“Zero Guests on the Bride’s Side” – Why Chef Hu Deok-juk’s Wedding Seats Were Empty: “They Opposed Me Being a Chef”

[Financial News] Legendary Chinese cuisine chef Chef Hu Deok-juk, who drew attention with his appearance on Netflix’s “Culinary Class Wars Season 2,” cited his wife as the driving force behind his 57-year career devoted solely to being a chef.
On the 19th, the official YouTube channel of the tvN variety show “You Quiz on the Block” released a teaser for the episode airing on the 21st, featuring Chef Hu Deok-juk’s culinary life and behind-the-scenes stories from “Culinary Class Wars Season 2.”
In the video, when asked about “the driving force that has led me for 57 years,” Chef Hu Deok-juk answered, “my wife.” He recalled, “When I met my wife, her family was opposed to our relationship,” adding, “We decided to get married on our own without her parents’ permission.”
When Chef Hu Deok-juk said, “If you said you were a chef, people wouldn’t even look at you,” Yoo Jae-suk responded, “I saw your wedding photos, and there were no guests on your wife’s side.” The wedding photo that followed showed Chef Hu Deok-juk walking into the ceremony hall, with the guest seats on his left side completely empty.
On the show, Chef Hu Deok-juk also shared a special connection with the late Lee Byung-chul, founder of Samsung Group. When Yoo Jae-suk said, “I heard you went around looking for food because Chairman Lee Byung-chul’s health was not good,” Chef Hu Deok-juk explained, “At the time, there was something called medicinal cuisine,” and recounted how he even went abroad to personally learn recipes for the chairman.
“I went to restaurants as a customer, ate the food and took photos to learn the recipes, but one owner told me, ‘I’m not selling this to you. Get out,’” he recalled. “So I waited outside the restaurant until 10 p.m., and when the head chef was leaving, I told him, ‘I came because I really like your food.’ Then he answered my questions and even cooked for me himself.”
Regarding his appearance on “Culinary Class Wars Season 2,” he added, “To be honest, it was pretty tough. At one point I thought it might be better to be eliminated,” but continued, “At first, I wanted to make it to the finals. After I was eliminated in the top three, I did feel a bit disappointed.”

Chef Hu Deok-juk worked at Palsun, The Shilla Seoul from 1977 to 2019, overseeing the VIP banquet at the time of the establishment of diplomatic relations between South Korea and China in 1992. He later became executive director of culinary operations at Hotel Shilla Co., Ltd. in 1994 and was promoted to managing director in 2005, becoming the first person in Korea’s culinary industry to rise to an executive position at a major conglomerate. He is currently the executive chef of Hobin at The Ambassador Seoul – A Pullman Hotel, which has been awarded One Michelin Star for two consecutive years, 2024 and 2025.
bng@fnnews.com Kim Hee-sun Reporter