CNN also noted "Black and White Chef" Ahn Sung-jae... "The Iraqi soldier is the best chef in Asia."

CNN in the U.S. introduced chef Ahn Sung-jae, a judge of the world-popular Netflix program "Black and White Cook" on the 17th.

CNN said, "There is nothing common about Ahn Sung-jae's journey from Iraq's battlefield to Michelin star chef to Netflix's popular programs," detailing the process of a boy who immigrated to California at the age of 13 making his name known around the world as Asia's top chef.

Chef Ahn said, "We were a Lee Mi-ja family who came to Korea chasing the 'American Dream,'" and recalled the time of immigration, saying, "We arrived in the United States without even knowing English."

Chef Ahn said that he thought about joining the U.S. military as the only way to travel and explained the process from volunteering through the U.S. Forces Korea to sending troops to Iraq after the 9/11 incident.

Chef Ahn said, "When I volunteered to send troops to Iraq, everyone asked me why I was doing such a crazy thing," adding, "I grew up hearing about the Korean War and the Vietnam War from my grandfather and father's relatives. I applied to Iraq because I thought this was my only chance to experience war," he said.

Chef Ahn said that his military career at the time was "an eye-opening experience," adding, "The four-year military experience is one of the best moments of my life and it was the most interesting."

He loved racing cars and tried to become a Porsche mechanic after being discharged from the military, but meeting the chefs who worked at the Le Cordon Blue Culinary School in California at the time with two weeks to go before training changed the fate of Chef Ahn Sung-jae.

Chef Ahn said, "They were all wearing white shirts and checkered pants. "I didn't even know what the school was doing," he said, adding that he changed his plans and entered Le Cordon Bleu after receiving counseling, and that his life has changed completely since that day.

Chef Ahn said, "I've never looked back or regretted it," and even joked, "Now it's okay because I drive a Porsche."

Entering a cooking life was an impulsive decision, but for him, who grew up eating the taste of his grandmother's hands and helped his immigrant parents work at a Chinese restaurant after school, cooking was like a fate to go around blood vessels, CNN said.After completing

Le Cordon Bleu, chef Ahn opened the Parasur San Francisco in 2015 after a career at three-star Michelin restaurants in the U.S., including French Laundrie and Beno.

It was a risky adventure, but the restaurant immediately received a Michelin star, and Chef Ahn made a spectacular debut in San Francisco's gourmet industry.

In 2017, Chef Ahn returned to his native Korea and took another adventure to open Parasum Seoul.

Chef Ahn said, "I wanted to come back to Korea and take advantage of what I know and what I understand. I wanted to use native ingredients, Korean culture, and heritage," he said, explaining why he came back to Korea.

The theme that runs through Parasite Seoul is 'innovation'.

Chef Ahn said, "In the parameters, I cook what I think is the best without any boundaries or genres."

In 2022, Parasur Seoul received three Michelin stars.

After his appearance as a black-and-white chef, he said he often feels uncomfortable with sudden fame.

However, Chef Ahn asserted that he was never himself in front of the camera.

Chef Ahn said, "I have to speak accurately, logically and carefully. "Because they rely on what I say," he said. "I've never acted, I wanted to be myself. I paid tribute to the participants for their courage and wanted to encourage them," he explained.

Chef Ahn said, "The whole world is fascinated by Korean culture, food, and fine dining," and expressed pride, "Seoul was once a transit point, but now it is becoming a final destination."

Chef Ahn, who established his unrivaled position early as the owner chef of "Masoo," the only Michelin three-star chef in Korea, is recently entering a new era with the appearance of a black-and-white chef.