From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Because it was summer vacation, Feng Nuanyou naturally didn't want to go to bed early.

We must wait for Dad to come home from the old-style restaurant.

Upon hearing her father open the door, Feng Nuanyou immediately ran to the door to greet him.

"Hehehe, Daddy, you're so fast!"

Feng Zhengming reached out and picked up his daughter.

"Is our little Youyou already sleepy? Didn't Daddy tell you to go to sleep first?"

Feng Nuanyou hugged her father's neck: "I'm not sleepy, I want to wait for Dad to come home."

"Were you a good girl in the kitchen with Mommy, Grandma, and Great-Auntie today?"

Feng Nuanyou: "You're such a good girl, Youyou is the best girl. It's your younger siblings who are naughty and they even cried."

Feng Zhengming: "How can you compare yourself to your younger siblings? They are still children and don't understand things yet."

Feng Nuanyou: "You can't cry and make a fuss just because you don't know any better."

He carried his daughter into the living room and saw his wife, mother-in-law, and second aunt all sitting and watching TV.

"Mom, Aunt, I'm home."

My mother-in-law smiled and said, "Youyou is so happy as soon as you come back. When you don't come back, she keeps thinking about you and doesn't want to sleep. She wants to stay at the door all the time."

Second Aunt: "This girl just likes to stick to Zhengming."

Luo Qing: "Alright, look at yourself! Get off Daddy right now."

Feng Nuanyou hugged her father's neck: "No, I want Daddy to hold me."

Luo Qing: "You said your younger siblings were crying and being naughty. Look at you, they're all asleep now, but you're still bothering your dad and not sleeping properly."

Feng Nuanyou smiled and said, "I'm a big kid, I can stay up late."

Feng Zhengming carried his daughter to the sofa and put her down first.

Then he took off his coat.

After sitting down, he recounted the story of the guests who had returned from Taiwan that evening, who were being served at the old-style restaurant.

My second aunt was a little surprised: "People from Taiwan are back? They actually came all the way to eat at your restaurant?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, Auntie. These elderly people used to eat Shandong cuisine in Beijing, so Uncle brought them to my shop so they could taste authentic Shandong cuisine."

Mother-in-law: "That's because we need you. In Shanghai, only you can make the most authentic Shandong cuisine."

Feng Zhengming: "Mom, it's not just me who can do it. My senior brother Kong is also in Shanghai, and his restaurant serves authentic Shandong cuisine."

Second Aunt: "We still need to find you, after all, you were the top scholar."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "It seems so. My reputation as the top scholar is too big, making others always think that my cooking must be the most authentic Shandong cuisine."

Luo Qing smiled and said, "Actually, you're not the most authentic Shandong cuisine."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, I can no longer be considered a true Shandong cuisine. Over the years, I have been seeking change and incorporating elements from different cuisines across the country."

Later, after meeting Ah Zhe and Mr. Kaufman, I also incorporated many Western culinary techniques.

At this point, Feng Zhengming asked his wife, "By the way, wasn't that Xia Hui in the children's kitchen today?"

Luo Qing: "Yes, it was Xiao Hui. The curry she made for us was delicious."

Feng Nuanyou finally seized the opportunity to speak.

"Yes, yes, the curry is delicious, especially the one made by Sister Xiaohui."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I taught her that recipe, but I didn't expect her to actually dare to make it."

Luo Qing: "You gave it to her?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, I made some improvements based on Japanese curry and South Asian curry. I think it should be quite suitable for the taste preferences of domestic people, so I taught it to Xia Hui."

We originally planned to let her try it out in the restaurant first, but I didn't expect her to be so bold; she even tried it in the children's kitchen.

Second Aunt: "That curry was really delicious. I ate half a bowl more rice at lunch, and it seems that quite a few children liked it too."

Feng Nuanyou: "We kids all like what we like."

Feng Zhengming: "As long as everyone likes it, that's good."

Second Aunt: "So you really can't be considered a genuine Shandong cuisine chef now. You've integrated too many different cuisines. If we're really talking about authenticity, Kong Xingli's restaurant is probably the most authentic, right?"

Feng Zhengming nodded in agreement: "Yes."

Feng Zhengming then added, "However, my culinary skills are still based on Shandong cuisine."

Luo Qing: "So tonight, those elderly people who came back from Taiwan got to eat the Shandong cuisine they like?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I'm confident I can handle them."

These words made the whole family laugh.

Mother-in-law: "Zhengming, you have so many stores in Shanghai now. I see you're usually very busy. Don't you ever go and check on each store? Are you that confident?"

Luo Qing looked at her mother: "Mom, why are you suddenly asking this?"

Mother-in-law: "I, I didn't mean to interfere, I was just asking casually."

Feng Zhengming: "Mom and the others are all very trustworthy. After all, they have been with me for so many years and are in charge of the chefs in each store. They all receive a share of the profits from each store."

If they can improve the store's business, they will receive a larger share of the profits at the end of the year.

Mother-in-law: "Oh, I see?"

Second Aunt smiled and said, "Zhengming has his own methods for managing each store. He trusts those he employs and doesn't employ those he doesn't trust."

Luo Qing: "Mom, don't worry unnecessarily. Each store submits its monthly expense report, so there won't be any problems."

Mother-in-law: "This kind of format is really rare."

Auntie thought for a moment and suddenly asked, "That's right, Zhengming, how did you come up with the idea of ​​managing all the stores this way?"

Feng Zhengming: "Auntie, I didn't originally plan to open so many branches. I just wanted to find suitable jobs for the chefs who have been with me for so many years, as well as the apprentices."

As a result, I opened more and more branches, solving their work problems.

Feng Zhengming's words made the whole family laugh.

Because everyone in the family knew that he wasn't joking when he said those words.

Feng Zhengming has always thought this way.

He was unwilling to abandon anyone who followed him.

Furthermore, they want to further vindicate the chef profession.

So he led a group of people in a charge.

He actually succeeded, opening so many branches and providing his good chefs with a more respectable job.

At the same time, he and his chefs further elevated the social status of chefs.

The family members couldn't help but admire Feng Zhengming's achievements over the years.

This result was beyond everyone's expectations.

Mother-in-law: "Zhengming, you've already been very successful. You should spend more time with your family. You see how attached Youyou is to you, you should spend more time with her too."

Before Feng Zhengming could speak, his wife interjected, "Mom, he has already spent a lot of time with us."

Feng Nuanyou climbed onto the sofa and into her father's arms, hugging his neck. "Grandma, I can go to the restaurant with Daddy. I can keep Daddy company at the restaurant."

When her mother-in-law saw her daughter and granddaughter, she smiled.

"Alright, you three can live your own little life. I've said too much."

Feng Zhengming: "No, Mom, you're right. I should spend some time with my family."

Luo Qing: "We all understand you, we all know you're busy."

Mother-in-law: "Yes, yes, you're busy with your work. Actually, I'm very happy that I can come and help you take care of your two little ones."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you for your hard work, Mom and Aunt. You can relax a little once the children start kindergarten."

Auntie chuckled: "You really want us to take care of Xiaobao so he can go to kindergarten too?"

Feng Zhengming chuckled, "Yes, Auntie, you're not busy either. Of course, if Hongwei gets married right after graduation, I'll definitely ask you to help take care of his child."

Second Aunt: "You brat, you've gotten so bold, you even dare to joke about your aunt."

The house was immediately filled with laughter, and the atmosphere became even more relaxed and harmonious.

This is an atmosphere that Feng Zhengming really likes.

Returning home after a busy day and seeing his family happily welcoming him makes him feel like a true winner in life.

In the following days, the group that had returned from Taiwan actually followed the old man's advice and went to try out Feng Zhengming's other restaurants in Shanghai.

To their surprise, even though Feng Zhengming wasn't at any of these restaurants, some of the signature dishes tasted almost exactly the same at each one.

What surprised those who returned from Taiwan the most was how precisely the heat was controlled for the stir-fried dishes in each restaurant.

After experiencing it, the group who returned from Taiwan asked the old man about their doubts in private.

When the old man heard them ask this question in private conversation after the meeting, he couldn't help but laugh in front of them.

After laughing, the old man told the group that had returned from Taiwan the key to the story.

"The key actually lies with Feng Zhengming. Many people may not know that he is a very research-oriented person. He will study the method of each dish in detail."

The approach he studied was not a general cooking process, but rather the specific details of each step in every dish.

When he thoroughly studied all the details, he not only tasted every dish perfectly himself.

He can also break down the entire process of making each dish.

Just like some fast food restaurants overseas, they break down all the food preparation steps into standardized steps.

Feng Zhengming also broke down the cooking details of a dish, standardized them, and assigned different steps to different people in the kitchen.

The old man's explanation made the group of people returning from Taiwan even more incredulous.

In the past, for many people, the biggest obstacle to the success of Chinese restaurant chains was the inability to standardize their operations.

This standardization of Chinese cuisine has already been attempted by some restaurants in Taiwan quite some time ago.

But no one would have thought that Feng Zhengming's standardization could achieve this.

He Jingfeng was still puzzled: "But even if he can standardize it, how can he enable the chefs in the kitchen to control the heat so precisely when stir-frying dishes?"

The old man said, "Practice, practice hard until you get it."

This answer surprised the group.

He Jingfeng: "Can it really be trained?"

The old man smiled and said, "Haven't you seen it for yourselves? His chefs have all trained themselves."

After the old man's description, the group returning from Taiwan truly witnessed Feng Zhengming's prowess.

Not only can he cook well himself, but he also has a whole team to train excellent chefs.

"His fellow apprentices were the best whetstones for him to train young chefs."

Every young chef, after being trained by his senior apprentices, can quickly become competent in the work assigned to him in the restaurant.

Then he used promotions as an incentive, giving every young chef the opportunity to showcase their talent and allowing them to hone their skills.

He Jingfeng: "So you mean that all the young chefs under him are top-notch chefs?"

The old man nodded: "You could say that."

Hearing this, everyone finally understood the significance of Feng Zhengming's title of "top scholar".

If you can cook such good food yourself, you also have many excellent chefs working under you.

This truly deserves the title of "top scholar".

He is a true professional leader.

Thanks to the old man's introduction, Feng Zhengming's fame did indeed spread to Taiwan.

The group that returned from Taiwan repeatedly mentioned Feng Zhengming and his culinary skills.

After that, whenever people from Taiwan came to Shanghai, they would find Feng Zhengming's restaurant to have a meal.

Feng Zhengming didn't take the matter to heart. In his busy schedule, he still had to find some time to develop some new dishes and maintain contact with branches in various places.

The branches in various locations are doing very well, and there are also some branches in various places. We look forward to hearing that Feng Zhengming will open more branches.

As a result, some chefs and store managers from Feng Zhengming's branches in various places have also reported this to him.

But he rejected them all outright.

"We cannot open any more branches for the time being. The reason why the store you are in charge of is doing so well is because it is the only store. If other branches are opened, your customers will be diverted immediately."

Furthermore, we currently lack suitable chefs to head the new branches, so we cannot continue opening new branches for the time being.

Feng Zhengming was indeed in high spirits, and it could be said that he was in a state of "no one else but me" in the national catering industry.

But he remained clear-headed and kept abreast of the situation at each branch.

More importantly, communicate with senior students to understand the training progress of new apprentices.

To the disappointment of Feng Zhengming and his fellow apprentices, it seems that as the 21st century has arrived, there are fewer and fewer young people who are truly willing to learn a craft with dedication.

Feng Zhengming knew this was an inevitable trend.

With the rise of the internet, many young people have more and more choices.

In addition, there's the allure of all sorts of novel and exciting things on the internet.

This has led to many young people being unable to settle down and properly learn a trade.

Feng Zhengming offered excellent internship conditions, and he also elevated the status of chefs, so that even those who were just kitchen apprentices could earn a considerable monthly salary in his restaurant.

Even so, most young people are still unwilling to endure this hardship.

The hardships of working in the kitchen begin from the very start of learning this skill.

In particular, all of Feng Zhengming's shops have extremely high requirements for basic skills.

This has led to an increasing number of new apprentices entering the kitchen, only to leave after a few days.

Feng Zhengming knew that times had changed, and that fewer and fewer young people would be willing to endure the hardship and master the culinary skills.

He felt helpless, realizing that he, as an individual, could not ultimately stop the wheels of time.

However, Feng Zhengming still seized this last opportunity to reopen Yanxi Restaurant in the capital. (End of Chapter)