Pinoy celebrities bring Filipino cuisine to South Korea

FIVE Filipinos — four actresses and a chef-restaurateur — united to represent the vibrant food culture of the Philippines in South Korea. The reality series brings them to Gangnam, Seoul, where they are tasked to run a restaurant that will introduce Philippine cuisine to the city’s bustling dining scene. The culinary travel show, titled Kumusta, is set to premiere on TV5 and Viu on May 24.

Filmed last year, the show is headlined by South Korean star Ji Chang-wook, who assisted the Filipino cast as a server. The celebrities running the restaurant were Jodi Sta. Maria, Janella Salvador, Francine Diaz, Arci Muñoz, and chef-restaurateur JP Anglo.

The show blends food and cultural exchange as the stars break away from their typical on-screen roles to run a fully operational Filipino pop-up restaurant. For most of them, it marked their first time working in the kitchen or service industry.

Speaking in a press conference on March 14 in Pasay City, Mr. Anglo said that he first thought the concept would be “impossible to pull off.”

“That’s what I told them when I was first offered this project. Imagine non-chefs opening a restaurant serving Filipino food in Korea,” he said. “But they were troopers. They embraced their roles the way they embrace their characters when they act. It was impressive.”

Known as the man behind the Filipino restaurant Sarsa and a former MasterChef Philippines judge, he felt joy being able to offer dishes like palabok, sinigang, kare-kare, sisig, gising-gising, lechon, inasal, and halo-halo to Koreans through the show. He added that, though the other cast members did not have his experience, “their heart was really there.”

For Ji Chang-wook — the only non-Filipino in the cast — the role of helping at the restaurant was important.

“When I was asked to join Kumusta, I found it very interesting,” he said in Korean, translated to English at the media conference. “Introducing Filipino cuisine to Koreans was the main point for me, and I thought I could help with this. I really appreciate being a part of it and I did my best.”

Ms. Sta. Maria, who was the hall manager of Kumusta, said that putting a group of strangers together to run a restaurant resulted in them becoming a family.

“Team Kumusta is mapuso (full of heart),” she said. “The most exciting part about sharing our culture is the sense of pakikisama (camaraderie). The international audiences will see how we take care of each other and slowly become a cohesive restaurant.”

Another realization for the cast was how difficult it is to work in the kitchen and service industry, said Ms. Salvador, who was Mr. Anglo’s sous chef.

“I was behind-the-scenes, in the kitchen with Chef JP the whole time. It’s messy. Hindi siya pang-maganda (It’s not for looking beautiful). I have a renewed respect for people who do this as a job,” she said.

Kumusta challenged the celebrities to spend up to 12 hours a day for seven straight days preparing, cooking, and serving dishes for diners. The youngest member of the cast, Ms. Diaz, expressed her gratitude to the others for taking care of her.

“Kapag patapos na ang araw, parang hinahabol ka ng pagod (When the day nears its end, it’s like the exhaustion catches up with you),” she said. “Mahirap maging bunso (It’s difficult being the youngest).”

As for Ms. Muñoz, who actually comes in later in the show as an “all-rounder” reinforcement for the overwhelmed celebrity staff, the project was a dream come true for her.

“I’m a big fan of Korean culture and food, which is the best way to discover a different culture. I was really thankful and happy to be asked to be a part of it,” she said, adding that she was the only one of them to know basic Korean.

The series also boosted its cross-cultural lineup with guest appearances by South Korean celebrities Kim Min-seok, Kim Myung-soo, and Seo In-guk. It is produced by E&S Partners, a subsidiary of Echolive Korea, which is the company that organized Waterbomb Manila in 2025.

For Mr. Anglo, Pinoy audiences can watch out for a unique take on Filipino food being translated into Korean side dishes, which are a staple in every Korean restaurant.

“Overall, I think Koreans were surprisingly impressed,” he said, on how the Kumusta restaurant’s food was received.

Kumusta is set to premiere on TV5’s Weekend Trip block and on the Viu streaming app on May 24. — Brontë H. Lacsamana