Yoona And Lee Chae-Min Share Chemistry And Cuisine In ‘Bon Appetit Your Majesty’

Lee Chae-min and Lim Yoon-a star in ‘Bon Appétit Your Majesty.’

Studio Dragon

While Bon Appétit Your Majesty serves up some delicious chemistry between stars Lim Yoon-a and Lee Chae-min, the real star of this Korean drama may be the fine cuisine. Not since Dae Jang-geum has there been a k-drama so dedicated to satisfying a discerning royal palate. The sweet and thrilling love story between modern-day chef Yeon Ji-young (Lim) and feared Joseon-era tyrant Lee Heon (Lee), demonstrates the persuasive power of a well-prepared feast.

“What sets our drama apart is that it takes cooking seriously.,” said director Jang Tae-you, who happens to know a lot about love stories, since he directed Painter of the Wind, Deep Rooted Tree, My Love from the Star, Hyena, and Lovers of the Red Sky. “The lead isn’t just a chef in name—food is at the heart of the story. A king who changes through food, the relationship between cuisine and politics, between food and romance. This is a story born from the hands of a chef.”

In that sense Bon Appétit reminds the director of his past drama Painter of the Wind, where paintings weren’t just props—they were like main characters. Similarly, in Bon Appétit Your Majesty, every episode features one or two signature dishes created by Yeon Ji-young.

“As soon as we got the script, we consulted with culinary professors to research, plan, and design each dish—how to cook it and how to film it,” said Jang at a recent press conference. “We even had a dedicated sub-team focused solely on food styling and preparation. A lot of effort went into making sure viewers could almost taste the dishes just by looking at them on screen. It was a real challenge, but also an incredibly fun one. Rather than focusing on the time-travel element itself, our main emphasis was on the clash between the greatest chef of the modern era and the greatest tyrant—and gourmet—of 500 years ago.”

“The theme of cooking was very intriguing,” said Lim, also known simply as Yoona. “I’ve always been interested in cooking, and since this story revolves around it, I was drawn in. Yeon Ji-young is a character who returns to the past, constantly pioneers a new life, and chases her dreams, which felt hopeful and inspiring to me. I was captivated by her honesty and boldness, which is why I chose Bon Appétit Your Majesty.

The Girls Generation singer and actress spent months preparing for the role. Lim (King The Land, Big Mouth) attended a cooking academy for three months to learn basic knife skills and food preparation.

“I also learned some of the specific dishes featured in the drama from our culinary advisor,” said Lim. “I used to cook casually as a hobby, but now I’m even familiar with professional cooking terminology. Knife work is still challenging, but I feel my skills have improved compared to before. That said, dishes requiring intricate knife techniques were the most difficult. Both knives and fire can be dangerous, but thanks to the crew’s careful safety measures, I was able to cook safely throughout filming.”

Finding the right actress to play the chef was crucial to the drama’s success. The actress needed to have historical drama experience and to fit the image of a successful chef.

“I wondered if any actress could embody this—and I hoped maybe Yoona could,” said Jang. “Fortunately, our schedules aligned, and it felt like fate. She amazed me by personally mastering so many aspects of the role with great dedication.”

Lee Chae-min (Hierarchy, See You In My 19th Life) also spent months preparing for his role.

“Lee Chae-min trained every day without fail, practicing horseback riding, archery, and physical conditioning,” said Jang. “As you’ll see in the drama, his character frequently shows his abs on screen, which is a very challenging role for an actor. But thanks to Lee Chae-min’s dedication and hard work, I was able to film those scenes whenever I wanted. I’m truly grateful and more than 120% satisfied with his performance. He not only prepared thoroughly but also delivered excellent results. You’ll be able to see it on screen.”

His character is very charismatic.

“I focused on faithfully bringing that to life through my performance, said Lee. ”I focused on playing the role with quiet confidence. The director also told me that charisma comes from having a sense of composure. So I tried to think, act, and deliver my lines with calmness and ease to express Lee Heon’s charisma.”

Lee appeared in almost every scene, said co-star Choi Guy-hwa (Squid Game, Revenant). Choi plays Prince Jesan, a member of the royal family.

“Lee Chae-min had a huge number of scenes—he was hardly ever off screen—which must have been tough, but he pulled it off brilliantly,” said Choi. “Every time I saw him, I found myself giving a thumbs-up because he was doing such a great job. The workload for both Lee Chae-min and Lim Yoon-a was immense, with a huge amount of dialogue and many demanding scenes, yet they barely had any NGs. Their stamina and passion was truly impressive.”

Lim looked forward to working with Lee and their teamwork exceeded expectations.

“He has incredible focus,” said Lim. “We often talked about our characters together, which made filming very comfortable. When he appeared wearing the royal robes, he truly became King Lee Heon—his voice, presence, and concentration were outstanding, and that helped me stay focused on my role as Yeon Ji-young.”

As a fan of Lim’s, Lee found it an honor to act alongside her.

“She was always supportive and would adjust her lines with me so I could perform comfortably,” said Lee. “She’s also really skilled at cooking—her movements were so precise that during the cooking scenes, she barely made any mistakes. It was impressive to watch.”

The drama features 12 episodes—as if serving a royal 12-dish meal. Each episode has its own flavor—sometimes salty, sometimes sweet, said the director. So, how does this food-inspired love story compare to the director’s past works?

“Honestly, I barely remember my past works compared to this one,” said Jang. “The real joy of Bon Appétit, Your Majesty comes from watching the chemistry between these two. Since their love story is built through food, their chemistry had to be conveyed through taste, aroma, and atmosphere—not just physical gestures. From the moment I saw them together, I felt they were a perfect match, like a beautiful picture. Even during the hug and kiss scenes, the staff told me their hearts fluttered watching them.”

The drama also stars Kang Ha-na (Start Up, My Roomate Is A Gumiho) as Lee Heon’s ambitious concubine. She’s not fond of sharing the king’s attention and will likely resent his appetite for the chef’s dishes.

Bon Appétit Your Majesty is produced by Studio Dragon, the Korean entertainment studio behind the TV dramas Signal, Guardian: The Lonely and Great God, Mr. Sunshine, My Mister, Crash Landing on You, Sweet Home, Vincenzo, Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha, Yumi’s Cells, Twenty Five Twenty One, Our Blues, Alchemy of Souls, Little Women, Under the Queen’s Umbrella, The Glory, Crash Course in Romance, Marry My Husband, Queen of Tears, Jeongnyeon: The Star is Born, and Our Unwritten Seoul. The story is based on a web novel by Park Kuk-jae published via Naver. It airs on Netflix.