From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After a moment of contemplation, the master spoke first.

“Zhengming, your ideas are excellent, and your vision is truly lofty. They not only promote our Shandong cuisine, but also take into account the promotion of local customs and traditions in various parts of Shandong.”

After commenting on his apprentice's ideas, the master still gave him a reminder.

“But Zhengming, you shouldn’t have things gotten too tense with the TV station. After all, the provincial TV station’s original intention was good.”

Feng Zhengming naturally understood his master's words.

My mentor hopes that I can cooperate well with the provincial television station.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master, I know. I didn't say I wouldn't cooperate with the provincial TV station. It's just that they might not have understood what I meant."

At the meeting before the Lunar New Year, I wasn't rejecting the proposal from the provincial TV station; I just wanted to have a theme.

Whether it's a documentary, a TV series, a movie, or even a novel, everything needs a theme.

The TV station's plan clearly lacked a central theme and also had to cater to different regions.

This could ultimately turn into a superficial tourism promotion that fails to effectively promote Shandong cuisine.

The master was at a loss for words when his apprentice said that.

The senior disciples saw that Feng Zhengming did not heed their master's advice.

They looked at each other, genuinely worried for their junior brother.

After a moment of silence, the eldest disciple, Li Huidong, spoke.

“Master, what Junior Brother said makes sense. Since the goal is to promote Shandong cuisine, we should focus on its cooking methods and not include too much information about tourism from other regions. Otherwise, the documentary will turn into a travelogue.”

Upon hearing his eldest disciple's words, the master realized the current status of his youngest disciple among his fellow disciples.

It was obvious that the senior brothers were more willing to speak up for their junior brother.

This made the master very gratified.

After all, it's definitely good for their future development if they, as fellow disciples, work together as one.

The master understood that his youngest disciple was right.

The theme of a documentary must be determined in advance.

Since it's a documentary about Shandong cuisine, it should focus on introducing Shandong cuisine.

You can't say that your documentary contains a lot of content that has nothing to do with Shandong cuisine.

Wouldn't that be like putting up a sheep's head while selling dog meat?

In fact, the master had heard about it and knew that the provincial TV station had its own reasons.

They hope to use a documentary to promote the local customs and culture of Shandong, attract tourists to various places, and ideally help attract investment to those areas.

However, if one makes a documentary with such impure motives...

So next, various regions in Shandong will definitely compete to introduce their local customs and traditions more.

In this situation, it is highly likely that in the end, in order to balance the demands of various regions in Shandong.

The only solution is to reduce other aspects of the content.

In the end, Shandong cuisine, which should have been heavily promoted and introduced, became merely a supporting element.

This was also a very intuitive feeling that Feng Zhengming had after seeing the provincial TV station's proposal.

He felt that the TV station was clearly downplaying the issue.

If we really follow the provincial TV station's plan to produce the documentary.

It's possible that very little of the actual content related to Shandong cuisine will appear in the final documentary.

How could the goal of promoting Shandong cuisine through a documentary possibly be achieved?

This is also why Feng Zhengming stormed out of the meeting before the Lunar New Year in a fit of anger.

Of course, Chen Zhiheng later came to Feng Zhengming to express the province's attitude.

The province is more supportive of Feng Zhengming, after all, he is the current leader of Shandong cuisine and a key figure in understanding Shandong cuisine nationwide and even globally, so his suggestions are more important.

Feng Zhengming patiently explained his ideas to his master again.

“Master, my idea is that since it is a documentary about Shandong cuisine, we should first introduce Shandong cuisine well, especially some of our traditional classic dishes, as well as the development trajectory of those dishes.”

During this process, some local customs and traditions from various parts of Shandong can be interspersed, but they must all serve to introduce Shandong cuisine.

It's not enough to just introduce local customs and culture; the introduction of Shandong cuisine has been neglected.

The master nodded, agreeing with this point.

Feng Zhengming then went on to talk about the proposal given by the deputy director of the provincial television station.

"According to the TV station's previous plan, they probably hoped to use this documentary to promote the local customs and culture of various places in Shandong, thereby boosting tourism in Shandong as a whole."

I can understand that, after all, Shandong cuisine is also part of the culture of our Qilu region.

The development of Shandong cuisine is inextricably linked to the local customs and traditions of various regions in Shandong.

Feng Zhengming looked very serious as he said this.

"But if most of the documentary is devoted to introducing the local customs and culture of Shandong, it will obviously reduce the introduction of Shandong cuisine, which will definitely not give the audience a good viewing experience."

After listening to Feng Zhengming's entire analysis, the master could only nod in agreement.

“Zhengming, you are absolutely right. Since this is a documentary about Shandong cuisine, the main focus should be on introducing and promoting Shandong cuisine. Other elements can serve to introduce Shandong cuisine, but they cannot become the main theme.”

Seeing that their master and junior brother had reached a consensus, the senior brothers couldn't help but secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

At this moment, the teacher's wife also spoke up: "Alright, let's eat. The food has been here for a while now, and it'll get cold if we keep talking."

The master chimed in, "Yes, yes, eat your vegetables. Today, you're here, so eat more vegetables and drink less alcohol."

Feng Zhengming and his fellow students laughed, and everyone began to eat heartily.

The children who came along also ate heartily without any hesitation.

This made the master and mistress very happy.

After eating for a while, Feng Zhengming and the others had all offered toasts to those who were to be toasted.

The eldest son, who was in charge of the restaurant, also sat down.

Everyone toasted each other.

Li Huidong asked, "The restaurant didn't close during the Chinese New Year?"

The master's eldest son nodded: "Yes, business was very good during the Chinese New Year, so we didn't take a break and stayed open all the time."

Third Senior Brother Yang Bin remarked, "That was still quite tough."

Master: "There's nothing wrong with working a little harder. We chefs are hardworking, and we have to endure this kind of hardship."

The master's eldest son asked, "Zhengming, are you still opening for business on the sixth day of the month?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, brother. The stores in Jinan will open on the sixth day of the Lunar New Year. I may not return to Shanghai for a few more days, so the stores in Shanghai will probably open a little later this year."

Yan Jianxing had considerable respect for Feng Zhengming.

"Zhengming, your restaurant in Shanghai is now one of the world's top ten restaurants of the year. You're really amazing."

Feng Zhengming: "Brother, I think you and your fellow apprentices are the real experts. My restaurant in Shanghai has made a lot of adjustments to the dishes to cater to the tastes of people from different places."

To be honest, although I hate to admit it, I have to admit that many of the dishes in my restaurant are no longer Shandong cuisine. Many of them are new dishes that I designed by incorporating other cuisines and some Western cooking techniques.

"Brother, you and your fellow apprentices have always upheld traditional craftsmanship and passed down what our master taught us. That's why you deserve my utmost respect."

Feng Zhengming's words were not meant to be modest; that was truly what he thought.

Just like he felt that he should appear less on screen in the Shandong cuisine documentary and instead focus more on introducing his master and other senior chefs, as well as Yan Jianxing and his fellow apprentices.

They are the true inheritors and upholders of Shandong cuisine.

They also deserve more publicity and attention.

Both Master and Elder Brother Yan Jianxing were somewhat surprised by Feng Zhengming's words.

Yan Jianxing: "Zhengming, now that you say that, I, as the eldest brother, feel a little embarrassed."

Feng Zhengming: "Brother, there's no need to be embarrassed. I'm telling the truth."

Master: "Don't you have anything to say to your elder brother?"

Feng Zhengming: "To put it simply, elder brother should uphold the skills you passed down from your master and do a good job of our classic traditional Shandong cuisine."

The master laughed after hearing this: "You brat, you're passing on the responsibilities that your master originally entrusted to you to your elder brother, aren't you?"

Feng Zhengming laughed along: "It's not just my eldest brother, but also my senior brothers."

The senior students looked at each other for a moment, then they all burst into laughter.

Master: "You're still laughing? Didn't you realize that this kid is just flattering you so that you can help him pass on the old craftsmanship so that he can continue his own innovations?"

Li Huidong: "Master, isn't this a good thing?"

Chen Zezhi: "That's right, the junior brother innovates, while we uphold tradition and cooperate."

"Master, you're not going to ask us to be innovative, are you?" Yang Bin asked helplessly. "I don't think I can be innovative."

Cao Zhiguo: "Let my junior apprentice innovate. For example, I help my junior apprentice run the branch in Beijing. I think traditional crafts still have a market in Beijing."

Zhang Minghai: "At most, I can only incorporate some Jiaodong cuisine techniques; I'm not good at innovation."

Yan Jianxing: "Dad, didn't you tell me before that I should just stick to the old craftsmanship? You wouldn't let me innovate, and now you're telling us what to do?"

After listening to his apprentices and son, Master Yan's gaze fell on Feng Zhengming again.

"Zhengming, as you go further in life, your master hopes that you will not forget your roots and the traditional skills of Shandong cuisine. Do not abandon them, understand?"

Feng Zhengming: "If he is my master, I will always remember him."

Finally, the eldest disciple led his fellow disciples to stand up and toast their master once again.

This time, when Master drank this cup of wine, an even more gratified smile appeared on his face.

The master was truly happy to see that all his disciples were successful.

Especially since among them was Feng Zhengming, his most proud apprentice.

The master and his wife sat there, accepting toasts from their disciples.

After the meal, Feng Zhengming was naturally invited to the kitchen.

This time, Feng Zhengming gave Brother Yan Jianxing more specific advice in the kitchen.

For example, in the selection of raw materials, we should try our best to improve the quality of some raw materials.

Regarding seasonings, Feng Zhengming suggests using established brands whenever possible.

"The old brands of seasonings still taste more authentic. Some new brands may not be able to achieve a balance. The key to our Shandong cuisine is to maintain a balanced flavor, so it's best not to switch brands casually."

This point was unanimously agreed upon by Yan Jianxing and several senior students.

Moreover, people are now used to using the condiments produced by the sauce factory owned by Feng Zhengming.

“Zhengming, the products from your soy sauce factory are the most consistent. We use them in our kitchen now.”

Feng Zhengming: "When I came back this time, I went to the factory to take a look. The factory still uses the old techniques, so the taste is indeed well preserved."

Yan Jianxing: "So, Zhengming, you still have foresight."

Feng Zhengming: "It's not that I have foresight, it's just that it happened to be the right time. At that time, Luo Jinliang and other Hong Kong businessmen came to our area, all of them wanting to invest in some local assets."

It just so happened that I had become quite famous at that time, which is why they wanted to collaborate with me.

"By next year, I should have bought back all the shares, and I'll probably give a portion of them to the province."

These words surprised the senior students.

Yang Bin couldn't help but ask directly.

"Zhengming, why are you giving your shares to the province? Aren't you afraid the province will send people to interfere with the factory's production?"

Feng Zhengming: "No, I'm just giving out shares. The decision-making power is still in the hands of the factory itself. I am still the largest shareholder, and they can't bypass me to make decisions."

Li Huidong thought for a moment: "You're giving the province shares mainly to get the province to support the soy sauce factory, right?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, on the one hand, we hope that the province can provide support, and on the other hand, we hope that others will not make any underhanded moves. With the province's support, things should be more convenient."

After listening to Feng Zhengming's explanation, the senior students all agreed that he was right.

With the backing of the provincial government, the factory can indeed develop more freely.

Feng Zhengming was still in the kitchen, teaching Yan Jianxing a few new dishes.

These are some of the side dishes he created himself in restaurants in Shanghai.

Several of the dishes are original cold appetizers, which can enrich the cold appetizer offerings at Yan Family Restaurant.

There are also two braised dishes that are suitable for serving in large quantities at once, with some novel flavors, which can be considered as enriching the menu of Yan Family Restaurant.

Seeing Feng Zhengming's skillful basic techniques in the kitchen, the master still felt reassured about his young apprentice.

Master Yan knew that his young apprentice had worked very hard all these years, running around everywhere.

As the master, I naturally felt a pang of heartache, and at the same time, I was worried about my apprentice's skills declining.

After all, Feng Zhengming's true foundation lies in his craftsmanship.

If his skills decline, it will definitely affect his career.

However, judging from the dishes that Feng Zhengming personally cooked today, his knife skills, spoon skills, and control of the heat were all quite detailed and precise.

This completely dispelled the master's worries.

At that moment, Master Yan also realized that he was indeed getting old.

The future of Shandong cuisine should place more hope on young people.

The person on whom the greatest expectations can be placed is naturally Feng Zhengming, the young and top chef.

After exchanging ideas at my master's family restaurant.

Feng Zhengming and his fellow disciples also bid farewell to their master and mistress.

They left their master's restaurant together and returned to the old Feng Family Rice Shop in Jinan.

Back at the old shop, the fellow apprentices were still quite emotional.

Feng Zhengming also felt a strong sense of belonging to the old shop. (End of Chapter)