Cast members and producers of “Genie's Kitchen” stand in front of a photo wall during an online press conference for the release of the TV show “Genie's Kitchen.” Photo provided by tvN, June 28. Yonhap News Agency
tvN's hit reality show “Genie's Kitchen” has returned for season two, showcasing Iceland's first restaurant featuring hearty, warm beef soup.
“This is in line with our goal of promoting Korean food,” producer Na Young-seok said at an online press conference ahead of the show's premiere on Friday.
Na said beef soup, known as “gomtang” in Korean, was chosen as the main dish for several reasons, including that it's a favorite of restaurant owner Lee Seo-jin, it's well suited to Iceland's cold climate and it's easy to prepare.
“You just simmer the ingredients for hours. No special skills are required,” he says, “and since we named the restaurant after Seojin, we thought we'd try and fulfil his wish this time.”
“Considering the cold weather in the country, I didn't expect so many people to come. I was surprised by the large number of people who came,” actor Lee said.
“At first, we thought, 'The customer is king,' but we quickly became obsessed with how much money we were making,” he says. “As we made record profits, we wanted more and more.”
A teaser released on Friday shows a long line of customers outside a restaurant in Iceland's capital, Reykjavik, as Lee apologises to patrons for having sold out of food.
“Jinny's Kitchen” is the second spinoff of the 2017 drama “Youn's Kitchen,” following “Youn's Stay.” The original show featured Oscar-winning “Minari” actress Youn Yeo-jung as the owner of the restaurant and lodge.
Season 1 of “Genie's Kitchen” aired in February last year and featured Korean celebrities Lee Seo-jin, Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-joon and Choi Woo-sik selling Korean street food in a small town in Mexico. In season 2, the cast remains mostly the same, except for Go Min-si replacing BTS's V.
“I seriously thought about starting a new chapter in my life,” Park Seo-joon joked, thinking about changing jobs. “I thought I could survive in a different job.”
Tsuyoshi, a new trainee, said, “I wasn't confident in my cooking, but I was able to complete the job quickly. I want to get promoted within the company.”
The show is set to premiere on cable channel tvN and streaming platform TVING at 8:40 pm on Friday. (Yonhap News)
