From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Just as Feng Zhengming had predicted, a large number of foreign catering companies soon began to enter the country.

Many chain restaurants have begun selecting locations in Shanghai to prepare for opening stores.

The Shanghai municipal government will not obstruct this; on the contrary, some will welcome it.

However, some restaurants in China are feeling considerable pressure.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming quickly received invitations from both the Chefs Association and the Catering Association.

We hope he can attend the meeting in Shanghai to discuss and propose solutions to the impact of overseas chain stores on the domestic catering market.

Feng Zhengming was not originally keen to participate. In his view, it was not a bad thing for various overseas chain stores to enter China.

Mutual competition and exchange are necessary to promote the improvement of various restaurants in China.

However, Feng Zhengming may be the only one in Shanghai, or even the whole country, who thinks this way right now.

After all, even before China joined the WTO, there were already quite a few people in the country who were pessimistic about its future.

I think that once China joins the WTO, all industries in China will be impacted by foreign countries, and various domestic industries may be overwhelmed by large foreign companies.

Some even believe that after China's accession to the WTO, it will become a battleground for foreign capital.

As for the various industries in China, they could only obediently surrender and ultimately face the fate of being acquired by others.

Of course, looking at the future, this kind of thinking can indeed be said to be deliberately inciting fear and panic among many people in the country by people with ulterior motives.

However, at this point in time, quite a few people actually believe this claim.

Many people in Shanghai's catering industry and chefs are already starting to worry.

Feng Zhengming, who originally did not want to participate in such a meeting, was even approached by Kong Xingli.

Kong Xingli came to Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant and nervously expressed his concerns to Feng Zhengming.

“Zhengming, you’re not afraid. You have so many restaurants under your management, and you’re the national culinary champion and the head chef of one of the world’s top ten restaurants of the year. You have so many accolades that you’re already on the same level as those people overseas.”

But we're different! I've only been working in Shanghai for a few years, and now I'm in this situation. You need to give me some advice!

Feng Zhengming also greatly admired Kong Xingli.

He specifically abandoned his own restaurant and came to Feng Zhengming's old villa restaurant for this matter.

He even volunteered to change into a chef's uniform and work as Feng Zhengming's assistant.

I just want to have a good talk with Feng Zhengming about what to do next.
Feng Zhengming looked helpless and could only try his best to comfort him.

"Brother Kong, you don't need to worry. Those overseas catering companies may indeed have a lot of funds, and they do have a lot of overseas supply channels."

But those things have nothing to do with us; their entry into the country won't have much of an impact on us.

Upon hearing this, Kong Xingli couldn't wait to interrupt Feng Zhengming.

"No, Zhengming, I've heard people say that now that we've joined the WTO, they can freely come into the country to open shops. This is really a big blow to us. Even if there are a lot of outsiders in Shanghai, there are still certain limits."

If they attract more customers, then our store will definitely have no customers.

And think about it, if many people in China start to prefer their Western-style food, won't it be even more difficult for us to do business in the future?

Feng Zhengming shook his head calmly: "Brother Kong, you really don't need to worry about those things. Think about it, over the years, haven't there been Western restaurants in China?"
Just like in Shanghai, what was popular in the city in the early years? It was Cantonese cuisine, specifically Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine. Later, some Taiwanese cuisine also became popular, and Western restaurants in Shanghai have always been a staple.

In recent years, Japanese restaurants and various Korean restaurants have also started to appear in Shanghai.

But have those things affected our business? Our store still has many customers, doesn't it?

At this point, Feng Zhengming turned to look at Kong Xingli.

"Brother Kong, think about it. In the past few years, haven't we made Shandong cuisine a success together? Aren't there quite a few people in Shanghai who are starting to enjoy Shandong cuisine? Doesn't your restaurant have any business?"

After being told that by Feng Zhengming, Kong Xingli immediately felt a little embarrassed.

In fact, Kong Xingli only realized after coming to Shanghai that Shandong cuisine is no longer what it used to be when it went beyond Shandong province.

In the past, Shandong cuisine could be said to have traveled all over the country and was sought after wherever it went.

But things are not like they used to be. Shandong cuisine is now under great influence from various regional cuisines across the country, especially Cantonese and Sichuan cuisines.

Another point is that in Shanghai, they also have to contend with the competition from overseas Western restaurants.

There will also be comparisons between Hong Kong-style Cantonese cuisine, such as that from Jiang Chengzhe, and some innovative dishes.

This really leaves Shandong cuisine with almost no advantage in Shanghai.

Kong Xingli saw Feng Zhengming's success in Shanghai and received investment from others, so he came to Shanghai without hesitation.

Over the years, Kong Xingli gradually realized that he, a Shandong cuisine chef, really had no advantage in Shanghai.

His restaurant business was even struggling for a time because of many people's stereotypes about Shandong cuisine.

Later, Feng Zhengming gave him some suggestions, which led him to make some adjustments to the dishes.

For example, in terms of flavor, the original savory flavor has been modified to include some sweetness.

Another example is using more seafood in cooking.

We'll still use the techniques of Shandong cuisine, but we'll choose more seafood as the main ingredient.

Another area for improvement is the restaurant's services.

It can be said that with Feng Zhengming's guidance and improvements, Kongxingli Restaurant gradually got on the right track.

Kong Xingli's restaurant is now considered one of the best restaurants in Shanghai.

He also felt indebted to Feng Zhengming for his advice and suggestions.

So this time he took the initiative to find Feng Zhengming again.

Kong Xingli hoped to get some help from Feng Zhengming.

He finally gained a foothold in Shanghai and made a name for himself running the Shandong cuisine restaurant.

He didn't want his restaurant to be unable to continue operating because of the opening up of the market after China's accession to the WTO and the entry of large overseas catering companies into the country.

Feng Zhengming could guess Kong Xingli's thoughts, and he also knew what Kong Xingli was worried about.

"Brother Kong, you should believe in your skills. The fact that you have been able to establish yourself in Shanghai shows that your cooking skills are excellent and have been recognized by many people."

So as long as you stick to your craft, I believe that even top overseas restaurants will come to open branches in China.

Your restaurant will still have its place in Shanghai.

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, Kong Xingli was still uneasy, but he also felt that what Feng Zhengming said made sense.

Next, a scene that surprised everyone in the kitchen of Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant unfolded.

Kong Xingli truly became Feng Zhengming's deputy, always staying by Feng Zhengming's side.

Many tasks that were originally assigned to Fu Jun and Cai Tao, or even to some apprentices, were taken over by Kong Xingli.

It also allowed everyone in the kitchen to witness the skills of a top-notch Shandong cuisine chef.

In terms of basic skills alone, they have already completely overwhelmed the younger chefs.

Seeing this, Feng Zhengming didn't stop them. Instead, he took the opportunity to teach the kitchen staff a lesson. "You all saw that, right? This is what real solid basic skills look like. I usually tell you to practice more, but you all just pay lip service to me. You think you're already very good chefs in my restaurant's kitchen."

Now that you've seen Master Kong's basic skills, don't you all feel ashamed of yourselves?

Hearing Feng Zhengming's words, Hou Dong spoke first: "Master, Uncle Kong's skills are definitely better than ours. We really can't compare."

"You're quite confident in what you're saying, aren't you?" Feng Zhengming said with a smile as he looked at Hou Dong.

Hou Dong then responded, "Master, this isn't us being self-righteous; it's that we have a clear understanding of our own limitations."

Gao Yongfu chimed in, "Yes, yes, Master, we know our place."

Fu Jun: "Even my master wouldn't dare say he was a match for Master Kong, how could I be?"

Cai Tao: "Don't worry, Uncle-Master, we will continue to work hard."

Feng Zhengming smiled and looked at Kong Xingli: "Senior Brother Kong, please don't take offense. These kids are used to being undisciplined in the kitchen, so sometimes they don't speak respectfully."

Kong Xingli smiled and said, "It's alright, the atmosphere in your kitchen is better, Zhengming."

In reality, most chefs are not very serious people.

Kong Xingli, for example, would often joke around with his apprentices in the kitchen.

That's why some of Kong Xingli's disciples would occasionally utter some outrageous remarks to their master.

They felt that their master was showing too much respect to Feng Zhengming, even though their master was more senior than Feng Zhengming.

The apprentice also felt that Kong Xingli should have a showdown with Feng Zhengming.

Even after learning that Feng Zhengming's old villa restaurant had become one of the top ten restaurants of the year, Kong Xingli's apprentices were somewhat unconvinced and felt that Kong Xingli should also take them to apply.

Kong Xingli was well aware that his culinary skills were probably on par with Feng Zhengming's in traditional Shandong cuisine.

However, if we really want to talk about Shanghai and facing the judges of the International Gastronomy Association.

Kong Xingli knew that he was clearly inferior to Feng Zhengming.

First of all, many of Feng Zhengming's dishes incorporated techniques from various regional cuisines and Western cuisine, which Kong Xingli could never have imagined.

As a chef of the same master level, Kong Xingli naturally understands what this difference means.
The existence of this gap means that Feng Zhengming will find it easier to leave Shandong and integrate into other places.

However, it will be quite difficult for Kong Xingli to integrate into different regions.

Most importantly, Feng Zhengming is also fluent in foreign languages, which allows him to communicate better with overseas guests.

This gives Feng Zhengming a natural advantage in dealing with overseas customers.

The judges of international food associations overseas.

When facing Feng Zhengming, being able to hear him directly and in detail explain each dish in a language that the other person can understand is something that not only Kong Xingli, but most domestic chefs cannot do.

That's why Feng Zhengming was able to win one of the world's top ten restaurants last year.

Kong Xingli didn't think there was anything wrong with working as Feng Zhengming's assistant.

Moreover, by following Feng Zhengming, one can see some of his unique skills.

For example, when Feng Zhengming cooks, his seasoning is noticeably lighter compared to traditional Shandong cuisine, and it has a flavor reminiscent of Cantonese cuisine.

This gave Kong Xingli a lot of inspiration.

In addition, some of Feng Zhengming's dishes also use ingredients commonly found in Western cuisine, such as cream and butter.

The dishes prepared will have very obvious Western culinary characteristics incorporated into them.

The addition of these ingredients might have made the dish look rather strange.

However, through some adjustments by Feng Zhengming, he was always able to achieve a certain wonderful balance.

Kong Xingli had originally thought that Feng Zhengming would keep his seasoning process a secret from him.

He then realized that he had been harboring some petty thoughts.

Feng Zhengming would never carry him on his back, nor would anyone else in the kitchen.

It can be said that Feng Zhengming cooks every dish under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Kong Xingli naturally seized the opportunity to watch and learn attentively.

He soon realized that it seemed Feng Zhengming had intentionally shown him these dishes.

Feng Zhengming did indeed deliberately let Kong Xingli see it.

Or rather, it should be said that Feng Zhengming intentionally went back to teaching Kong Xingli.

Today, a master chef like Kong Xingli has humbled himself to come and seek out Feng Zhengming.

Kong Xingli was already being very humble, and it was clear that he was genuinely worried.

So Feng Zhengming simply showed him some of his dishes.

Let Kong Xingli know how some dishes can be made, how to make them taste more appealing to customers from other parts of Shanghai, and how to make them appealing to foreigners.

After a flurry of activity, by the time Feng Zhengming went to serve the dishes, Kong Xingli was still digesting in the kitchen.

Some of the things Kong Xingli witnessed with Feng Zhengming were things he had never imagined.

Kong Xingli needs to digest this information properly and carefully review many details.

When Feng Zhengming returned with the dishes, he saw that Kong Xingli was still standing there without moving.

He smiled and walked over to Kong Xingli, gently patting him on the shoulder.

"Brother Kong is still thinking about it? I understand your concerns. You feel that with so many overseas catering companies and restaurants entering the domestic market, they will squeeze out our market share and bring us more competitive pressure in Shanghai."

Indeed, when they come to China, Shanghai will likely be their first choice, since Shanghai is seen as the financial center of the East.

But their arrival also brings us more opportunities, allowing us to attract more guests from abroad.

Kong Xingli was taken aback at first, then realized that Feng Zhengming's words made sense.

It's not just restaurants and chefs from overseas that come to China.

Most of the people who come will definitely need to eat in the country.

But after thinking about it, Kong Xingli still didn't feel that confident.

“Junior brother, you can definitely attract those foreigners. You are already famous here. Besides, your skills are there, and you are good at making many dishes that suit their tastes.”

"After all, I run a traditional Shandong cuisine restaurant. I only serve Shandong dishes, and I don't think that might attract them."

Feng Zhengming: "Brother Kong, you're making others look bad."

Shandong cuisine can also be very fashionable, and we can make many dishes to suit the tastes of people from different regions. Although we don't have as many flavor profiles as Sichuan cuisine, Shandong cuisine is not just about salty and savory.

Brother Kong, listen to me. From now on, your restaurant should add some seafood dishes and use some of the special cooking methods from Jiaodong.

I believe your restaurant will also attract many diners from all over the world. (End of Chapter)