Chef Kwon Sung-jun has his chestnut tiramisu judged on Culinary Class Wars Season 1. [Netflix]
Chef Kwon Sung-jun has his chestnut tiramisu judged on Culinary Class Wars Season 1. [Netflix]

Chef Kwon Sung-jun, winner of Culinary Class Wars Season 1 under the nickname "Napoli Matfia," has revealed why he purchased a building in Sindang-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

Kwon appeared Thursday in a video titled "The Undercover Building Owner Returns — Matfia (with Kim Pung)" on the YouTube channel Chimchakman.

In the video, Kwon walked Chimchakman and Kim Pung through his plans for the five-story building during their visit to the property.

Kwon purchased the building in February for 3.3 billion won ($2.29 million) — 3.5 billion won including taxes. Based on a maximum bond amount of 2.64 billion won, he is estimated to have taken out a loan of roughly 2.2 billion to 2.4 billion won. The building was constructed in late 2021 and has a land area of 152 square meters and a total floor area of 303 square meters across five stories.

"The first floor will be a cafe, and I think construction will begin around the end of the year," Kwon said. "The second and third floors will be a restaurant, and the fifth floor will be a studio for filming content." He added that interior work alone would cost close to 1 billion won.

The building purchased by chef Kwon Sung-jun. [YouTube channel 'Chimchakman']
The building purchased by chef Kwon Sung-jun. [YouTube channel 'Chimchakman']

On why he chose Sindang-dong, Kwon cited the location and redevelopment potential. The building sits between Yaksu Station on subway lines 3 and 6 and Cheonggu Station on lines 5 and 6, giving it strong transit access.

"I originally wanted to set up in Yongsan, but it was too expensive and many of the buildings there were old," Kwon said. "As I looked for newer buildings, Jung-gu seemed like a good fit. The location is good, and the area is slated for redevelopment, so I thought it wouldn't be a bad choice."

He said that for a fine-dining restaurant, customer accessibility matters more than foot traffic. "It's close to Hannam-dong, Gangnam and Apgujeong, where many high-spending people in Seoul live — and easy to get to," he said. "Because I run a fine-dining restaurant, I had no choice but to pick a spot close to customers with strong purchasing power." He added that his goal was not to sell cheap food in large volumes, which is why he prioritized geographic location over pedestrian traffic.

In late June, on the YouTube channel Dex101, Kwon spoke about the purchase. "I didn't buy it because I had a lot of money — I stretched myself. I saved every penny to make it happen," he said. He noted that many people wonder how he managed to buy a building, and credited his chestnut tiramisu dessert as the single biggest factor. "That was, in effect, the biggest contributor," he said.

Kwon collaborated with a convenience store to release a "Chestnut Tiramisu Cup" based on the dessert he introduced on Culinary Class Wars Season 1 in 2024. The product sold millions of units, drawing wide popularity as a single item.


paq@heraldcorp.com