From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Lunch was a simple home-cooked meal, with most of the main dishes prepared by Feng Zhengming.

The two senior brothers were more like assistants to their junior brother.

The main reason is that the two senior brothers are used to working in the kitchen, and they are not used to using the small stove at home.

Feng Zhengming found it very interesting to eat with so many people together.

He took out his camera and took a family photo especially for everyone.

After lunch, Feng Zhengming specially arranged for a minibus to come over.

Then everyone went out to play together.

Of course, when they went out to play, my mother-in-law, second aunt, aunt-in-law and Luo Qing stayed at home because they had to take care of the two children.

Third Aunt also wanted to stay, but she was pushed out by everyone.

Because previously, Feng Zhengming had always been taken care of by his mother-in-law, second aunt, and aunt-in-law.

So this time, we'll have them work together again.

Feng Zhengming originally thought that he should stay at home and take a day off to spend time with his wife and two little ones.

But his wife quietly reminded him that he had promised to take his daughter out to play yesterday afternoon.

In the end, Feng Zhengming had no choice but to continue leading the group on their tour of Shanghai.

The entire afternoon, Feng Zhengming led everyone on a tour of all the famous places in Shanghai.

While the group was visiting the City God Temple and the Bund, they also contacted Jiang Chengzhe and went to check out the restaurant he rented in a building on the Bund.

Take the elevator to the top floor of the building and overlook the Bund and the river below.

Feng Zhengming couldn't help but exclaim, "This scenery is really nice. It seems you spent a lot of money to rent this place, Zhe!"

Jiang Chengzhe: "It did cost a lot of money, and we had to pull some strings to rent it."

Feng Zhengming: "Your status as a renowned chef in Hong Kong does give you certain advantages."

Jiang Chengzhe was both amused and exasperated by these words: "If we're talking about preferential treatment in Shanghai, who can offer more than you? I was only able to rent this place through a connection with a boss in Hong Kong."

Feng Zhengming: "It's possible that starting with you, more and more restaurants will be rented out here in the future."

Jiang Chengzhe: "Would that be?"

Feng Zhengming: "Just wait and see, more and more high-end restaurants will appear here."

Jiang Chengzhe: "It seems that some people are already starting to follow your example and rent old houses to turn into restaurants."

“I know, I’ve heard several veteran chefs from the Shanghai Chefs Association mention it.”

Seeing that Feng Zhengming knew, Jiang Chengzhe was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you afraid they'll steal your business?"

Feng Zhengming: "What's there to be afraid of? The dishes we make are different too. They rented an old villa to open a restaurant, and they plan to focus on local Shanghai cuisine, wanting to create an atmosphere that evokes the old city."

Jiang Chengzhe: "That would actually be quite attractive."

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, actually I had Li Yao and Han Rui open a restaurant similar to that, but I don't think they can make it work for the time being."

Also, some of the companies that are currently preparing to operate might not be the ones that remain in the end.

These words puzzled Jiang Chengzhe and his two senior brothers.

The eldest brother asked, "Why is it that in the end, not everyone is guaranteed to be left?"

Sixth Senior Brother: "Zhengming means that they might all eventually close down?"

Jiang Chengzhe thought about it carefully and came up with a possibility.

"What Zhengming means is that if they open that kind of restaurant now, they might not be able to gain the full approval of many people, and in the end, they might end up losing money?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "That's right. Doing things at the right time is important. Being too far ahead of time is not necessarily a good thing."

Jiang Chengzhe: "They only wanted to try it because they saw your old-style restaurant. They probably didn't really understand the unique features of your restaurant."

Feng Zhengming: "The reason my restaurant has been able to operate is not because of how much money I made from that other restaurant."

"It's because I have many more profitable stores supporting me that I've been able to keep the old-style restaurant running, maintaining its atmosphere, food quality, and prices that most people can afford with a little effort."

Jiang Chengzhe: "Now that you mention it, it seems like my shop isn't easy to run either."

Feng Zhengming smiled and pointed to the children looking down at the scenery from the bedside.

"With this view, your restaurant can be a little more expensive. Just for this view, your restaurant is worth a special trip for some people."

Feng Nuanyou was held in her aunt Feng Shengnan's arms, and looking at the scenery below made her especially happy.

The other children were also looking down from the window, finding it very interesting.

Jiang Chengzhe looked at the group of children.

He quickly understood what Feng Zhengming meant.

Thinking back to when he chose to open a restaurant here, his thoughts were indeed the same as what Feng Zhengming had said.

I came here specifically for the scenery outside the area.

With such a view, the restaurant's prices can indeed be much higher.

Feng Zhengming: "Your Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine still has an advantage. If you use better ingredients, even if the price is high, no one will say anything."

Jiang Chengzhe sighed: "I really feel that many people don't respect craftsmanship. Does that mean that cooking skills are worthless? Do we have to look at the ingredients used to determine whether they are worth it?"

These words actually reflected the true feelings of Feng Zhengming and his two senior brothers.

Especially in recent years, they have clearly felt that many times customers feel that if your dish uses only a few ingredients, then your dish is not worth much.

This is also why many traditional dishes have gradually disappeared.

Those classic dishes require a great deal of skill from the chef just to make.

When chefs put in enough skill but don't receive adequate compensation, especially when customers feel their skills are worthless.

So, it's easy to guess what choice the chef will ultimately make.

Pile up a lot of the ingredients you already have, and then cook them using the least technically demanding method.

The chef may not even be making the seasoning anymore.

They will also tell many diners that this is called enjoying the original flavor.

Feng Zhengming: "So you also need to showcase your skills and let your customers understand that good ingredients, when cooked by your skills, can create a delicious flavor that is greater than the sum of its parts."

After listening to Feng Zhengming's words, Jiang Chengzhe thought about it carefully and seemed to understand.

"I think I understand now, I know how I should run my restaurant."

Feng Zhengming: "I understand. Your restaurant is not positioned like my branches or my old-style house restaurant. Your restaurant should be positioned as a new style of creativity."

Jiang Chengzhe: "New style? Creative? These are really good words, and they seem to suit me quite well."

Feng Zhengming: "So how do you make your menu? I don't think I need to teach you."

Jiang Chengzhe: "We need to highlight some unique features, originality, and creativity, but we must not lose the original flavor."

"Remember this: taste should always be the most important thing in food. If it doesn't taste good, all your novelty and creativity are meaningless." Jiang Chengzhe nodded seriously after hearing Feng Zhengming's words: "I've got it."

Then Feng Zhengming gave Jiang Chengzhe another suggestion.

"Regarding ingredients, apart from some very high-end ingredients, my suggestion is to use all domestic ingredients. If you don't have a supplier, I can help you find one."

Jiang Chengzhe laughed after hearing this: "You really go to great lengths to promote domestic products?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Many things in our country are never inferior to those abroad. Moreover, using domestic materials can reduce some costs and allow you to lower the prices in your store, giving more people the opportunity to taste them."

Jiang Chengzhe hesitated for a moment before speaking: "But he contacted the boss in Hong Kong here, and he wants me to import all the materials."

Feng Zhengming looked at Jiang Chengzhe, and the two stared at each other without saying a word.

The eldest and sixth senior brothers stood to the side, sensing that something was wrong, and were even a little worried that their junior brother might turn on them.

However, their worries were ultimately unfounded, and Feng Zhengming did not get angry at Jiang Chengzhe.

"If you need my investment, I can become a shareholder in your restaurant. As for ingredients, try to use domestic ones as much as possible. I can help you find ingredients that are just as good as those from overseas."

Jiang Chengzhe smiled: "Okay, thank you for investing, Mr. Feng. My restaurant will use domestic ingredients as much as possible."

Hearing the conversation between their junior brother and Jiang Chengzhe, the two senior brothers looked at each other.

Li Huidong quickly realized this.

"So, Xiao Jiang wants Zhengming to invest in the company?"

Zhang Minghai: "Xiao Jiang, didn't you say that a boss from Gangcheng was going to sponsor you?"

Jiang Chengzhe: "I don't want the bosses in Gangcheng to sponsor me. Their sponsorship doesn't help me much, and they also restrict me. So I still hope my brother-in-law can invest."

Upon hearing Jiang Chengzhe call him "brother-in-law," Li Huidong and Zhang Minghai looked at Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming: "Isn't he dating Liu Fangyou? Liu Fangyou and Luo Qing are like sisters, so he has to call me brother-in-law from Liu Fangyou's side."

Zhang Minghai: "I think that from now on, all the top restaurants in Shanghai will be owned by your relatives and friends."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, Sixth Brother, you're coming to Shanghai too?"

Zhang Minghai: "I'm not coming. I'm more comfortable in Yancheng. There's a sea there too. Your sister-in-law, nephew, and niece are all there. I'm going to bring my parents and your sister-in-law's parents over there as well."

At this point, Zhang Minghai earnestly told Feng Zhengming, "I really have to thank you, Zhengming. Without you, I wouldn't have been able to bring both sets of parents to Yancheng so quickly."

Feng Zhengming: "Sixth Brother, what are you saying? It's your own ability that you were able to pick them up."

Zhang Minghai: "You helped me gain status faster, so that I could bring my elders to my side so soon."

Before his junior brother could speak, Li Huidong spoke first.

“Zhengming, you don’t need to be modest with us. All of us fellow disciples know that you changed all of our lives.”

Jiang Chengzhe chimed in, "That's right, brother-in-law, you've changed my life too."

Seeing that everyone was saying the same thing, Feng Zhengming felt somewhat helpless.

"I've just created more opportunities for everyone, but what truly brought you your current wealth and status is your own skills. If you didn't have those skills, even if I wanted to help, I couldn't."

Feng Zhengming's personality is something that makes everyone who works with him feel comfortable.

He never boasted about his achievements, and he always shared the opportunities he received with everyone.

For example, at this National Day banquet in Shanghai, Feng Zhengming not only invited his two senior brothers, but also Jiang Chengzhe, and gave the chefs of Shanghai local cuisine a chance.

It can be said that everyone who attended the National Day banquet felt grateful to Feng Zhengming.

Participating in the National Day banquet not only enhances one's reputation.

More importantly, it also allowed many chefs to see some of Feng Zhengming's cooking philosophies.

Whether or not one can learn it depends entirely on their own fate.

However, Feng Zhengming would never hold back; he would show every detail of each dish.

Over the years, the reputations of several of Feng Zhengming's fellow students have grown.

Then Gu Zhicheng and others who were among the first to join him and help him build Huiquanlou were already considered to be independent chefs.

Recently, Xia Hui, Sun Hai, and Jiang Chengzhe have also become increasingly famous.

As their fame grew, quite a few people actually tried to poach them from behind the scenes.

Even Xia Hui and Sun Hai have people offering high prices to poach them.

Sun Hai was once approached by a Zhejiang businessman who offered a high price to tailor-make a restaurant for him.

They also promised that everything about the restaurant would be handled by Sun Hai, and the owner would absolutely not interfere.

Sun Hai had no intention of leaving Feng Zhengming's side to work independently.

Sun Hai was very clear about his own abilities.

With Feng Zhengming by his side and under his guidance, he and Xia Hui and her husband should have the opportunity to support one of the restaurants under Feng Zhengming's company, or even be in charge of the kitchen of the old-style restaurant.

But if he were to run a restaurant himself, would he have to manage all the staff himself?

Sun Hai believed he did not have that ability.

Afterwards, Sun Hai told Feng Zhengming and his master about it.

Feng Zhengming then smiled and encouraged Sun Hai.

“It’s okay. You can go anytime you want to try. Just tell me and your master. If you fail outside, you can come back. There will always be a place for you here.”

Feng Zhengming said these words not only to Sun Hai.

He has said this to many people, including Jiang Chengzhe today.

Feng Zhengming also said the same thing.

"I'll invest in your shop. You just need to run it well. If it doesn't work out in the end, it's okay. You can always come back and work with me. There will always be a place for you in the kitchen of my other shops."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengzhe smiled and said, "Sure, if my business fails, I'd be willing to go back to doing odd jobs."

Li Huidong and Zhang Minghai exchanged a glance and laughed.

Feng Zhengming didn't say anything more.

"Alright, let's take the kids out to play some more. You, on the other hand, focus on preparing your shop. If you need anything, just contact me and I'll definitely arrange it for you. I'll definitely come and see you when your menu is ready."

Jiang Chengzhe smiled and agreed, "Okay, once the menu is ready, please invite Scholar Feng to come and take a look."

Then Feng Zhengming called his daughter and children.

"Let's go, let's go down and take a boat to the Oriental Pearl Tower on the other side!"

Upon hearing this, Feng Nuanyou immediately grabbed her aunt's hand and led a group of children back.

"Dad, let's hurry up and go. We're going to take a boat, a big boat, to that really tall building over there."

Feng Zhengming smiled and nodded: "That's right, let's go."

The group bid farewell to Jiang Chengzhe and continued their sightseeing for the day. (End of Chapter)