This is a 2010 South Korean Drama with 20, 60 minute episodes.

Seo Yoo-kyung (Gong Hyo-Jin) has worked for three years at an upscale Italian restaurant, La Sfera. Her dream is to become a pasta chef at last place her mother took her to before her death. Finally Yoo-kyung gets to move up and start making pasta but suddenly a new chef is hired and, due to a past incident, he does not like women in the kitchen. Chef Choi Hyun-Wook (Lee Sun-kyun) finds reason to fire all the women including Yoo-kyung. He trained in Italy and brings three Italian chefs who worked for him in Italy to fill the gap left by the women. Not one to give up, Yoo-kyung keeps showing up to work despite being fired. She is determined to fulfill her dream by learning all she can from this Italy trained Chef. Admiration turns to something more but Oh Sae-young (Lee Ha-nul), Chef’s ex appears and she is determined to win him back. Sae-young is friends with the owner, Kim San (Alex Chu) who insists she get a job as Co-chef. Kim San has a secret crush on Yoo-kyung. With a cooking war between the Italian and Korean Chefs, a grouchy head chef who scolds at every turn and multiple love triangles, things really heat up in the kitchen.

*Spoiler 🚨 I could tell this took place 10 years ago as the male to female relations were dated. South Koreans, in everything else I have seen, have closer equality between men and women than they did 10 years ago. I thought the chef was overly harsh in his methods and that she was treated unfairly at times for the simple fact she was a woman. Any time there was an undesirable task, all the men would suggest Yoo-kyung do it as the lowest ranking chef. I actually liked 2nd guy, Kim San, way better as he was very kind to everyone and watched over her for three years, hiding his identity and pretending to be a customer. I was really disappointed with the ending was because she had the opportunity to go to Italy and cook and he, without her knowledge, substituted one of the male cooks so that she was an able to go. He did not want her to leave which is understandable but it was selfish. She was concerned about her father and his health but I think if he had told her he would watch over her father while she was gone then she would’ve went. It seemed all the chefs that had not been trained in Italy were at a disadvantage and as a woman she already had a disadvantage. He had the opportunity to go to Italy as well so it would’ve been good had they just gone to Italy together. Heck the father was also a cook he could’ve gotten some training in Italy as well or at least lived there with them. I don’t know I was just disappointed overall with the way she was treated and the fact that she didn’t speak up for herself more. The second guy was actually much better to the women and I really like that. Overall it was good but the whole woman thing just kept it from being great for me. And I am not somebody who is strongly women’s liberation I think a balanced approach is best. I think there are things women do better and things men do better but if a woman wants to do something or a man that is traditionally one sex or the other I think they should have all equal opportunity with it. It really bothered me the way the South Korean team treated her throughout. So I would recommend it as it is interesting to see what it may be like in a South Korean Italian kitchen but with the awareness that it is a period in time and the way the women are treated could be annoying to some.