From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

During his visits to the master craftsmen in Beijing, Feng Zhengming would strongly recommend his fifth senior apprentice, Cao Zhiguo.

Cao Zhiguo knew very well that his junior brother introduced himself this way so that he could gain a foothold in Beijing in the future.

Therefore, Cao Zhiguo would also behave very humbly and speak in a low-key manner.

Within a few days, news of Feng Zhengming's arrival in Beijing had spread throughout the city's culinary scene.

Chefs from various schools in the capital have already gathered together to discuss this matter.

Opinions on Feng Zhengming's trip to Beijing can be roughly divided into three categories.

Firstly, I don't feel that Feng Zhengming poses any threat. We're all in business; you do your business, I do mine, and you can't affect my customer base.

Secondly, some people felt that Feng Zhengming's arrival in Beijing posed a certain threat, and some even criticized him for being too expansionist and aggressive.

This group makes up a large portion of the population, especially chefs who own their own restaurants.

They believed that Feng Zhengming was too arrogant.

Moreover, his branch model poses a huge threat to other small restaurants and eateries.

Once Feng Zhengming successfully establishes himself in Beijing, he will directly monopolize the catering industry in the middle and lower classes.

Thirdly, they welcomed Feng Zhengming's visit to Beijing and expressed their desire to explore some collaborations with him.

Among the third category of chefs in Beijing, there was a crucial person who took the initiative to approach Feng Zhengming.

This person also has the surname Sun, and his name is Sun Hongcheng.

His ancestral home is also in Shandong, but his family has been born and raised in Beijing for generations.

He went directly to Feng Zhengming's shop, which was still under renovation, and met Feng Zhengming through Liu Yonggang's introduction.

Upon meeting Feng Zhengming, Sun Hongcheng got straight to the point and explained his purpose.

“Feng Zhuangyuan, I admire you very much and hope to cooperate with you. I heard that you are planning to open a roast duck restaurant in Beijing. I would like to volunteer to be the roast duck chef and can also help you train the roast duck chefs.”

Feng Zhengming sized up Sun Hongcheng and got straight to the point: "What kind of treatment do you want, Master Sun?"

Sun Hongcheng found that his straightforwardness did not shock Feng Zhengming; on the contrary, he was surprised by Feng Zhengming's straightforwardness.

For a moment, Sun Hongcheng didn't know how to answer Feng Zhengming.

Then Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I think it's like this: since Master Sun is so sincere and you are willing to train roast duck chefs, I will give you 10% of the shares of a store in Beijing, and your salary will be the same as the head chef."

After explaining the conditions, Feng Zhengming looked at Sun Hongcheng and asked, "Master Sun, do you think this is acceptable?"

Sun Hongcheng was completely stunned. He never expected that Feng Zhengming would treat him so well.

He originally just wanted a slightly higher salary than the average chef in the kitchen.

But Feng Zhengming immediately paid him the salary of a head chef.

Crucially, they also gave him a 10% stake in a store in Beijing.

Sun Hongcheng was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and asked, "You, you don't even look at my skills? And you just want to give me a 10% share? And pay me the salary of a head chef?"

Feng Zhengming smiled: "I already know a bit about Master Sun's skills. The master craftsman who sent you to see me also told me about your situation."

Sun Hongcheng then thought of the rumor that Feng Zhengming visited the master craftsmen in Beijing as soon as he arrived.

He then understood why Feng Zhengming had visited those master craftsmen first.

Everyone in the Beijing catering industry thought they could easily control Feng Zhengming.

But they ultimately underestimated Feng Zhengming.

He first visited the master craftsmen and gained their approval before proceeding with the opening of his branch in Beijing.

At this point, the opinions of others in the Beijing catering industry no longer affected Feng Zhengming's decision to open his shop.

Because of the approval of the experienced craftsmen, Feng Zhengming was able to open a shop freely in Beijing.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming's respect for the veteran craftsmen earned him their respect in return.

Otherwise, a frustrated young chef like Sun Hongcheng wouldn't have been recommended to Feng Zhengming by the experienced chefs.

Sun Hongcheng can be said to have been born into a family of Peking duck masters in Beijing.

His ancestors, up to his grandfather, were all roast duck chefs.

His grandfather even won an award at the Beijing Roast Duck Skills Competition.

However, no one in Sun Hongcheng's father's generation was willing to learn the craft of roasting duck.

As a result, Sun Hongcheng's grandfather could only pass on his skills to his apprentice with some regret.

When Sun Hongcheng was little, he often played at his grandfather's house and saw all the tools his grandfather used to roast duck. He was very curious about those tools.

Later, when I went to the restaurant to eat roast duck, I saw the respect the restaurant staff showed to my grandfather.

What made Sun Hongcheng realize for the first time that being a roast duck chef was a very prestigious job.

Unfortunately, Grandpa Sun Hongcheng was in poor health and did not live to see Sun Hongcheng grow up and learn the art of roasting duck from him.

Grandpa passed away first.

However, his grandfather left Sun Hongcheng an old notebook.

The note contains some of my grandfather's old roast duck techniques.

After growing up, Sun Hongcheng received the notes left to him by his grandfather and began to learn the art of roasting duck.

However, Sun Hongcheng's idea of ​​becoming a roast duck chef was not approved by his family.

This seems similar to Xia Hui's situation, but there are actually some differences.

Xia Hui's family didn't want her to be a chef because she was a girl, as they thought it was too hard.

However, the Xia family still adheres to its craft and continues to train younger generations and apprentices to learn Confucius cuisine.

In Sun Hongcheng's family, his father's generation almost all looked down on the profession of roast duck chef.

So when he taught himself some theory and wanted to formally learn roast duck techniques at the shop, his family strongly opposed it.

However, the opposition from his family was not the biggest blow to Sun Hongcheng.

Despite his family's objections, he officially entered the kitchen to learn how to roast duck.

He soon discovered that some shops had modified the roast duck technique in a way that was somewhat distorted.

Many roast duck chefs have discarded some of the key points that his grandfather recorded in his notes in the past.

Many roast duck chefs, in order to save time and effort, no longer pay attention to many details.

This left Sun Hongcheng feeling extremely puzzled and angry.

So he later even argued with other roast duck chefs in the kitchen.

Naturally, he argued with people, and they took the opportunity to retaliate against him, so he was ostracized in the kitchen.

However, Sun Hongcheng hadn't paid much attention to it before, and he still insisted on using his grandfather's notes to make roast duck.

After learning enough, he quit his job at the roast duck restaurant and opened his own.

He wanted to use his grandfather's skills to publicly challenge some roast duck restaurants in Beijing.

What's the result?
He came to find Feng Zhengming, and it was easy to guess that he would suffer a crushing defeat.

Feng Zhengming learned about Sun Hongcheng from a veteran chef who had worked as a head chef in a roast duck restaurant.

He immediately asked the old craftsman to recommend Sun Hongcheng to his shop. So Sun Hongcheng coming to him was already part of Feng Zhengming's plan.

Feng Zhengming had naturally anticipated Sun Hongcheng's straightforward approach.

Seeing Sun Hongcheng staring at him in astonishment for a long time, he realized that Sun Hongcheng was looking at him with disbelief.

Feng Zhengming smiled and asked, "Are you satisfied? If you are, you can start preparing to come to work. I will arrange for someone to learn from you. If you think someone is good enough, you can take them on as an apprentice. If you don't like someone, you can tell my fifth senior brother, and he will arrange for someone else to learn from you."

Sun Hongcheng was completely shocked; he never expected Feng Zhengming to treat him so well.

You know, with such treatment, you could probably poach a very good roast duck chef from those old roast duck restaurants.

Sun Hongcheng couldn't help but ask, "You trust my skills that much?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and asked in return, "Don't you have confidence in your skills?"

Sun Hongcheng was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Yes, I am confident in my skills."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Isn't that good? If you're confident, then show everyone and let them know that the skills you passed down from your grandfather are better than theirs."

Sun Hongcheng's face immediately turned red; he was genuinely very excited.

Seeing Sun Hongcheng's appearance, Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but move closer to Cao Zhiguo.

"That's right. I was moved by what Scholar Feng said back then, which made me wholeheartedly willing to follow him."

Cao Zhiguo turned to look at Jiang Chengzhe, then grinned.

"Don't you feel that Zhengming is the one who truly understands you? He will give you the opportunity to unleash all your talents?"

Jiang Chengzhe nodded vigorously: "That's exactly the feeling."

Cao Zhiguo asked, "So, do you feel that you've gotten what you wanted?"

Jiang Chengzhe didn't hesitate much: "I got it."

Cao Zhiguo laughed: "It's good that he got it. It proves that he's not a stingy person. He's willing to share things with everyone."

Jiang Chengzhe nodded in deep agreement.

Perhaps only by truly being by Feng Zhengming's side can one understand what he can offer you.
It's not just about giving you a higher salary; they'll also generously give you shares in the store.

Most importantly, Feng Zhengming will give you some social status.

In the industry, make your identity stand out from the crowd.

These things are probably priceless.

Other owners of large restaurants.

They might also be generous in offering high salaries and benefits.

Normally, the owners will get along very well with the chef.

But in the minds of most bosses, they still look down on chefs.

This is something most chefs will feel to some extent.

Feng Zhengming, being a chef himself, deeply respects chefs and genuinely integrates with everyone. He even cooks dishes himself to share with the chefs.

Even apprentices in the kitchen are respected by Feng Zhengming.

Sun Hongcheng, for example, has completely regarded Feng Zhengming as a confidant after discussing things with him.

He further assured Feng Zhengming that he would make good roast duck and help train the new employees.

This moment truly exemplifies the meaning of "a scholar will die for one who understands him."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "No need to rush. My two stores are still under renovation, so you don't need to come over right away."

At this point, Feng Zhengming introduced Sun Hongcheng to his fifth senior brother.

"This is my fifth senior brother. He will be in charge of the two shops in the capital. If you need anything, you can go directly to him, and he will give you all the help you need."

"Since you've come to me, I'm sure you have some needs. I'll give you one month's salary first."

Sun Hongcheng was stunned again. He had been shocked ever since he met Feng Zhengming.

The treatment Feng Zhengming gave him was far beyond what he had originally imagined.

Now Feng Zhengming actually knows about my difficulties and is even offering me a month's salary first.

Sun Hongcheng was genuinely taken aback by Feng Zhengming's generosity.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Don't be surprised. I've given you so much, so you definitely have to work hard for me. My two roast duck shops are all counting on you. I have to make sure that the roast duck in my shop is as good as any shop in Beijing."

These words brought Sun Hongcheng back to his senses: "Don't worry, I will definitely not lose to them."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't feel pressured. After all, they are established brands with a good reputation. We just need to do our best and be worthy of every customer who comes to our store."

Sun Hongcheng said earnestly, "I understand, I will try my best."

Cao Zhiguo smiled and said, "Xiao Sun, the roast duck in the shop will depend on you from now on. Zhengming may be going back to Shanghai later, so if you need anything in Beijing, just tell me."

Sun Hongcheng also greeted Cao Zhiguo respectfully: "Yes, Master Cao, please give me your guidance in the future."

Cao Zhiguo laughed: "No need to call me Master Cao, you can call me Brother Cao or Old Cao from now on."

Sun Hongcheng smiled and said, "Okay, Brother Cao."

With Sun Hongcheng joining the company, Feng Zhengming has even more confidence in the roast duck at the Beijing branch.

Over the next few days, he and Sun Hongcheng went to find some duck suppliers.

At first, the other party said that they supplied goods to several well-established stores and definitely could not supply goods to Feng Zhengming's store.

However, Feng Zhengming later used some connections.

Only then was the supply issue resolved, and even the price wasn't too high.

Sun Hongcheng was still somewhat unhappy when he returned.

"The prices they offered were significantly higher than those of several large stores."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't be angry. After all, these big stores are their regular customers, and they use a lot of ducks, so it's normal for them to give them a discount."

We are a new store, and most people in Beijing are used to eating roast duck at those big stores.

We need to produce the products first and build a reputation before we can gradually attract customers.

With enough customers, we can increase the quantity of ducks we produce, which will make it easier to negotiate prices with suppliers.

After hearing Feng Zhengming's words, Sun Hongcheng seemed to understand why he had failed to succeed when he first opened his shop.

Compared to Feng Zhengming, I really am like a novice elementary school student.

Feng Zhengming can treat everyone with a friendly and amiable attitude.

Even though the duck supplier clearly looked down on him at first, he didn't care at all.

Sun Hongcheng greatly admired this shrewdness that allowed him to keep his emotions hidden.

"By the way, have you resolved your family issues?"

Sun Hongcheng was taken aback at first, then said somewhat embarrassedly, "It's been resolved. Thank you for giving me an advance of one month's salary."

Feng Zhengming: "No need to be so polite with me. Chefs all over the world should be one family. Helping each other is only right. I might be leaving in a couple of days. I'll need you and my fifth senior brother to help out here."

Sun Hongcheng replied earnestly, "Yes, Chef, we will definitely make the restaurant a success." (End of Chapter)