Pasta (2010)

Food takes center stage in this aptly named South Korean drama series about Seo Yoo Kyung trying to move up in the male-dominated culinary world. Yoo Kyung is the daughter of a Chinese restaurant owner who aspires for success at a fine-dining Italian restaurant. She toils as the lowest-ranking kitchen assistant at La Sfera restaurant but hopes to move up to chef someday. Her goals become even harder to achieve when the restaurant hires the tyrannical new head chef Choi Hyun Wook, who immediately fires the female chefs in his new kitchen. Despite also being fired a number of times, Yoo Kyung survives the hostile work environment through her own drive and determination as well as the secret backing of Kim San, the behind-the-scenes restaurant owner who is smitten with her. The kitchen gets even hotter when San hires his friend Oh Sae Young, the most popular female celebrity chef, as co-chef to Hyun Wook. It turns out that the two dated while in culinary school in Italy, but the relationship ended badly when Sae Young sabotaged Hyun Wook to win a cooking contest. Through great spunk and perseverance, Yoo Kyung manages to improve her culinary skills under the tutelage of temperamental Hyun Wook while also capturing his heart. You'll never look at a plate of pasta in the same away again!