The YouTube channel Studio Slam uploaded a video titled Combined age 225: We’re taking a filial sightseeing trip with the Black & White chefs — Cooking Grandpas in Taiwan.
In the clip, the show's standout chefs — Hu Deok-juk, Park Hyo-nam, Kim Do-yoon and Yoon Nam-no — gather ahead of their Taiwan trip, sharing excitement and candid takes on life.
They got laughs and tugged at heartstrings as they revisited the tough early days of their careers. Kim Do-yoon recalled starting kitchen work around age 18 for an hourly wage of just 500 KRW (about $0.38), which surprised many. Park Hyo-nam said he was earning about 30,000 KRW (about $22.50) a month at the same age, a reminder of how much the industry has changed.
Yoon Nam-no, who made roughly 150,000 KRW (about $112.50) as an intern, paid tribute to the hardships older chefs endured. The group fell quiet when the eldest, Hu Deok-juk, described primitive early cooking conditions — wooden workbenches and briquette fires — that shaped his craft.
The chefs also shared their travel philosophies. Park Hyo-nam described travel as pure freedom and said he’s proudly spontaneous, sticking to a strict no-plan rule.
Park even told a story about hopping on a last-minute, one-night trip to England—“like taking a taxi”—just to watch Son Heung-min play. He also pedals to Gangwon FC matches, showing off an energetic side. By contrast, Hu Deok-juk, who’s been busy for the last five years, dreams of simple pleasures: hunting down great local restaurants and wandering through markets with family.
Ingredients and food obsession naturally came up next. Kim Do-yoon, who lived in Taiwan for a year, said he prefers exploratory trips that seek out local specialty ingredients over tourist-heavy sightseeing.
Yoon Nam-no didn’t mince words: his trips are all about food. He prioritizes vetted restaurants over famous tourist stops — classic gourmand behavior.
This multi-generational look at the chefs’ honest life stories and fresh challenges launches its Taiwan journey with the first episode on April 4.
Lim Chae-ryeong, TenAsia reporter
