Pasta (TV series)

Pasta (Korean: 파스타) is a 2010 Korean television series starring Gong Hyo-jin, Lee Sun-kyun, Lee Ha-nui and Alex Chu. The workplace romantic comedy is about the dreams and struggles of a young woman who aspires to become an elite chef.[1][2][3] It aired on MBC from January 4 to March 9, 2010 on Mondays and Tuesdays at 21:55 for 20 episodes.

Pasta
Promotional poster for Pasta
GenreRomantic comedy
Written bySeo Sook-hyang
Directed byKwon Seok-jang
Starring
Opening theme"Pasta Intro" by Moon Seong-nam
Ending theme"Lucky Day" by Every Single Day
Country of originSouth Korea
Original languageKorean
No. of episodes20
Production
Executive producerLee Un-jeong
ProducerSon Ok-hyun
Running time60 minutes
Release
Original networkMunhwa Broadcasting Corporation
Original releaseJanuary 4 (2010-01-04) –
March 9, 2010 (2010-03-09)
External links
Website
Korean name
Hangul
파스타
Revised RomanizationPaseuta
McCune–ReischauerPasŭt'a

Synopsis

Seo Yoo-kyung started her career as a kitchen assistant at La Sfera restaurant for 3 years. Her dream is to become an Italian cuisine chef. She eventually works her way up to become a chef. One day, the La Sfera restaurant newly hires Choi Hyun-wook, a chef who went to culinary school in Italy. Upon his arrival, the female chefs are fired one by one and Yoo-kyung finds herself to be the last woman standing. She's fired several times but comes up with ways to be rehired by Choi Hyun-wook. Eventually she's rehired permanently when she wins a blind taste contest. The newly hired president, Kim San hires his friend and celebrity chef Sae-young as a co-head chef to work with Hyun-wook. It turns out that Sae-young and Hyun-wook used to date each other when they were both studying at the Italian culinary school. But they broke up after Sae-young sabotaged his wine by boiling it to win a cooking contest. They turn into rivals and try to outdo each other in making the finest Italian cuisine. Working alongside two celebrity chefs, Yoo-kyung feels small and insignificant. She gradually develops feelings for the charismatic Hyun-wook. However, restaurant owner Kim San begins to become attracted to the spunky Yoo-kyung and the relationships between them become fraught with complexities.[4]

Cast

Main
  • Seo Yoo-kyung, played by Gong Hyo-jin[5][6][7]
    • The daughter of a Chinese restaurant owner whose mother died of cancer, she dreams of becoming a celebrity chef. Having graduated from a lowly culinary school, she starts the series as a kitchen assistant for 3 years at La Sfera. She has a spunky attitude and she finally gets promoted to cook in the first episode, but after a new head chef, Hyun-wook, is hired, she is fired. She is able to return to her job, thanks to the restaurant manager who intervenes on her behalf. But Yoo-kyung has a long way to go until she will earn any respect from chef Hyun-wook for her cooking skills. She makes an effort to learn as much as she can from Hyun-wook and he, in turn, starts to grow fond of her. However, when Kim San, the restaurant owner of La Sfera, returns, her relationship between Hyun-wook and Kim San change abruptly.[8]
  • Choi Hyun-wook, played by Lee Sun-kyun[9][10][11][12]
    • A chef who rose to the top of his profession after starting at the bottom in an Italian restaurant in Sicily. Offered a hefty salary and housing from the La Sfera restaurant, he decides to become the head chef of the establishment. He detests female chefs after having a bad experience in the past and proclaims, "There will be no women in my kitchen". When his ex-girlfriend Sae-young joins him at the restaurant as co-head chef, he frequently quarrels with her and then makes up as they create wonderful cuisine for patrons.[13]
  • Oh Sae-young, played by Lee Ha-nui
    • She's Yoo-kyung's role model as well as her roommate. Sae-young has her own cooking show and is the most celebrated female chef in Korea. During her years in Italy where she went to culinary school, she dated Hyun-wook and ruined his recipe to win a grand prix cooking contest. After returning to Korea, she instantly became a celebrity chef but when she's reunited with Hyun-wook, she has conflicted feelings towards him.
  • Kim San, played by Alex Chu[14][15][16]
    • He's the actual owner of the La Sfera restaurant, but he hides this fact and poses as a regular restaurant patron for 3 years. One day, he takes a peek at Yoo-kyung's notes and develops an interest in her. Nobody pays much attention to Yoo-kyung, who is a kitchen assistant, but Kim San watches her closely. He helps Yoo-kyung from behind the scenes unbeknownst to Yoo-kyung.

Supporting

Reception

The culinary drama, which premiered in Korea on January 4, 2010, started off with ratings around 13 percent and went on to breach the 20 percent mark. According to daily statistics released by research firms TNS Media Korea and AGB Nielsen Media Research, it recorded national viewership ratings of 21.5 and 21.2 percent, respectively, for its final episode.[18]

The show received positive feedback from viewers with its well-balanced combination of a good script, directing and acting.[19][20][21][22]

Ratings
Date Episode Nationwide Seoul
2010-01-04112.2% (13th)13.4% (9th)
2010-01-05211.9% (12th)12.9% (10th)
2010-01-11311.9% (14th)13.2% (9th)
2010-01-12412.7% (11th)14.5% (9th)
2010-01-18510.9% (16th)12.2% (12th)
2010-01-19613.5% (10th)15.4% (8th)
2010-01-25713.0% (11th)15.0% (8th)
2010-01-26814.9% (9th)17.0% (7th)
2010-02-01914.3% (11th)16.4% (11th)
2010-02-021015.7% (7th)18.2% (5th)
2010-02-081115.3% (6th)17.3% (5th)
2010-02-091216.2% (7th)17.9% (5th)
2010-02-151314.7% (6th)15.8% (5th)
2010-02-161416.3% (5th)18.3% (5th)
2010-02-221514.7% (7th)16.0% (6th)
2010-02-231616.3% (6th)18.3% (3rd)
2010-03-011719.7% (3rd)21.6% (2nd)
2010-03-021819.0% (3rd)20.5% (2nd)
2010-03-081919.9% (1st)22.3% (1st)
2010-03-092021.5% (1st)24.2% (1st)
Average15.2%17.0%

Source: TNS Media Korea

Awards and nominations
YearAwardCategoryRecipientResult
2010
CETV Awards[23][24]
 Top 10 Asian StarsGong Hyo-jinWon
Lee Sun-kyunWon
MBC Drama Awards[25] Best Couple AwardLee Sun-kyun and Gong Hyo-jinWon
Best New ActorAlex ChuNominated
Top Excellence Award, ActorLee Sun-kyunNominated
Top Excellence Award, ActressGong Hyo-jinWon

International broadcast
Country Network Series premiere Title
Vietnam HTV3 June 19, 2010 Pasta Hương vị tình yêu
India Puthuyugam TV பாஸ்தா (K-Series)
 Iran IRIB Namayesh December 26, 2019 – January 8, 2020 پاستا (Pasta)
 Thailand True Asian Series September 2011 อร่อยรัก รสพาสต้า[26]

References
  1. Choi, Ji-eun (December 29, 2009). "Lee Sun-kyun says not pressured by new image in Pasta". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  2. Han, Sang-hee (December 29, 2009). "TV Dramas to Look Forward to in 2010". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  3. Oh, Jean (January 4, 2010). "Six dramas revamping 2010 lineup". The Korea Herald. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  4. "Pasta". MBC Global Media. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  5. Han, Sang-hee (January 5, 2010). "Heroines Line Up for Dramas in 2010". The Korea Times. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  6. Kang, Myoung-seok (March 4, 2011). "INTERVIEW: Actress Kong Hyo-jin - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  7. Kang, Myoung-seok (March 4, 2011). "INTERVIEW: Actress Kong Hyo-jin - Part 3". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  8. Choi, Ji-eun (March 9, 2010). "Character Seo Yu-kyung on TV series Pasta". 10Asia. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  9. Beck, Una (April 7, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Lee Sun-kyun - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  10. Beck, Una (April 6, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Lee Sun-kyun - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  11. Beck, Una (April 6, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Lee Sun-kyun - Part 3". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  12. Wee, Geun-woo (December 9, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Actor Lee Sun-kyun - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  13. Choi, Ji-eun (January 14, 2010). "Choi Hyun-wook sets La Sfera on alarm in Pasta". 10Asia. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  14. Oh, Jean (March 29, 2010). "Alex, behind the scenes of Pasta". The Korea Herald. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  15. Kang, Myoung-seok (April 1, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Clazziquai's Alex - Part 1". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  16. Kang, Myoung-seok (April 1, 2010). "INTERVIEW: Clazziquai's Alex - Part 2". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  17. Wee, Geun-woo (February 2, 2010). "MY NAME IS: Kim Hyun-woo". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  18. Kim, Lynn (March 10, 2010). "Pasta makes proud exit from small screen". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  19. Choi, Ji-eun (January 28, 2010). "REVIEW: MBC TV series Pasta - Episode 8". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  20. Wee, Geun-woo; Kim, Sun-young (February 11, 2010). "REVIEW: MBC TV series Pasta". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  21. Kim, Lynn (March 11, 2010). "REVIEW: TV series Pasta - Final Episode". 10Asia. Retrieved November 18, 2012.
  22. Choi, Ji-eun (December 31, 2010). "2010 10Asia's Awards: Writer & Actor of the Year". 10Asia. Retrieved November 27, 2012.
  23. Kim, Lynn (June 18, 2010). "Kong Hyo-jin makes top ten Asian actors list in China". 10Asia. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  24. Kim, Lynn (June 21, 2010). "Kim Nam-joo wins grand prize at award ceremony in China". 10Asia. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  25. Hong, Lucia (December 31, 2010). "Kim Nam-joo, Han Hyo-joo win grand prize at MBC Acting Awards". 10Asia. Retrieved April 28, 2013.
  26. วินนี่ย์หมีพูห์ (September 17, 2011). ""Pasta"...เป็น serie ครบเครื่อง กลมกล่อม เหมือน Pasta รสเลิศ ที่ปรุงมาเป็นอย่างดี". Pantip.com (in Thai). Retrieved August 13, 2016.
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