From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

On National Day, Feng Zhengming led a group of people to begin making various preparations for the banquet in the kitchen.

All the fresh ingredients were sent to the kitchen, and Feng Zhengming did a final check.

Only after confirming that everything was correct did he begin to direct and coordinate the work of everyone in the kitchen.

The mornings are spent on pre-processing various ingredients.

In particular, it is important to prepare various soups in advance.

Some are broths used when cooking, while others are broths used when making soup dishes.

The preparation of various soups alone requires almost everyone in the kitchen to be busy.

At times like these, Feng Zhengming's experience over the years comes into play.

He still divided the staff into several groups and had them prepare the items according to the requirements.

Each group has its own chef in charge.

Throughout the process, ensure that everyone is in the position where they are needed.

Prepare all the necessary materials in advance.

Feng Zhengming's command and coordination can keep everyone from being too busy, because there will be enough people to do each task, and no one person will be responsible for too many tasks.

After a busy morning, Feng Zhengming still managed to find time to lead a team to prepare a working meal for everyone.

The lunch at noon was quite delicious for all the kitchen staff and reception service personnel at the dinner party.

Even the group from Shanghai who came to inspect couldn't resist having a working lunch together in the kitchen.

After the meal, some people in Shanghai said they really wished Feng Zhengming could be the head chef of their cafeteria.

Taking this opportunity, Feng Zhengming directly recommended the chef to the city of Shanghai.

"I have quite a few skilled young chefs under my supervision. If needed, I can have them work as head chefs in your cafeteria."

Feng Zhengming's words left everyone in Shanghai somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Feng Zhuangyuan, is your shop so well-staffed that you're even considering having them work as cooks in our cafeteria?"

Feng Zhengming: "It's not that we have too many people, but mainly I feel that those young chefs have been learning from me for so many years, and their skills are all decent. We should find a good career path for them."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, some people in Shanghai inquired about them.

"And what about you, Scholar Feng?"

"Yes, Scholar Feng, haven't you thought about making some arrangements for yourself?"

"I think your skills, Scholar Feng, are more than enough to handle reception duties."

Feng Zhengming: "I am already the boss, so it's not appropriate for me to take all the benefits. Whether it's Shanghai or Beijing, if there's a need for me to host a banquet, I will participate without hesitation."

Besides, as the boss, I don't need to pay anyone. Whenever I'm needed, I'm there immediately. Isn't that great?

These words made everyone in Shanghai laugh.

As everyone knows, Feng Zhengming is now considered the top figure in China's catering industry.

His numerous branches of Feng Family Rice Shop across the country alone are enough to make him a leader in Chinese fast food across the country.

He certainly doesn't lack money at all.

Therefore, whether he was summoned to Beijing to host a state banquet or to host the National Day banquet in Shanghai this time, he did not receive a single penny.

He even paid the salaries of some of the people he brought with him.

In this respect, no one can find any fault with it.

Logically speaking, Feng Zhengming should not have been invited to be the head chef.

But what can you do when he's so famous?

In addition, his cooking skills are widely recognized as excellent.

As for the capital, since Feng Zhengming is not currently in the capital, they can choose not to invite him to be the head chef for the banquet.

But with Feng Zhengming in Shanghai, it felt inappropriate not to let him be the head chef for the banquet.

Moreover, the lunch alone had already made everyone realize his extraordinary culinary skills.

Although Feng Zhengming did not personally cook most of the dishes, he only seasoned the ingredients and controlled the heat from the side.

But the difference in the dishes is indeed just a little bit in the seasoning and cooking time.

Therefore, several people in Shanghai really felt that inviting Feng Zhengming was worthwhile.

After lunch, Feng Zhengming continued to lead the kitchen staff in preparations.

We only prepared a portion this morning; there's still a lot of work to be done this afternoon.

For example, all the sea cucumbers need to be cleaned thoroughly and then simmered in broth beforehand to absorb the flavor.

Various types of dried and fresh scallops also need to be processed.

Marinate the beef and cod in advance.

The preparations are quite complicated, especially for large banquets like the National Day banquet, where there are many guests and a lot of complicated work to be done.

Fortunately, there were enough people in the kitchen; otherwise, it might have taken an entire afternoon to prepare the ingredients.

Everyone in the kitchen was working diligently, and you could hardly hear any conversation.

Feng Zhengming may not seem to be doing any specific work, but he is probably the one who runs around the kitchen the most.

He needs to pay attention to whether every ingredient is prepared according to his requirements.

It is also necessary to ensure that all ingredients are prepared in advance.

The most crucial thing is to prepare all the soup that was already simmering in the morning.

We also need to categorize the large amount of soup.

I checked it again and again, just to make sure there wouldn't be any problems at the dinner.

On National Day, Luo Qing was discharged from the hospital and returned home.

The family has two babies, as well as a group of children of all ages, including Feng Nuanyou, Lu Jinghao, Feng Shengnan, and Feng Yucheng.

Almost the entire family was at Feng Zhengming's home in Shanghai.

Everyone was watching TV when Feng Nuanyou suddenly moved closer to her mother.

"Mom, why can't I see Dad on TV?"

Luo Qing laughed when she heard this: "Dad isn't any important person, how could he possibly appear on TV?"

Feng Nuanyou: "Dad is very important. Dad is always cooking delicious food for other people, but they don't even know to pat him on the back."

This made the whole family laugh.

Grandpa Situ chuckled, "What Feng Nuanyou said is right. Dad is such an important person. Without Dad cooking, they wouldn't be able to eat delicious food. We should definitely give Youyou's dad a pat on the back."

Feng Nuanyou ran happily to her two great-grandfathers.

"Grandpa Situ is right. Dad is really something, he didn't even tell them."

The whole family was amused by Feng Nuanyou's words once again.

The little girl's words brought laughter and joy to the whole family.

Luo Qing was reminded by her daughter that her husband, who was still busy during the National Day holiday, couldn't help but think of her.

It seems like an honor to be the head chef of the National Day banquet.

During the National Day holiday, while others were enjoying family reunions, Feng Zhengming and his colleagues were still busy in the kitchen. Luo Qing couldn't help but feel that her husband and his team were working too hard.

The dinner started promptly at 7 p.m.

In the kitchen, Feng Zhengming led everyone to prepare the cold dishes first.

Each one needs to be checked to make sure it's correct before the staff pushes it out.

Once the order to serve the dishes was given, the staff quickly pushed the cold dishes out on the food cart.

Then, in the banquet hall, another group of service staff served the cold dishes one by one to the guests in the banquet hall that evening.

The cold dishes immediately made a striking impression when they were served.

Feng Zhengming used his restaurant's classic cold dishes at the dinner.

It is plated with top-quality salmon, shrimp and a variety of seasonal vegetables.

A pair of white magnolia flowers were presented to each guest. As soon as this cold dish was served, there was a gasp of surprise from the audience.

Wow, this is so beautiful!

"Oh my god, is this even a dish?"

"This is a flower, a really beautiful flower."

Not only were the foreign guests generally shocked, but even the domestic attendees at the National Day banquet were amazed by this cold dish.

Someone asked the server how the dish was made and what the ingredients were.

The service staff explained things to them in the same way that Feng Zhengming had taught them.

The foreign guests were even more incredulous after hearing the staff's explanation.

This dish also comes with a special sauce.

Following Professor Feng Zhengming's instructions, the server poured the sauce into the plate from the edge.

As the sauce slowly flows into the plate, seeping up from under the arranged magnolia flowers.

You can clearly see that the white magnolia flower has changed color.

This design once again amazed everyone present.

The people of Shanghai tonight are quite proud of themselves.

Several people in Shanghai also had a quiet conversation.

"This Feng Zhengming is indeed something."

“He can better showcase his talents here in Shanghai. After all, our National Day banquet is more relaxed and lively than the state banquet.”

"Haha, that's true. His cold dish is indeed inconvenient to use at a state banquet."

"Even the boiled cabbage served at a state banquet cannot bloom on the spot, let alone with this kind of sauce added later?"

"I heard his wife gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl?"

“We should still give him some support and preferential treatment in this regard. He has so many restaurants in Shanghai, which have created a lot of jobs and generated considerable value. Besides, his family business as a chef needs his son to inherit it.”

“We should give him some preferential treatment. We can ask him if he wants to register his household in Shanghai.”

"Haha, so you're already treating him like a Shanghainese?"

In 2001, having a local Shanghai household registration was probably still a very desirable thing.

Therefore, the people in Shanghai knew very well that as long as Feng Zhengming was given these preferential treatments, he would be willing to stay in Shanghai.

If Feng Zhengming stayed in Shanghai, wouldn't that attract more top chefs to the city? In the future, Shanghai might truly become the culinary capital of China.

Thinking of this, the men in Shanghai looked at each other and smiled.

This can be considered a very good honor for Shanghai.

The dinner continued, and after the cold dishes came an appetizer soup.

That is, the dish of stir-fried snails in vinegar and pepper fish soup, which was created by Feng Zhengming.

The soup dishes were served in small covered bowls.

Judging by the utensils alone, people might mistake it for boiled cabbage in clear broth.

When the covered bowl is placed down and the lid is lifted, the aroma that wafts out will make you feel that it is different from others.

Then look at the bowl. It's a milky white soup with thin slices of conch floating on top. There are also fish slices in the soup, as well as Chinese yam slices that Feng Zhengming has innovatively paired in his shop, and a little bit of green on the side.

This time, the green color wasn't from chopped cilantro, since some foreign guests don't eat cilantro, so Feng Zhengming used vegetable juice as a garnish.

It looks like tiny lotus leaves floating on a milky white broth.

This soup dish once again amazed all the guests.

When you scoop up the soup with a spoon, the fresh taste of the fish soup, combined with the unique sour and spicy flavors, is truly appetizing, making you unconsciously finish the soup.

The fish slices in the soup are smooth and tender, the snail slices are tender yet crisp, and there are also powdery yam slices.

It really brings out a unique feeling in this soup dish.

The two dishes were both amazing, which made everyone even more eager for the next course.

Next up is the steak with black pepper sauce.

Then came the stir-fried cod rolls.

The cod is scored with beautiful slits, marinated, coated with batter, and deep-fried into rolls. It is then stir-fried with a sweet and sour tomato sauce and arranged on a plate, accompanied by green asparagus, which is quite attractive.

Following these two dishes, there was a refreshing clear soup.

It's very similar to boiled cabbage in clear broth, but Feng Zhengming served chicken tofu.

Next up is the main course, Oolong Playing with a Pearl.

The waiter, following Feng Zhengming's instructions, pushed in a large platter containing enough food for the whole table.

After the scene was unveiled, a huge dragon playing with a pearl was revealed to everyone.

Black sea cucumbers surround a brightly colored scallop in the center.

It truly possesses a unique Chinese aesthetic reminiscent of dragon culture.

Various cameras were on site, and people were taking pictures.

Then the waiters distributed a sea cucumber and a hydrangea to each guest, one by one.

When domestic guests subconsciously use chopsticks to pick it up, they will find out.

The sea cucumber has already been sliced, so you can eat it piece by piece with chopsticks even without a knife and fork.

This design was very well received by many domestic guests.

After the "Dragon Playing with a Pearl" dish, the staff started asking what kind of main course you would like.
A variety of main dishes were served, allowing guests to enjoy their meal to the fullest.

Of course, unique desserts and fruits were also prepared at the end.

The dinner party finally came to an end.

Most of the guests invited to this National Day banquet in Shanghai probably didn't expect to enjoy such a wonderful meal tonight.

Many people felt a little unsatisfied after finishing their meal.

Everyone praised the dinner party tonight.

Feng Zhengming was in the kitchen when he received the news that the banquet was over, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

He really wouldn't want to keep doing this kind of work if he could.

It seems there are a large number of people in the kitchen that he can call upon.

But he has to take responsibility for all the problems.

Therefore, he was quite nervous during the process of serving each dish.

Being under constant tension and anxiety meant that Feng Zhengming dared not relax for a moment while working in the kitchen.

He could only breathe a sigh of relief after the banquet ended.

He could feel that his chef's uniform was already soaked with sweat.

On the one hand, the kitchen is indeed very hot. He walks back and forth and directs the staff. Sometimes he even has to do the work himself, which is very hard work and makes him sweat a lot.

On the other hand, being constantly in a state of mental tension also caused him to sweat profusely.

Fortunately, the banquet ended smoothly, bringing a smile to Feng Zhengming's tired face.

His two senior brothers looked at him and smiled as well.

"Congratulations, Zhengming, you've once again successfully hosted a high-profile banquet."

"Yes, Zhengming, you're really getting more and more steady."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It's all thanks to the help of my eldest brother and sixth brother."

Then Feng Zhengming called out to everyone in the kitchen.

When all eyes were on him, Feng Zhengming bowed deeply to everyone in a very formal manner.

"Thank you all for your support. You've all worked so hard today." (End of Chapter)