Gourmet also known as Trencherman, Best Chef is a 2008 Korea

Korea

Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...

n television series by SBS starring Kim Rae Won

Kim Rae Won

Kim Rae-won is a South Korean actor and model. Kim graduated from Joong-Ang University and his childhood dream was to become a basketball player, but his dream was shattered when he hurt his ankle tendon....

 and Nam Sang Mi

Following in the footsteps of the most popular Korean TV drama of all time (based on worldwide sales), Jewel in the Palace (a.k.a. Dae Jang Geum), Gourmet’s main storyline focuses on the artistic and colorful dishes of Korean cuisine. The 24-episode TV mini-series first debuted in Korea on June 18, 2008 to September 9.

The television adaptation follows a movie based upon the same manga, Le Grand Chef

Le Grand Chef

Le Grand Chef is a 2007 South Korean film.-Synopsis:Based on a popular comic book authored by Huh Young-man, the film tells the story of two chefs competing for the title of heir to the last Royal Chef of the Joseon Dynasty.-Cast:...

Synopsis

Talented chefs Bong Joo and Sung Chan were raised like brothers after Sung Chan was orphaned and taken in by Bong Joo's family. Bong Joo’s family owns a famous traditional Korean restaurant and claims descent from the last royal chef of the Joseon Dynasty

Joseon Dynasty

Joseon , was a Korean state founded by Taejo Yi Seong-gye that lasted for approximately five centuries. It was founded in the aftermath of the overthrow of the Goryeo at what is today the city of Kaesong. Early on, Korea was retitled and the capital was relocated to modern-day Seoul...

. Bong Joo assumes that as the eldest, he will be the one to take over his family’s restaurant and marry Joo Hee when his father makes a surprising announcement about a special cooking contest!

Sung Chan is seen as a threat by some because of his youth, talent, creativity and non-conforming ways. Feeling sorry for him, Joo Hee tries to help him. Discovering the truth about their great-grandfather causes a crisis for Bong Joo, but he later becomes even more determined to be a success while Sung Chan decides to leave. Sung Chan becomes a food peddler, specializing in the freshest and best ingredients in traditional Korean cuisine. Will he ever become a chef again? Will they ever become united as "brothers"?

Characters

• Lee Sung Chan (Kim Rae Won
  Kim Rae Won
  Kim Rae-won is a South Korean actor and model. Kim graduated from Joong-Ang University and his childhood dream was to become a basketball player, but his dream was shattered when he hurt his ankle tendon....
  
  ) was raised as the son of Oonamjeong’s current executive chef, Chef Oh, alongside adopted big bro as Oh Bong Joo (Kwon Oh Joong). Sung-chan and Bong-joo have a good relationship and act as true brothers even though Bong-joo was already fourteen when his father brought Sung-chan home and announced he was going to be a part of their family. Sung-chan had something of a misguided youth, causing no end of trouble until he picked up cooking at a relatively late age. Thus he lacks the classical training of his older brother (who studied assiduously to follow in his father’s footsteps since the age of fifteen) but he has a raw talent that his father recognizes. Although he’s still lacking in discipline, he’s creative and passionate about cooking, and jumps into challenges wholeheartedly. In the first episode, he is promoted from sous chef to full chef (albeit a junior one) after he impresses his father with one of his innovations. Sung-chan’s promotion marks a meteoric rise, career-wise, which impresses most of his fellow chefs except for some who are jealous of his success. With his good-natured personality, Sung-chan is well liked by most.

• Kim Jin Soo (Nam Sang Mi) is a foodie with ambitions of being a food critic, and has come to Seoul to take the reporters’ exam at a major newspaper. To do well, she feels she must eat at Oonamjeong first, and through a series of mishaps, both misses her exam and clashes with Sung-chan. She determines to stay in Seoul and take a later exam for another newspaper, and in the interim manages to score a job working as a server (in training) at the restaurant.

• Yoon Joo Hee (Kim So-yeon
  Kim So-yeon
  Kim So-yeon is a South Korean actress best known for her starring role in the television series All About Eve and Iris.-Career:As of 2005 she performed Tsui Hark's "Seven Swords". In 2008, she also had a main role in the drama Gourmet. She was one of the main actresses in the hit drama Iris. The...
  
  ) is the kind, poised secretary to his father. She’s the factory manager of Oonamjeong and always comes through in a crisis with nary a hair out of place. She’s like executive assistant, manager, and PR representative all in one. Their romance, however, is more implied than overt; they both know they like each other, but they aren’t dating. And yet both Bong-joo and Joo-hee’s father seem to expect them to end up married.

• Min Woo (Won Ki Joon) is a senior chef ranked just below Bong-joo who looks down on Sung-chan in a mix of jealousy and derision. Min-woo is the guy you really hate to see in power — he’s skilled, but his personal shortcomings make him a nightmare to be around. He’s not a completely one-sided villain (he has genuine respect for Bong-joo), but he feels threatened because although Sung-chan may have skills, he hasn’t earned his dues and worked his way up properly. He feels that Chef Oh’s favoritism of Sung-chan — even over his own son — is unfair.

• Chef Oh (Choi Bool Am) is the aging executive chef of Oonamjeong, is a descendant of the line of former imperial chefs — he’s the grandson of the man pictured, the last imperial chef. The chef is photographed with the last emperor, upon whom he’d made a strong impression with his devotion and sincerity upon the eve of the empire’s takeover by Japanese rule in 1910.

Cast

• Kim Rae Won
  Kim Rae Won
  Kim Rae-won is a South Korean actor and model. Kim graduated from Joong-Ang University and his childhood dream was to become a basketball player, but his dream was shattered when he hurt his ankle tendon....
  
   as Lee Sung Chan
• Nam Sang Mi as Kim Jin Soo
• Kim So Yun as Yoon Joo Hee
• Kwon Oh Joong as Oh Bong Joo

Extended Cast

• Won Ki Joon as Min Woo
• Choi Bool Am as Mr. Oh (Head Chef / Bong Joo's father)
• Choi Jae Kwon as Sung Shik Gaek (Sung Chan's friend)
• Kang Nam Gil as Director Han (Jin Soo's boss)
• Jung Jin as Ja Woon
• Shim Yang Hong as Director Yoon (Joo Hee's father)
• Kim Ae Kyung as Madam Jo
• Lee Won Yong as Jong Goo
• Lee Won Jong as Dal Pyung
• Hoon Ki as Ki Jung
• Kim Sun Hyuk as Sang Ki
• Choi Jae Hwan as Suk Dong
• Do Yoon Joo as General Manager
• Kim Hye Jung as Manager Kang
• Kim Da In
• No Young Hak

Recognitions

• 2008 SBS Drama Awards: Female Supporting Award - Special Planning Drama (Kim So Yun)

DVD release

The television series was released on DVD in November 2008 by YA Entertainment with English subtitles in two volumes / boxed sets. Each volume will include four discs, with Korean audio and English-language subtitles.

External links

• Gourmet Official Website
• Watch on Drama Fever (US and Canada Only)