The year he turned 26, he appeared as a contestant on Olive’s MasterChef Korea 4 and was praised by the judges. But he was eliminated in the first boot camp mission. In 2022, he appeared with Park Chan-il, Kang Leo, Jung Ji-sun and others in the Watcha documentary Resophy, which won the Independent PD of the Month award.
The breakthrough yearIn September 2024, the year he turned 34, he appeared on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars as the Black Spoon chef “Cooking Maniac” and reached the Top 8. After competing with the chefs Triple Star and Edward Lee in the Endless Cooking Hell mission, he finished fourth overall and became known. That autumn he joined ENA’s Les Misérables as a regular and launched a beef product with GS The Fresh.
Early the next year, he warned reservation brokers on social media that he would name them publicly. On Please Take Care of My Refrigerator, he beat the chef Choi Kang-rok and was chosen by Ha Ji-won.
In May, he presented “Upbit Pizza” with Dunamu and made a chocolate mousse with cacao he harvested himself on SBS’s Jungle Meals 2 – Caribbean. In June, he opened a one-table restaurant, Namnokase, for the actor Lee Joon, who was preparing for a musical.
In November, he appeared on JTBC Digital Studio’s Heuksim-in Daeho and Tcast’s Set for You. In December, he said on social media that he was leaving Dipin, where he had spent four years.
In January 2026, the year he turned 36, he signed an exclusive contract with the agency T N Entertainment, and in April he opened a new restaurant in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam District, Seoul. He also appeared on MBC’s Manito Club and Welcome, First Time in Korea?
Yoon Nam-no (born Oct 4, 1990) debuted on Mar 3, 2016, the year he turned 26, as a contestant on Olive’s MasterChef Korea 4, and became known in 2024, the year he turned 34, when he appeared on Netflix’s Culinary Class Wars and finished fourth after reaching the Top 8.
Ages are by calendar year (the year minus the birth year), birthdays aside.
Introduced himself as a “cooking lunatic” and was praised by the judges Kim Hoon-yi and Song Hoon after they tasted his cooking.
Source 01 · MyDaily (Korean) · First episode of MasterChef Korea 4 · opens in a new tabAlthough seen as a contender, he was eliminated in the first boot camp mission.
Source 02 · Newsen (Korean) · Eliminated at the boot camp · opens in a new tabAppeared with the chefs Park Chan-il, Kang Leo, Jung Ji-sun and Joseph Lidgerwood. The work was selected for the Independent PD of the Month award for March 2022.
Source 03 · PD Journal (Korean) · Watcha’s Resophy · opens in a new tabSource 27 · Wikipedia (Korean) · Yoon Nam-no · opens in a new tab The exact release date was not confirmed.Attended as head chef of the dining bar Dipin and presented a steamed dish made with Wagyu outside round (a lower cut). He is also a winner of Meat & Livestock Australia’s Pencil Box cooking contest.
Source 04 · ZDNet Korea · Australian beef ambassador event · opens in a new tabSource 05 · Cook & Chef (Korean) · Australian beef event, Dipin head chef · opens in a new tabAppeared as the Black Spoon chef “Cooking Maniac,” reached the Top 8 and finished fourth overall after competing with the chefs Triple Star and Edward Lee in the Endless Cooking Hell mission.
Production staff said he joined the filming of a new variety show with Paik Jong-won and the chef Im Tae-hoon, who had been judges on Culinary Class Wars.
Source 07 · OSEN (Korean) · Joins Les Misérables as a regular · opens in a new tabWorked with GS The Fresh on two grilled beef products, inside skirt and outside skirt, sold in stores nationwide.
Source 09 · Herald Business (Korean) · GS The Fresh Miso beef grill · opens in a new tabAttended the recording with the chefs Jung Ji-sun, Fabrizio Ferrari and Im Tae-hoon.
Source 10 · JTBC (Korean) · Knowing Bros recording · opens in a new tabShowed a day of his life with the actor Choi Kang-hee.
Source 11 · MK Sports (Korean) · Omniscient Interfering View · opens in a new tabWarned on social media that he would publish the real names of brokers who resell reservations if he caught them.
Source 12 · Asia Economy (Korean) · Declares war on ticket scalpers · opens in a new tabCompeted against the chef Choi Kang-rok using the actor Ha Ji-won’s refrigerator ingredients and was chosen by Ha Ji-won.
Source 13 · Herald Muse (Korean) · Refrigerator match against Choi Kang-rok · opens in a new tabLost again to the cartoonist Kim Poong in a match over Park Myung-soo’s refrigerator ingredients, earning the nickname “Yoon Nam-no killer.”
Source 14 · Top Star News (Korean) · Second straight loss to Kim Poong · opens in a new tabWorked with the crypto exchange Upbit on a pizza topped with beets.
Source 15 · EBN (Korean) · Dunamu’s Upbit Pizza · opens in a new tabMade a chocolate mousse with rum using cacao he harvested himself.
Source 16 · Top Star News (Korean) · Jungle Meals 2 chocolate mousse · opens in a new tabOpened a special one-table restaurant for the actor Lee Joon, who was losing weight ahead of a musical.
Source 17 · OSEN (Korean) · Namnokase · opens in a new tabMade kimchi on a large scale with the broadcaster Kim Dae-ho.
Source 18 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Heuksim-in Daeho · opens in a new tabTook on a mission to raise a restaurant’s sales with a set menu, together with Lee Joon, Geonhee and Map Hani.
Source 19 · Sports Donga (Korean) · Set for You · opens in a new tabCompeted against the chef Jung Ho-young on the theme of “rich dishes” for the mukbang creator Ipjjaleun Haetnim.
Source 20 · Edaily (Korean) · Refrigerator match for Ipjjaleun Haetnim · opens in a new tabSaid on social media that he was ending his four years at Dipin. He said he would work until the 31st, take a short break and open a new bistro.
Source 08 · Maeil Business Newspaper (Korean) · Dipin departure announced · opens in a new tabSource 21 · Segye Ilbo (Korean) · Leaves Dipin · opens in a new tabSource 22 · Xportsnews (Korean) · New restaurant four months after leaving · opens in a new tabSigned an exclusive contract with the agency after leaving Dipin.
Source 28 · Sports Donga (Korean) · T N Entertainment exclusive contract · opens in a new tabAnnounced on social media that he would open a dinner-only bistro as owner-chef. He said reservations for April and May were already full with existing customers.
Source 22 · Xportsnews (Korean) · New restaurant four months after leaving · opens in a new tabSource 23 · Xportsnews (Korean) · New restaurant on a 600 million won loan · opens in a new tabTook part in a project cheering for the Ulsan Whales, a professional baseball club owned by citizens. He appeared with the actor Park Bo-young, who is the same age (both born in 1990).
Source 24 · TenAsia (Korean) · Manito Club · opens in a new tabPosted on social media that even after repaying the loan for five years he would only break even, but that it was fun and he was happy. Two days earlier, on MBC’s Omniscient Interfering View, he had said the loan was 600 million won.
Source 23 · Xportsnews (Korean) · New restaurant on a 600 million won loan · opens in a new tabJoined Michelin chefs from Italy and Fabrizio Ferrari on an early-morning food tour of Noryangjin Fish Market.
Source 25 · MHN Sports (Korean) · Welcome, First Time in Korea? · opens in a new tab Based on a preview article published the day before the broadcast.The pledge of a 3.8% rating was not met, so he avoided shaving his head and appeared with a new hairstyle instead.
Source 26 · Newsen (Korean) · Head-shaving pledge falls through · opens in a new tabEND OF SELECTED RECORDSSelected records, 2016–2026 · not a complete list of work. “Key moment” is an editorial label, not a measure of success.
What did they do, and at what age?
AgeTrail lines up the key moments of a life by age.
Debut and breakthrough are marked separately, and every record has a source.
Food · South Korea
Oct 4, 1990 —
Ages are counted from the birth year 1990: the year of the event minus 1990, birthdays aside. “Key moment” labels and the connecting story are AgeTrail's editorial reading.
Fact-checked: 2026.09.29 · An independent archive, not affiliated with the person or their agency.