Le Grand Chef (2007) on Netflix

Plot summary

The knife of Joseon's last royal chef is presented to the public at a press conference. The chef had cut off his own hand with it rather than cook for the Japanese imperial rulers. A Japanese official admired his loyalty to king and country and carried the knife home with him. His son now returns it to Korea and announces a national cooking contest: whoever wins takes the knife and the place of the royal chef's heir. Two old rivals sharpen their knives. Five years earlier Seong-chan and Bong-ju had both wanted to run Unamjeong, a celebrated Korean restaurant, and Seong-chan's blowfish dish poisoned the jurors. He went to the countryside while Bong-ju lived off his inheritance. The reporter Jin-su helps Seong-chan make his comeback, and at home his grandfather, who has Alzheimer's, needs him.