From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After the appetizer soup, Feng Zhengming served the old man and the guests several Shandong-style stir-fried and braised dishes.

These stir-fried dishes are not on the set menu.

The old man ordered it specifically for several elderly people who had returned from Taiwan after asking them about it.

Among the elderly people who returned from Taiwan, some were originally from Shandong province.

Seeing the classic stir-fried and braised dishes among the Shandong cuisine dishes served, I felt quite familiar with them.

"Stir-fried pork kidneys, I haven't seen this in many years. It's the knife skills and the taste that are amazing."

"Deep-fried double crispy, this is really well done."

"Braised tendon with scallions, I've never had it made so well when I was in Taiwan."

"This cooked shrimp is also very good, it's really authentic."

Several elderly people who returned from Taiwan are quite familiar with these Shandong dishes.

Back when they were in mainland China, they often ate these dishes.

However, in recent years, I haven't been able to taste such authentic Shandong cuisine in Taiwan.

Today, this was especially unbelievable for several elderly people.

"I never expected that our top scholar Feng could cook these dishes!"

The old man smiled and said, "These dishes were all made by him personally. Our champion is a chef who specializes in Shandong cuisine. He won the national cooking competition and also cooked Shandong cuisine."

Several elderly people who had returned from Taiwan suddenly realized what was happening.

"I see. It seems our information is somewhat outdated."

"Haha, we just don't know them well enough."

"Before I came here, I heard many people mention him, and they all said that his creative dishes are excellent."

"Yes, several tycoons in Hong Kong say so, saying that he has perfectly blended Chinese and Western cuisines and various regional styles."

The old man said, "Shandong cuisine is his foundation, the basis for all his integration. It is precisely because he has a solid foundation in Shandong cuisine that he is able to better integrate various dishes."

At this point, the old man also told the group of people who had returned from Taiwan about the core technology that Feng Zhengming possessed.

“You often travel abroad from Taiwan, so you should know very well that the key to opening branches is scale and standardization, and standardization is the most difficult thing for Chinese cuisine to quantify.”

Only this top scholar Feng has done this well in China; he is truly able to standardize every dish.

You can try some of his Chinese fast food restaurants in Shanghai these days, which are those Feng Family Rice Shops.

He manages to maintain almost identical flavors across all his restaurants, even down to the stir-fries.

These words surprised the elderly people who had returned from Taiwan.

How can you ensure that stir-fried dishes taste consistently?

"Yes, stir-frying must be very difficult, right?"

"The problem is that a chef's skills need to be honed. Even if there are standards, different chefs may still perform differently."

"That's the nature of Chinese food, which is why it's impossible for every restaurant to have the same taste."

The old man smiled and said, "I can't say much about this. You'll understand when you have time to go and have a bite."

After a course of Shandong cuisine, Feng Zhengming served a grand dish next: "Searching for the Dragon in the Snow".

A whole lobster, head and tail intact, is arranged at both ends of the plate, with egg white and stir-fried lobster slices in the middle.

When this dish was served, it surprised the second-generation owners from Taiwan next door.

The dish "Searching for the Dragon in the Snow" is considered by them to be a difficult dish to make.

The key is to ensure the lobster meat is tender and juicy after slicing it into thin slices, which requires excellent control of the cooking time.

The elderly people who returned from Taiwan weren't particularly surprised this time.

Having experienced the Shandong cuisine firsthand, they knew very well that "Searching for Dragons in the Snow" was a simple task for Feng Zhengming.

For a Shandong cuisine chef with solid basic skills, making this dish is really too easy.

The middle-aged people next door are now completely impressed by Feng Zhengming's skills.

They all realized that they had underestimated the other person's skills.

Every single dish tonight is truly exquisite.

This is a dish that not every chef can make well.

Most importantly, Feng Zhengming always has a precise grasp of seasoning, making people feel that the taste is just right.

This is also what makes the elderly people who returned from Taiwan so unbelievable.

"This Scholar Feng must be quite young. How does he manage to have such a good grasp of taste?"

"He really got the flavors just right; the dishes looked light, but they were still full of flavor."

"Haha, he's a Shandong cuisine chef, a famous Shandong cuisine chef, is this really such a big deal?"

When one of the elderly people said this, it immediately made the other elderly people laugh.

In the eyes of the elderly, this was indeed the most appropriate explanation.

Before they went to Taiwan, when they were young, they mostly served Shandong cuisine at banquets.

Tasting such authentic Shandong cuisine at Feng Zhengming's restaurant truly evokes a deep longing for their hometown.

When the elderly reminisced about the past, after a few small dishes, another main dish was served.

The main dish this time is the "Dragon Playing with a Pearl" that the elders have been looking forward to.

However, Feng Zhengming made some improvements to this version of "The Mischievous Dragon Plays with a Pearl".

Because we had used lobster before, we didn't use lobster balls as the central beads this time.

Feng Zhengming's scallop dish this time was filled with shark fin.

And the stir-fried shark fin was placed underneath.

It suddenly became a more luxurious new dish.

When the waiter serves the guests, each plate contains sea cucumber, dried scallops, and some shark fin at the bottom.

The group of middle-aged people who returned from Taiwan were also somewhat speechless after eating this dish.

Such a luxurious dish is probably something they've never eaten before.

The most important thing is still the seasoning.

Feng Zhengming's scallion sauce really seems to have the power to cook anything.

Spicy scallops, shark fin, and sea cucumber can all be perfectly seasoned with scallion sauce to create a delicious flavor.

Towards the end of the meal, if there hadn't been so many people around, several of them would have had the urge to lick the broth off the bottom of the plate.

After we finished these dishes, someone came to ask if we wanted to have a main course.

The elderly almost never ordered staple food, since the dishes they had already eaten were quite plentiful.

However, a few of the middle-aged people ordered some staple food.

Then they ate assorted fried rice and Qilu hand-pulled noodles at Feng Zhengming's shop.

This allows these middle-aged people to experience the unique flavors of staple foods from different regions of mainland China.

After the main course, there were some Chinese-style desserts.

Feng Zhengming served the elderly people pea flour cake.

This dish further stirred up the homesickness in the hearts of the elderly.

On the other side, the middle-aged people ordered some other snacks, which were very characteristic of the Jiangnan region.

The group of people who had returned from Taiwan were very satisfied with the meal.

"This meal really brought back so many memories for me."

"Yes, so many memories."

"I never imagined there would be such a skilled chef these days."

"This Scholar Feng truly lives up to his title." After dinner, Feng Zhengming, as usual, led his kitchen staff out to greet the guests at each table.

This has become a regular evening routine for Feng Zhengming's old-style restaurant.

On the one hand, it's to express my gratitude to the guests for their support.

On the other hand, we ask the guests for their opinions on tonight's dishes.

By having the other kitchen staff follow along, Feng Zhengming was also instructing them.

Many details might go unnoticed by the kitchen staff during the cooking process, but hearing guests point them out can make them realize where they went wrong.

Feng Zhengming's standardized design for the kitchen breaks down the steps of each dish.

It's fair to say that almost no one in the industry has ever thought about or done this.

By breaking down the different steps, when a customer points out some minor flaws in a dish, the person responsible can then identify their own problem.

So everyone in the kitchen is really looking forward to the face-to-face interaction with the guests after dinner.

This process can indeed allow every chef to learn something quickly.

Starting from the first floor, guests at each table were greeted.

Finally, Feng Zhengming led his kitchen team to the third floor.

When I stepped into the room where the old man and his family were.

The old man immediately smiled broadly: "You're here, Zhengming! Everyone's praising you."

Feng Zhengming entered with a smile: "Thank you for the compliments, everyone. Uncles, are you satisfied with the dishes tonight?"

The old man didn't offer his opinion first: "Let them speak first."

The elderly people who returned from Taiwan immediately expressed their satisfaction.

"I'm very satisfied, really satisfied. The dishes tonight were fantastic."

"Excellent, truly excellent. Scholar Feng's skills are indeed worthy of praise."

"It brought back the taste of Shandong cuisine that I used to eat at the Eight Great Restaurants in Beijing before I went to Taiwan."

"Yes, it tastes just like the Shandong cuisine from the era of the Eight Great Restaurants."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you for your praise. Since I studied Shandong cuisine, I have always followed my master's teachings and worked hard to hone my skills. Especially when making Shandong cuisine, I dare not slack off in the slightest."

Hearing Feng Zhengming say this, the elderly people who had returned from Taiwan admired him even more.

"That's wonderful. It's rare to see a young chef like Feng Zhuangyuan who has achieved so much and is still so humble."

"Scholar Feng is truly like a gentleman of the past."

"He truly deserves the title of top scholar; both his skills and character are exceptional."

The elderly people spared no effort in praising Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming thanked the elderly for their praise once again, and then introduced the people in his kitchen.

Looking into Feng Zhengming's kitchen, one sees that almost everyone there is a young person.

The elderly people who had returned from Taiwan were even more surprised.

"They're all young people? That's amazing."

"Feng Zhuangyuan, you are so young, yet you led such a group of young people to make such delicious dishes. You are amazing."

“Great, that’s how young people should be, they should follow the right people.”

The old man concluded, "Zhengming, your skills are truly improving. The people in your kitchen are also able to follow your lead and cook well. It's a really great team."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you for the compliment, Uncle, and thank you for always patronizing our business."

Old man: "Hahaha, what are you saying? Do you think I need to take care of your business?"

Upon hearing this, everyone present couldn't help but laugh.

The middle-aged man in the next room, who had seemed unconvinced, stepped forward.

“Feng Zhuangyuan, I underestimated you before. I apologize to you here. I am truly impressed by your skills. I, He Jingfeng, am truly impressed.”

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Boss He, there's no need for that. I'm just a chef, and making good food is my job."

Feng Zhengming wasn't just saying this to the business owners who had returned from Taiwan.

He was also speaking to the people in his kitchen behind him.

Feng Zhengming hopes that everyone in the kitchen will remember that their job is to cook good food.

Those who returned from Taiwan were once again impressed with Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming's display of charisma truly makes his reputation as the top scholar well-deserved.

After that, no one offered to invest in Feng Zhengming or to cooperate with him in any way.

After all, everyone already knows that with Feng Zhengming's skills and abilities, he really doesn't need to cooperate with others.

Feng Zhengming first saw off the guests downstairs, and finally the group from Taiwan, accompanied by the old man, went downstairs.

They also saw the group out the door.

The old man took the opportunity to whisper a few words of advice in Feng Zhengming's ear.

"I brought them here this time hoping that they could relive the flavors of the past through your place. The Shandong dishes you made tonight were excellent, and they brought back the taste of the past."

Feng Zhengming: "Is it to establish more connections with Taiwan through them?"

The old man nodded: "Yes, we must not let our connections between people be severed."

Feng Zhengming: "We can't let it break down. If even people-to-people exchanges are cut off, this blood ties may also become indifferent."

The old man gave Feng Zhengming a deep look.

"It seems you've heard about it as well?"

Feng Zhengming: "I've heard some customers say that I usually take some time to read the news after I'm done with my work. Nowadays, news spreads quite quickly on the internet."

The old man said, "You have to watch the news and understand the changes in the world, otherwise you might fall behind the times."

"I know, Uncle, I will pay attention to this and not let myself fall behind the times."

Hearing Feng Zhengming say this, the old man patted him on the shoulder with satisfaction.

"Zhengming, you are a very thoughtful person. I believe you will get better and better in the future. I hope you will achieve more and more in the future and never forget your patriotism."

Feng Zhengming said with a serious expression, "Uncle, don't worry, I will always remember this."

The group that had escorted the old man and the people returning from Taiwan departed.

The old-style house restaurant will close for business tonight.

Feng Zhengming returned to the kitchen and listened to the summary from everyone there.

Everyone spoke frankly about some of their problems.

Feng Zhengming will provide comments and offer some guidance.

"Overall, everyone performed very well, but don't be arrogant or complacent, and even more so, don't slack off. I don't want you to leave here in the future and be told by others that your skills are not good."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, everyone in the kitchen immediately became serious.

Everyone earnestly expressed their determination to learn and do well.

After finishing cleaning, Feng Zhengming was still the last to leave, letting everyone else go first.

After leaving the old-style restaurant and getting into his car, Feng Zhengming called his wife.

The person who answered the phone was her daughter, Feng Nuanyou.

"Dad, are you done with your work? Why aren't you home yet? I'm getting sleepy waiting for you."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Alright, Dad's on his way home, why don't you go to sleep first?"

Feng Nuanyou immediately said, "No, Dad, come back quickly."

Feng Zhengming had no choice but to step on the gas and drive home as fast as he could. (End of Chapter)