From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

If the first "landscape painting of the motherland" made at the state banquet after the handover was a work of art, it was more like a work of art, where Feng Zhengming gathered the best chefs in the country and had them showcase their regional skills.

The second time Feng Zhengming used sea bream to make a miniature map of China's landscape in Hong Kong was to showcase his knife skills to renowned chefs in Hong Kong and overseas.

So, at the banquet following the awards ceremony for the world's top ten restaurants today, the "Landscape of the Motherland" dish made by Feng Zhengming and his disciples was a perfect interpretation of the taste.

From all corners of the country, sour, sweet, bitter, salty, numbing, and spicy flavors are all beautifully presented.

This dish truly showcases the flavor preferences of different regional cuisines across the country.

It truly allowed renowned chefs from overseas and members of the International Gastronomy Association to witness the splendor and diversity of Chinese cuisine.

Therefore, this dish left a deep impression on the International Gastronomy Association and international chefs.

The International Gastronomy Association used a photo of this dish as the cover of their magazine featuring the top ten restaurants.

It also sparked discussions among food and art lovers worldwide.

This discussion naturally sparked many people's curiosity about Chinese culture.

Many people are curious about what kind of land could nurture such a colorful array of dishes.
After the awards ceremony, Feng Zhengming Old House Restaurant naturally became a must-visit restaurant for many food lovers both at home and abroad.

There's even a saying in China that if you haven't eaten at the Old Western-Style House Restaurant, you can't say you've eaten the most delicious Chinese food in the world.

Feng Zhengming's restaurant received a considerable number of orders.

Despite the surge in orders, Feng Zhengming remained calm.

He maintained his own pace, allowing people to queue for lunch.

In the evenings, the old-style restaurant only accepts reservations.

As a result, the waiting list for reservations stretched for several months.

This period also includes the Chinese New Year holiday, during which the old-style restaurant will be closed.

Of course, this excludes customers who want to have a meal at Feng Zhengming's shop.

A considerable number of people have also approached him wanting him to be their advertising spokesperson.

The largest group consists of manufacturers of various condiments.

Feng Zhengming rejected almost all of them.

He knew very well that he couldn't control the quality of the seasonings. What if he advertised them and a large number of people bought the seasonings he advertised?

This has put immense pressure on condiment manufacturers, leading to a decline in the quality of their products.

Feng Zhengming didn't care about losing face; what he was afraid of was some people getting food poisoning.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming refused all visits from advertising companies.

He stated very directly that he would not endorse any advertisements.

Having been turned away by Feng Zhengming, some manufacturers wisely chose to hire Feng Zhengming's apprentice Xia Hui, his five apprentices, and Fu Jun and Cai Tao from the kitchen to advertise for them.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming had to issue a special warning to all the staff in the stores, telling everyone that they were not allowed to advertise.

“If anyone tries to advertise this, I will fire them immediately, and I will pay for it myself to be published on major TV stations and newspapers across the country to tell everyone that they have been fired.”

In fact, without this order, no one would advertise for others.

The main issue is that the advertising fees that people like Xia Hui can earn from advertising are probably less than the annual dividends they receive from Feng Zhengming's store.

As for other apprentices, advertisers simply won't hire them, and even if they do, they won't pay much.

However, after Feng Zhengming's warning, everyone strictly followed the orders.

Advertisers also felt somewhat helpless, not expecting Feng Zhengming to be so resolute in refusing to do advertising.

Even some advertisers offered Feng Zhengming extremely generous terms.

Feng Zhengming still refused the advertisers.

Besides advertisers seeking Feng Zhengming, television stations from various regions also contacted him.

Among them, the television stations in Shanghai, Shandong, and Beijing contacted Feng Zhengming the most.

Television stations in all three regions hoped that Feng Zhengming could appear to record programs.

Qi Lu naturally hopes that he can help promote Shandong cuisine in his hometown.

Hu Cheng hopes to create a food program with Feng Zhengming as a guest, so that they can explore old shops in Hu Cheng and help promote some of Hu Cheng's delicacies.

The names Beijing and Shanghai have similar meanings, and they also want to invite Feng Zhengming to host a food program.

Another very clear purpose of the trip to Beijing was to complement the publicity for the Beijing Olympics.

Feng Zhengming felt that it was difficult to refuse any of these three places.

First, there's the matter of Shandong province. After all, I'm a Shandong cuisine chef, and my hometown TV station needs help promoting Shandong cuisine. It's really hard for me to refuse, and I definitely need to do my best to help.

Secondly, the city of Shanghai provided Feng Zhengming with a great deal of assistance in his award-winning efforts and also cooperated in giving him a lot of publicity.

Even his food recommendation magazine published in Shanghai received various forms of publicity from the city.

Therefore, it would indeed seem rather heartless for Feng Zhengming not to help with the programs on Shanghai TV.

Upon arriving in Beijing, which was considered a warm-up for the Olympics, Feng Zhengming felt it would be even harder for him to refuse.

After some deliberation, Feng Zhengming simply accepted the invitations from the television stations in the three regions.

However, Feng Zhengming offered some minor suggestions regarding the filming processes of the three television stations.

Firstly, regarding the promotion of Shandong cuisine by Qilu TV, Feng Zhengming suggested that more emphasis should be placed on promoting several veteran Shandong chefs, as they can more accurately promote traditional Shandong cuisine.

His various shops, including his restaurant in Shanghai, can be introduced as a form of innovative Shandong cuisine.

Furthermore, Feng Zhengming suggested that since the goal is to promote Shandong cuisine, in addition to promoting their own restaurants, they should also promote restaurants throughout Shandong.

Qilu TV received Feng Zhengming's suggestion and, after some discussion, felt it was an excellent suggestion.

Therefore, Qilu TV was not in a hurry to have Feng Zhengming return to participate in the filming.

They first went to find experienced craftsmen from all over Shandong Province and discussed with them the filming locations in Shandong.

As for Feng Zhengming, he will be introduced in a separate section on innovative Shandong cuisine.

Feng Zhengming suggested that the program in Shanghai should promote some of Shanghai's traditional small shops in the beginning.

Feng Zhengming in Beijing gave the same advice.

Feng Zhengming believes that the small shops that have survived to this day best represent some of the local taste preferences.

Filming in this way can better promote local cuisine and allow people from other places, and even foreigners, to learn about the locals' taste preferences.

The second step is to visit and film some old restaurants that have inherited traditional craftsmanship.

On the one hand, we help promote the old restaurant so that it can recover some of its business.

On the other hand, it also promotes the unique features of local cuisine to people from other places and foreigners.

Of course, Feng Zhengming also agreed to appear on camera for both of these store visits.

However, Feng Zhengming had one condition for appearing on camera: he should avoid being discovered by the store beforehand.

We should present a more authentic side to the audience.

It can't be because Feng Zhengming went there that the restaurant had to treat him to a very good meal.

However, other customers who go to the store are often treated carelessly. Shanghai TV station expressed agreement with this, stating that they share similar concerns.

If a restaurant that has been advertised becomes popular after the advertising campaign, but the chefs are too busy and cut corners, resulting in customers eating different dishes, the TV station's reputation will also be damaged.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming thought it best to communicate with some restaurants in advance.

Feng Zhengming and experienced chefs from the Shanghai Chefs Association stepped in to advise the old restaurant on how to improve the quality of its dishes.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming decided to first hold a chef training course in Shanghai.

He held a meeting with representatives from the television station, the chefs' association, and the Shanghai city government to discuss the matter.

"I think the main purpose of this chef training course is to allow chefs from some restaurants in Shanghai to learn. I hope that all the master chefs can come forward. Koffman, myself, and nine other chefs from the top ten restaurants will all come forward to give lectures."

In addition to the head chef training course, we also have a secondary advanced course that allows chefs from smaller restaurants to further their skills and improve their abilities.

I think we should set the date after the Chinese New Year to give everyone ample time to prepare. We should start classes around March or April.

The period after the Lunar New Year in March and April is also considered a slow season for restaurants.

After hearing Feng Zhengming's plan, the city of Shanghai naturally expressed its full support for him.

The experienced chefs from the chefs' association also expressed their willingness to support it.

However, some people in the chefs' association seem to have different ideas about the number of places available for registration.

It's clear that the chefs' association wants to secure a certain number of spots.

The underlying reason is that they want to use the quota to do favors and also take advantage of the situation.

Feng Zhengming's attitude was very firm: "All the spots must be approved by all of us. For example, in the chef training course, those who are not head chefs of the restaurant cannot register to participate."

The advanced training program also requires a certain amount of culinary experience, and most importantly, participation must be in the kitchen.

Feng Zhengming's resolute attitude displeased some members of the chefs' association.

"Scholar Feng, aren't you being a bit too domineering?"

"Yes, many young people also hope to improve their cooking skills."

"Yes, many people who may no longer be in the kitchen also need to improve their culinary skills."

"Isn't the purpose of running these classes to improve the culinary skills of different chefs?"

Feng Zhengming: "Our class is to improve the chefs' skills, but more importantly, to raise the standards of most restaurants and eateries in Shanghai by having some people who are no longer in the kitchen participate in the training."

Could they possibly go back to the kitchens of restaurants and hotels?

If they can't, then what's the point of them attending the training and learning?

This is a culinary training program, not just any casual class to improve your qualifications in some area.

Seeing Feng Zhengming's resolute attitude.

The city government, television stations, and experienced workers all stepped forward to offer their support.

Ultimately, the chefs' association had no choice but to compromise.

The Chefs Association now realizes that Feng Zhengming's prestige is so high that no one can influence his decisions.

Even some members of the chefs' association feel that the association is now completely dispensable.

Although they were somewhat unwilling to accept it.

But Feng Zhengming's status and position are completely different now.

His restaurant is already one of the top ten restaurants of the year, and this honor alone is enough for him to enjoy for the rest of his life.

Now, for him to be willing to do certain things, it basically requires city officials like those in Shanghai to get him involved.

If even the city government of Shanghai is involved, how can the Shanghai Chefs Association have the right to say anything?

All the preparations for the program in Shanghai have been discussed and finalized.

Finally, there's the capital city.

Feng Zhengming suggested to the program in Beijing that he didn't need to appear in person for the time being. Instead, he should focus on Beijing's old snacks and shops, and film a series of programs to systematically introduce Beijing's cuisine to people abroad.

The reason why Feng Zhengming did not appear on camera to film was because he suggested that...

First, you need to systematically introduce the various delicacies of Beijing to others.

Afterwards, once the results are in, Feng Zhengming can then step forward and organize some renowned chefs to visit the place.

This will allow us to capitalize on the popularity of the previous episodes and better promote the cuisine of Beijing.

Of course, this arrangement was also because Feng Zhengming really needed to stagger the timing.

He first needs to return to Shandong for the Spring Festival, and then he needs to help his hometown TV station arrange some filming of Shandong cuisine.

He will then need to organize and run two more classes in Shanghai.

As a result, Feng Zhengming could hardly find time to go to Beijing in the first half of the year.

Then, in the first half of the year, we'll finish filming and introducing the food in Beijing. In the second half of the year, Feng Zhengming will take some time to go to Beijing to help film some restaurant exploration programs.

After discussions, the authorities in Beijing agreed to Feng Zhengming's arrangement.

After completing filming in Shandong, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Feng Zhengming can finally have some peace and quiet for a while.

At least until the Lunar New Year, nothing and no one will come looking for him.

The only possible hardship is that there are just too many customers at my old-style restaurant every day.

At lunchtime, business hours often need to be extended repeatedly.

Even on weekends, the old-style restaurant stays open from noon until 4 p.m.

It can be said that they almost seamlessly connect directly with dinner time.

Even with such a high workload, Feng Zhengming still insists on making every dish perfect.

They are usually busy from morning until closing time for dinner.

After seeing off the last guests, Feng Zhengming even needed to prepare some things in advance for the next day before cleaning up with everyone.

Feng Zhengming started returning home later and later each night.

Fortunately, he no longer needs to personally oversee the supply.

My third uncle has already helped arrange the restaurant's supplies.

All you need to do is arrange for someone to pick up the goods from the store every morning.

This also gave Feng Zhengming a little more time to rest.

Time flies when you're busy.

Before we knew it, it was already the end of January 2002.

As the Spring Festival approaches, Feng Zhengming, as in previous years, announced the holiday schedule in advance.

He and everyone in the restaurant could finally enjoy a long, well-deserved vacation. (End of Chapter)