Final Table Opens With a Chef’s Death and a New Cooking Contest

Final Table follows chef Kang Han and restaurateur Choi Song-yi as their lives intersect in South Korea.

Song-yi’s father, respected chef Choi Seung-hyo, had criticised Pyeongyeon Group’s restaurant rating system.

After the group’s attacks damaged his reputation, Choi died by suicide, leaving his daughter to try to restore his name.

Pyeongyeon’s chairwoman responds to the public backlash by announcing a cooking contest called The Table: K-Chef 2026.

The contest is presented as a way to shift public attention from the dispute over the group’s rating system.

Han, who believes cooking should come from the heart, has spent two years travelling around Korea and is preparing to return to New York or face a lawsuit.

The episode sets up a meeting between Han and Song-yi, while the contest and the group’s role in her father’s downfall remain central to the story.