The year he turned 26, he opened his first restaurant, Via Toledo Pasta Bar, in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul. He had decided to cook Western food while in the military, and went to Italy, where he went through a culinary school and a Michelin-starred restaurant. Around 2023, when a downturn had him thinking of closing, he moved the restaurant to Yongsan, and around then the Culinary Class Wars production team offered him a place.
The breakthrough yearThe year he turned 29, in September, he appeared in Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars as the Black Spoon chef “Napoli Matfia.” On Oct. 8, he beat Edward Lee with a lamb chop dish and won the final. The chestnut tiramisu from the competition became a convenience store product, and he appeared on You Quiz on the Block to talk about his life in Italy. Italian football legends also visited his restaurant.
In February 2025, his father died suddenly. In May, a collaboration burger became a regular menu item and he was named to Forbes “30 Under 30.” In September, he bought a five-story building in Sindang-dong for 3.3 billion won, and in November he published his first book.
In January 2026, he served as a judge on Cheonha Jeppang and beat Pengsoo on Netflix’s Death Game to win prize money. He started Undercover Chef in May and showed the interior of the building he had bought in July. In September, he released an olive oil collaboration.
Kwon Sung-jun (born Jan 1, 1995) opened his first restaurant, Via Toledo Pasta Bar, in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul, in 2021, the year he turned 26, and became known on Oct 8, 2024, the year he turned 29, when he beat Edward Lee to win Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars. In 2025, the year he turned 30, he bought a building in Sindang-dong, Seoul.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
02 / QUICK ANSWERS
Q & AFrequently asked
- How old was Kwon Sung-jun when he debuted?
- In 2021, the year he turned 26, he opened his first restaurant, Via Toledo Pasta Bar, in Yeonnam-dong, Seoul. Before that he had worked at a culinary school and a Michelin-starred restaurant in Italy.
- How old was Kwon Sung-jun when he became famous?
- On Oct 8, 2024, the year he turned 29, when he won Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars. It came three years after he opened his restaurant. Some outlets, including Maeil Business, gave his age as 30 at the time (the old Korean counting).
- What is Kwon Sung-jun’s real name?
- Kwon Sung-jun. “Napoli Matfia” was his stage name as a Black Spoon chef on Culinary Class Wars. Sports Kyunghyang reports that his real name was revealed only in the final.
- Where is Kwon Sung-jun’s restaurant?
- Via Toledo Pasta Bar in Yongsan District, Seoul. In 2025, the year he turned 30, he bought a building in Sindang-dong, Seoul, and is preparing a new restaurant there. No report was found that it had opened as of Sep 22, 2026.
- How old is Kwon Sung-jun?
- Born in 1995, he turns 31 in 2026 (31 as of Sep 22, 2026). The birth date is from Wikipedia; only the year was confirmed in news reports.