From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

While Feng Zhengming was renovating a new store in Shanghai, Deng Huaichuan, Wang Hanwen, and Huang Yunliang, who had returned to their hometowns, were also preparing to open branches of their own dry rice shops in their respective hometowns.

Huang Yunliang was very efficient. After the Spring Festival, he went to Xiamen, his hometown province.

After some investigation, I found a relatively famous food street in Xiamen.

Then, we rented a not-so-large shop on the food street.

Huang Yunliang gained experience and knowledge by following Feng Zhengming over the years.

He clearly understands his own capabilities.

If it's about renting a larger shop, Huang Yunliang can definitely find one.

However, Huang Yunliang is still very clear that his current position is not that of a head chef in a large restaurant.

He still needs to start from a small shop and gradually improve and hone his skills.

The shop may indeed be a bit small and cannot accommodate many customers.

But small shops are easy to manage, and Huang Yunliang doesn't need to assign many people.

During the Spring Festival, Huang Yunliang also had a chat with his master and some fellow disciples.

The master was still somewhat dissatisfied with Huang Yunliang's return to Fujian Province and his opening of a branch store under Feng Zhengming's Feng Family Rice Shop brand.

According to Huang Yunliang's master, the reason he sent Huang Yunliang to learn from Feng Zhengming was that he hoped Huang Yunliang could learn more skills and learn Feng Zhengming's adaptability.

Then Huang Yunliang can open a Fujian cuisine restaurant in Shanghai.

Or to put it more bluntly, the master treated Huang Yunliang as a thorn in his side.

A nail that stayed close to Feng Zhengming and learned many of Feng Zhengming's operational methods.

At the same time, Huang Yunliang was regarded as a key figure in bringing Fujian cuisine into Shanghai.

Now Huang Yunliang has returned and told his master that he is not capable of opening his own store in Shanghai, so he plans to first join Feng Zhengming's dry rice shop branch and return to Fujian Province to open a branch of Feng's dry rice shop.

How could he expect his master to accept this?

The master was practically ready to scold Huang Yunliang to his face for his lack of ambition.

Naturally, Master could not offer any help to Huang Yunliang in opening his shop.

As for Huang Yunliang's fellow apprentices, some of them even secretly laughed at him behind his back.

Therefore, he couldn't count on his fellow apprentices for help at all.

He had no choice but to do everything himself.

Huang Yunliang believes that running a store in the same way as Feng Zhengming would definitely be welcomed in Fujian Province.

He chose Xiamen, which is considered the most developed and prosperous city in Fujian Province.

After renting the shop, Huang Yunliang called Feng Zhengming to make some contact.

His original intention was to inform Chef Feng Zhengming that he was going to start decorating the shop.

To Huang Yunliang's surprise, Feng Zhengming quickly sent people to Xiamen after receiving the call.

It was truly unbelievable that Huang Yunliang received the person sent to Xiamen by Feng Zhengming.

Huang Yunliang was quite familiar with all the people who came.

Gao Yongfu led the team, along with several apprentices who had previously assisted Huang Yunliang.

They were all very friendly to Huang Yunliang.

Two of the apprentices, like Huang Yunliang, were from Fujian Province.

Clearly, Feng Zhengming had a rough idea of ​​the problems Huang Yunliang was facing.

So he specifically asked Gao Yongfu to bring people over so that these old apprentices could follow Huang Yunliang to open the shop.

Gao Yongfu and Huang Yunliang saw his new store together and couldn't help but sigh.

"Isn't your shop a bit too small?"

Huang Yunliang: "I'll start with a small shop. After all, I can't compare to the head chef, so I'll start with a small shop and accumulate some experience."

Gao Yongfu laughed: "It seems that what Master said is true. After you come back, you may suffer a great blow during the New Year."

Upon hearing this, Huang Yunliang looked utterly helpless.

Wait until he tells us about some things that happened during the Chinese New Year.

Gao Yongfu smiled and patted him on the shoulder.

"It's okay, they're just jealous of you. Once you achieve something, they'll naturally acknowledge your excellence."

Your master may have high expectations for you, but you haven't met them yet, so he's a little disappointed in you.

I believe that once your shop opens, customers will recognize your skills, and your master will also acknowledge your talent.

Hearing Gao Yongfu say that made Huang Yunliang feel much better.

"Thank you for the encouragement. I won't be discouraged and I will definitely achieve something great."

Gao Yongfu smiled and said, "Don't be so polite. We're all brothers."

Huang Yunliang laughed along, "That's right, we're all brothers."

With the help of Gao Yongfu and his team, Huang Yunliang's branch store opened very smoothly in the following period.

His branch was renovated in less than a month.

When recruiting service personnel, Huang Yunliang and Gao Yongfu also conducted a thorough screening process.

We don't require the service staff to be particularly handsome or beautiful, but they must be articulate and express themselves clearly.

Furthermore, the waiters need to be responsible, and crucially, they must not only be able to speak the local dialect of Fujian Province, but also speak Mandarin clearly.

During the recruitment process to prepare for the opening, Gao Yongfu also took out some formulas that Feng Zhengming had asked him to bring over.

The recipe includes an improved version of the old braising broth, as well as some suggestions for dishes from Feng Zhengming.

Xiamen, Fujian Province, is also close to the sea, so Huang Yunliang's restaurant naturally includes many seafood dishes.

Many of the dishes are from the island of Taiwan, which is just across the sea.

Huang Yunliang had also been hesitant about whether to add those special dishes.

Seeing Feng Zhengming's menu suggestions made Huang Yunliang make up his mind.

Once Huang Yunliang and Gao Yongfu had completed all the preparations, the opening date was set.

To his surprise, Feng Zhengming arrived with his daughter the day before the opening.

Huang Yunliang was genuinely thrilled to see Feng Zhengming holding his eldest daughter's hand.

"Chef, what brings you here?"

Feng Zhengming smiled: "How could I not come and see the opening of a new store? How is it? It looks like you've done a great job preparing!"

Huang Yunliang was immediately a little embarrassed: "The place is a bit small, and I... I probably still don't have the ability to be a head chef."

Feng Zhengming: "It's quite big. The decoration of your store is very exquisite in every aspect. I think it's more comfortable than my branches in Shanghai."

Huang Yunliang became even more embarrassed by what was said.

"Thank you, Chef. I will run this restaurant well."

Feng Nuanyou held her father's hand and craned her neck to look around the store.

The little girl thought the little shop was really pretty.

Although it's not as big as my dad's shops, it's really just as good.

However, the little girl didn't say anything; she just stood quietly beside her father.

Feng Zhengming then changed his clothes again, put a chef's uniform on his daughter, and put a small chef's hat on her. Together they went into the kitchen to check on things.

In the kitchen, Feng Zhengming earnestly admonished Huang Yunliang.

"Remember, we're in the food service industry. The kitchen must be kept clean and hygienic. We can't say there can't be a single trace of grease, but we should clean it as promptly as possible." Huang Yunliang earnestly agreed: "I know, head chef. I will lead the team to clean it thoroughly every day."

Feng Zhengming then inspected the freezer and various kitchen utensils.

After inspecting the place, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Great! This kind of small shop is really good. As long as you keep the food delicious, the business will be good."

"Has Yunliang introduced any local specialty snacks? I remember you have a satay noodle dish here?"

Huang Yunliang: Yes, yes, we've already introduced it to our store, and I've made special preparations for it.

After Huang Yunliang finished speaking, Gao Yongfu saw that he did not say anything more.

Gao Yongfu leaned closer and reminded him, "Make one for our little boss to try."

Huang Yunliang was taken aback at first, but after Gao Yongfu pointed to Feng Nuanyou and reminded him, he suddenly understood.

"Yes, yes, Youyou is here too. Would you like to try our satay noodles?"

Huang Yunliang then asked, "Our braised duck is also excellent, and our squid is very fresh."

Gao Yongfu looked helpless when he saw Huang Yunliang start reciting the menu.

"Quickly make some for our little boss to try."

Feng Zhengming smiled and asked his daughter, "Would you like to try some?"

Feng Nuanyou didn't answer Huang Yunliang's question, and the little girl also felt that this uncle was being a bit too long-winded.

You've been talking for so long but haven't made it for yourself. You've only been introducing it to yourself. I've never even seen it before, so how am I supposed to know if it's good or not?

However, when her father asked, Feng Nuanyou looked at him and nodded.

Feng Zhengming: "Give me a bowl of satay noodles, let me try your cooking."

Huang Yunliang quickly agreed and began preparing in the kitchen.

While Huang Yunliang was preparing, Feng Zhengming tasted a little of the satay sauce that Huang Yunliang was using.

"This must be a ready-made product you bought, right?"

Huang Yunliang nodded: "Yes, I ordered it from a well-known satay sauce manufacturer in our area."

Feng Zhengming: "The taste is definitely fine, but have you ever thought about it? If you opened your own restaurant, would you also use this uniform satay sauce?"

These words startled Huang Yunliang at first, but he quickly realized that he had overlooked this issue.

When he opened this branch, he genuinely intended to run it as a small shop.

Unlike Feng Zhengming, he didn't make each of his stores unique.

Compared to Feng Zhengming's other branches, Huang Yunliang's current approach makes this branch truly a distinctive Fujian cuisine restaurant.

However, if placed on a local street where Fujian cuisine is ubiquitous, such a small shop would be considered utterly unremarkable.

Huang Yunliang: "I'm sorry, head chef, I wasn't aware of this problem."

Feng Zhengming: "There's no need to apologize. It's also quite difficult for you. After all, it's your first time managing a store on your own, so it's normal that you haven't considered many details."

Huang Yunliang still carefully prepared all the ingredients and served Feng Nuanyou a full bowl of satay noodles.

"Young boss, come on over and try it out."

Feng Zhengming: "Don't call her 'little boss,' you can call her Youyou."

Feng Nuanyou also raised her head and nodded: "My name is Youyou."

Huang Yunliang and Gao Yongfu exchanged a smile.

"Okay, I'll call you Youyou from now on."

"Youyou, you should try it."

Feng Zhengming asked Huang Yunliang to bring him a small bowl. He personally filled a small bowl for his daughter and set aside some shrimp, clams, and various seafood ingredients for her.

Feng Nuanyou didn't want to use a spoon, even though she wasn't very skilled at using chopsticks, but the little girl insisted on using chopsticks herself.

Seeing his daughter's stubbornness, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Take it slow, don't rush."

With a serious expression, Feng Nuanyou slowly held the chopsticks with her small hands and clumsily picked up the shrimp from the small bowl.

Feng Nuanyou burst into laughter as she picked up a shrimp.

The little girl happily put the shrimp into her mouth.

The shrimp were very fresh.

Feng Nuanyou ate the shrimp soaked in satay sauce and found that she quite liked the taste.

Then Feng Nuanyou ate one type of seafood after another, and also ate the fish balls in the bowl before finally picking up the noodles and putting them in her mouth.

"Dad, these noodles are so delicious."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "If you like it, then eat it. Your Uncle Huang will definitely be very happy."

Huang Yunliang quickly stepped in to chime in.

"Yes, yes, yes, Uncle is very happy that you like to eat it, Youyou."

Feng Nuanyou: "Uncle is awesome! Keep up the good work, Uncle."

Huang Yunliang nodded: "Okay, Uncle will definitely work hard to make the dishes even better."

Feng Zhengming first tasted the noodle soup, and the taste was indeed not bad.

However, upon tasting the soup, Feng Zhengming immediately recognized the very common flavor of satay sauce, and the soup Huang Yunliang used was not specially prepared in advance.

Huang Yunliang saw Feng Zhengming take a sip of soup and quickly realized the problem.

"I will make adjustments later, and the soup will be prepared in advance every day."

Feng Zhengming nodded after hearing this.

Gao Yongfu stood to the side without saying a word.

During this time, he worked with Huang Yunliang here, and most of the time the two of them were busy with various things in the store. Gao Yongfu didn't pay much attention to the details of some dishes.

The main reason is that Gao Yongfu feels that he is still just his master's apprentice.

No matter what, Huang Yunliang is already a young chef who has completed his apprenticeship.

Therefore, Gao Yongfu felt that Huang Yunliang should know what to do without him having to remind him.

As it turned out, Huang Yunliang did make a small mistake while cooking.

Fortunately, the taste wasn't bad overall.

After all, the seafood was fresh enough, so a bowl of satay noodles was quite delicious.

Feng Zhengming and his daughter shared the satay noodles that night.

Feng Nuanyou liked it very much: "It's delicious, Uncle Xiaohuang, you made it so well."

Feng Zhengming: "The taste is indeed good, and the ingredients are very fresh. It seems that you have put your heart into it. Just pay attention to a few minor issues in the future. I believe that you can run this restaurant well without me having to say anything more."

Huang Yunliang said earnestly, "Don't worry, head chef, I will definitely run this restaurant well."

A few days after Feng Zhengming and his daughter arrived in Xiamen, Huang Yunliang's branch officially opened.

On the opening day, many people in Xiamen were surprised to see Feng Zhengming cut the ribbon and unveil the plaque for Huang Yunliang's store.

Huang Yunliang's master and fellow apprentices were completely surprised that Feng Zhengming would personally come to support his shop.

With Feng Zhengming presiding over the ribbon-cutting and unveiling ceremony, Huang Yunliang's dry rice shop branch naturally became famous in Xiamen overnight.

Many locals and people from other places who work in Xiamen flocked to the city.

Upon entering the store, they discovered that it was indeed just like the legendary branches of Feng Zhengming in various places.

You can enjoy the most famous braised pork, pork knuckle, pig's feet, and four-happiness meatballs from Feng's Dry Rice Shop.

This restaurant also serves many of Fujian's signature dishes. (End of Chapter)