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Ahn Hyo Seop flexes cooking skills vs Chang Ryul in culinary drama

Kristofer Purnell
11/09/2026 01:00:00

MANILA, Philippines — Korean star Ahn Hyo-seop takes his talent to the kitchen in an upcoming culinary drama pitting Korea's top chefs against one another.

"Final Table" centers around the fictional "The Table: K-Chef 2026" competition, a high-stakes culinary contest where fierce rivalries, unexpected bonds, and deeply personal stories unfold with every dish.

Hyo-seop, portraying a chef for the first time, plays Kang Han or Chris K., who built his career overseas but keeps his origin a secret. An incident propels Chris K. to become the head chef of a restaruant and eventually the "The Table" contest.

Hong Hwa-yeon plays Choi Song-yi, only daughter of the chef considered to be the "godfather of Western cuisine in Korea." She is fighting to keep afloat her father's restaurant — the same one that Chris K. now heads.

Rounding out the main cast is Chang Ryul as Cha Woo-jin, the perfectionist star chef responsible for Korea's finest contemporary restaurant whose sole career defeat was against Chris K.

"As they push one another to the edge, plate after plate — and somewhere between the rounds, the rivalry turns into something closer to care," goes a synopsis. "A warm survival drama about people who come to win, and end up mending each other's wounds instead."

Related: Korean webtoon artist lists pros, cons of screen adaptations

Hyo-seop is best known for "Dr. Romantic," "Business Proposal," "A Time Called You," "Abyss," "Top Management," "Sold Out on You," and the 2025 films "KPop Demon Hunters" and "Omniscient Reader: The Prophecy."

Hwa-yeon entered the entertainment industry after graduating college. She started as a model and appeared in music videos before landing supporting roles.

Her first lead role was 2025's "Buried Hearts" opposite Park Hyun-sik, and that same year, starred in "Tastefully Yours," "I Am a Running Mate," and "The Price of Confession." She appeared in "Filing for Love" earlier this year. 

Chang Ryul is known for his roles in "My Name," "Bargain," "The Scandal of Chunhwa," "Something in the Rain," "My Mister," and "Arthdal Chronicles."

His next movie, "The Table: Day and Night," with Kim Min-ha, Joo Jong-hyuk, Han Su-hwa, Shim Eun-kyung, and Kim Dong-hwi will open this year's Busan International Film Festival.

The series helmed and written by Kim Doh-hoon premieres on streaming platform Prime Video on October 24.

by Philstar