The explosive popularity of Netflix’s hit series Culinary Class Wars Season 2 (Black & White Chef 2) is no longer confined to screens — it has officially taken over Korean bookstores.
Following the release of Season 2, sales of Korean cookbooks skyrocketed, with several titles recording astonishing increases ranging from tens to hundreds of times compared to the previous month. The phenomenon highlights a powerful trend: viewers are turning into readers.
Cookbook Sales Jump as High as 227 Times After the Show
According to Korean online bookstore YES24, sales in the Home & Cooking category rose 27.7% month-on-month in December. In the 20 days following the first episode’s release, books written by chefs appearing on the show recorded sales growth from double digits to triple digits.
The most dramatic surge came from chef Woo Jung-wook, who appeared as a “Black Spoon” contestant this season. His book, Woo Jung-wook’s Table, originally published in 2019, saw its sales jump by an incredible 227 times, proving the show’s immense rediscovery power.
Other notable increases include:
- A Subtle Difference in Home Cooking by chef Lim Sung-geun (winner of Hansik Competition 3): 42x increase
- What Do You Eat to Live? and Temple Food Told Through Stories by monk-chef Sunjae: 31x and 27x
- Choi Kang-rok’s Cooking Notes: 11x
- What It Means to Cook by Choi Kang-rok: 9x
Even Season 1 Chefs Are Seeing a Revival
The wave didn’t stop with Season 2. Cookbooks by chefs from Season 1 are also enjoying renewed attention.
- Napoli Mafia: Secret Recipes by Season 1 winner Kwon Sung-jun rose 14.6% week-on-week
- Imokase: A Joyful Table by chef Kim Mi-ryeong doubled in sales during the same period
This rare “reverse charting” effect shows how a single Netflix series can revive years-old titles overnight.
Bookstores Confirm: Cooking Books Are Back
Major offline retailer Kyobo Book Centre reported similar results. In the three weeks following the show’s release, cooking book sales increased 12.5% year-on-year. Among the top 10 bestselling cooking books, three were written by chefs from the show.
Top Kyobo rankings included:
- #2 Super Edition Woo Jung-wook Recipes
- #3 Choi Kang-rok’s Cooking Notes
- #5 Napoli Mafia: Secret Recipes
Actor Ryu Soo-young Still Dominates the Charts
Despite the chef-driven surge, the overall bestseller crown remains with actor Ryu Soo-young. His cookbook Ryu Soo-young’s Lifetime Recipes, popularized through the TV show Fun-Staurant, continues its long-term dominance.
The book has:
- Held #1 in the Home & Cooking category on YES24 for 27 consecutive weeks
- Ranked as YES24’s #1 overall bestseller of the year
- Recorded a 26.4% year-on-year sales increase in December
Interestingly, its core buyers are women in their 40s (33.5%), followed by women in their 50s (21.4%), proving that Korean cooking content resonates strongly across generations.
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KOREA FBI Editor’s Comment
This isn’t just a food show trend — it’s a cultural shift. Culinary Class Wars proves that when storytelling, craftsmanship, and authenticity collide, content doesn’t end with the final episode. In 2026, K-food is no longer just cooked — it’s collected, read, and remembered.
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