Who Is Culinary Monster? Meet the Black Spoon Chef from "Culinary Class Wars" Season 2
Behind the intimidating nickname is a globally trained chef with a resume that rivals the White Spoons.
Culinary Class Wars is back for Season 2, and just like its debut run, it wastes no time pulling viewers in. The pressure is higher, the competition tighter, and the gap between “known” and “unknown” chefs far less obvious than the labels suggest. One of the clearest examples of that tension is Culinary Monster, a Black Spoon contender whose background rivals that of many White Spoon chefs.
Culinary Monster is raw, outspoken, and unmistakably skilled—thanks to a career that fuses traditional discipline with global fine-dining experience. Here’s a closer look at the man behind the moniker.
Who Is Culinary Monster from "Culinary Class Wars" Season 2?
“Culinary Monster” is the nickname for Lee Ha-Sung.
Behind the intimidating nickname is Lee Ha-sung, a chef who has worked largely outside Korea’s media spotlight. The alias represents how he approaches cooking: with intensity, ambition, and unapologetic confidence. It’s a name that signals how seriously he takes the craft and the competition.
He is formally trained at the Culinary Institute of America.
He holds an Associate of Occupational Studies (AOS) degree in Culinary Arts from the Culinary Institute of America, one of the most rigorous culinary schools in the world. That foundation explains his methodical approach in the kitchen—clean execution, clarity of structure, and a comfort with pressure that doesn’t come from instinct alone but repetition and discipline.
His resume rivals that of the White Spoons.
Despite competing as a Black Spoon, Culinary Monster’s background is anything but inadequate. His work history includes Gramercy Tavern in New York, Geranium in Copenhagen, Atomix in New York, and The French Laundry in Yountville.
Currently, Chef Lee is in the process of opening his own restaurant in New York called Oyatte, a project he has described as a culmination of his Western fine-dining career rather than a single-cuisine concept.
His intensity is rooted in fine-dining discipline.
In the competition, Culinary Monster projects confidence that some viewers describe as “arrogance,” while others see it as conviction in his craft. Kitchens like The French Laundry and Atomix demand absolute certainty, speed, and authority. That training shows in how Culinary Monster moves: decisive plating, firm opinions, and little tolerance for hesitation. On Culinary Class Wars, that discipline can feel jarring—but it’s also why his food consistently delivers with intention.
He’s also taken on the role of mentor to rising chefs.
Beyond his own career, he has quietly stepped into mentorship roles within the global culinary circuit. In 2024, he served as a mentor and coach at the San Pellegrino Young Chef Competition, guiding a young chef who ultimately took first place. In an Instagram post marking the moment, Lee wrote that it was “an honor to be a mentor and coach,” adding that he was grateful to have experienced the journey alongside some of the world's best chefs.
