‘Undercover Chef’ Spin-Off Brings Naples and Chengdu Teams to Korean Kitchens

tvN is extending its culinary variety format with “Undercover Chef: Friends Who Came From Afar,” a new spin-off scheduled to air later this year. The program will bring local chefs who appeared in the original series to Korea, placing them in unfamiliar Korean kitchens and reversing the roles that defined the first season.

The original “Undercover Chef” followed prominent Korean chefs as they returned to countries connected to their culinary foundations. Instead of entering as established professionals, they went undercover as the most junior workers in local restaurants. The setup removed the authority associated with their names and required them to complete hidden missions while adapting to new workplace customs, unfamiliar surroundings, and language barriers.

The original journeys now run in reverse

Chef Sam Kim worked undercover at a restaurant in Parma, Italy, while Jung Ji Sun entered a kitchen in Chengdu, China. Kwon Sung Jun took on his junior role in Naples, Italy. Each location gave the format a different culinary environment, but the central challenge remained consistent: experienced chefs had to listen, observe, and work from the bottom of the kitchen hierarchy.

The spin-off turns that structure around. In Korea, the Korean participants will welcome their overseas colleagues as owner chefs rather than junior employees. That shift changes both the professional balance and the source of the comedy. The hosts now understand the language, ingredients, and restaurant routines, while their guests must navigate the uncertainty that the Korean chefs previously faced abroad.

The Naples team with Kwon Sung Jun and the Chengdu team with Jung Ji Sun have already completed filming. Coordinating the visits was difficult because the participating chefs operate restaurants and must balance production with their businesses. Sam Kim’s Parma team could not take part in this installment, leaving the first spin-off focused on the two completed reunions.

The Parma connection remains open

The absence of the Parma team does not close the door on a later collaboration. The group plans to visit Korea in February next year, an idea that was also mentioned during the original program’s finale. The participants have discussed the possibility of joining forces again if schedules and circumstances allow, keeping that relationship active beyond the new series.

For the Naples and Chengdu teams, Korea becomes the unfamiliar destination. Their arrival creates a chance to see how chefs shaped by different regional traditions respond to Korean ingredients, service rhythms, and expectations. The practical realities of working together are likely to matter as much as the food, because the format depends on professional pride meeting the need to learn quickly in a new environment.

The change in location also gives viewers a different perspective on the Korean chefs. During the overseas missions, they had limited authority and often relied on observation. Back in their own kitchens, they can act as hosts, mentors, and restaurant owners. How they explain their methods and respond to their guests’ ideas may reveal sides of their leadership that the undercover format kept hidden.

A proven format expands after a strong finish

“Undercover Chef” concluded in July after leading its time slot from its premiere. The finale reached the program’s highest peak rating at 8.6 percent, measured by Nielsen Korea. That audience performance gives the spin-off a clear foundation while allowing the production to continue the relationships built during the international missions.

The new series is designed around reunion, role reversal, and culinary exchange rather than simply repeating the undercover premise. Its entertainment will come from the visiting chefs’ first encounters with Korean kitchens and the new chemistry created when former junior workers become the people in charge. With the Naples and Chengdu episodes filmed, “Undercover Chef: Friends Who Came From Afar” is set to arrive before the end of 2026; a specific premiere date has not yet been announced.