chefs make food." He framed the drama around chefs healing themselves through the act of cooking, the way artists sublimate conflict while creating work.

An Hyo-seop reached for a similar register when describing what he hopes viewers take away. He compared the show to his mother's kalguksu—"not flashy or perfect," but warm with sincerity. "If watching the drama makes someone think of someone precious or want to share a delicious meal together, I couldn't ask for more."