From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming returned home with his wife and daughter, and before he even entered the door, he heard the fussing voices of his two little ones.

Feng Nuanyou immediately took the lead and rushed to her maternal grandmother and great-aunt who were comforting her younger siblings.

The older sister stared at her younger brother and sister, then reached out and gently pinched their cheeks.

The two little ones, who were being noisy, suddenly quieted down when their older sister pinched their hand.

Then they both looked at their older sister, and surprisingly, both of them smiled.

Seeing this, the great-aunt was both amused and exasperated.

"Do these two little rascals know you're coming back? Are they deliberately causing trouble for us?"

Grandma: "That's quite possible. When my older sister came back, she just pinched them with her hand, and those two little ones stopped fussing."

Feng Nuanyou: "Hehehe, great-aunt and maternal grandmother, they did it on purpose."

Grandma: "I can tell, it was done on purpose."

The two babies in swaddling clothes actually started laughing at this moment.

The two little ones couldn't possibly be so sensible at such a young age, but they could already distinguish some people.

For example, the one who pinches her own cheeks and sometimes scolds herself is her older sister.

The person who always pampers you is either your maternal grandmother or your great-aunt.

Dad will pick them up and lift them high in the air.

Mothers are the warmest people; they give their children a sense of security and make sure they are well-fed.

Therefore, the two little ones will behave differently when facing different people.

Because their older sister is strict with them, the two little ones become more obedient when they are around her.

Because their maternal grandparents and great-aunts always coaxed them, the two little ones would deliberately cause trouble.

Moreover, they gradually figured out some time patterns, and the two little ones would also make a fuss at certain fixed times.

Knowing that Mom and Dad should be back soon, I acted up and thought that Mom and Dad would hug me when they came back.

What do they know?
This is actually more like a conditioned reflex.

I greeted my sister with a big smile.

Soon Dad came over and picked up the two little ones, lifting them high in the air.

When their dad lifted them high in the air, the two little ones burst into laughter.

This feeling made the two little ones very happy; it was something they had been looking forward to.

The children's silvery laughter echoed throughout the house.

As Feng Nuanyou watched her father lift her younger siblings high in the air, she felt a little expectant.

Sure enough, after lifting the two babies high, Feng Zhengming also picked up his eldest daughter and lifted her high as well.

Feng Nuanyou also laughed happily and cheered.

"Hehehe, Daddy, I want to be taller, taller."

Seeing Feng Nuanyou's expression, Luo Qing felt somewhat helpless.

My eldest daughter is becoming increasingly wild, especially when it comes to doing dangerous things.

Fortunately, Feng Zhengming protected his daughter very well. He lifted her up high and tossed her in the air a few times, but caught her steadily each time, preventing her from being in too much danger.

After playing with the children, Feng Zhengming went into the kitchen and cooked a meal for his family.

During this period, the whole family has been away for so many days and hasn't had a single meal at home.

Even lunchtime is eaten separately by the family.

Tonight, the whole family will definitely have a family reunion dinner.

Moreover, after dinner, Feng Zhengming had to go back to the old-style restaurant.

This dinner was very homey, with no fancy ingredients and a rather light seasoning.

However, the whole family enjoyed the meal very much.

My mother-in-law couldn't help but sigh, "After running around outside for so many days and eating at so many restaurants, when I finally come home, I still think the food at home is the best."

Luo Qing: "The food outside tastes good, but sometimes the seasoning is too heavy, unlike at home. Youyou's dad doesn't use such heavy seasoning when he cooks."

Second Aunt: "Yes, Zhengming's seasoning is flavorful, but not too strong."

Feng Zhengming: "This is also a problem faced by many restaurants. In many cases, in order to make the dishes flavorful, chefs can only increase the seasoning. It's not that chefs don't want to make them bland."

There's really no other way; if the seasoning is too bland, many customers probably won't like it.

Mother-in-law: "It's still because your skills aren't good enough. You did a great job, didn't you?"

Feng Zhengming: "Mom, I'm cooking at home, so I can take my time. In a restaurant kitchen, there's pressure to meet the time requirements, so you can't be as meticulous with the seasoning."

After listening to Feng Zhengming's analysis, the family members immediately understood.

At the same time, Luo Qing also understood why her husband had so many chefs in the children's lunch kitchen.

The main purpose is to alleviate the pressure of food preparation time, allowing chefs to better complete each dish.

This ensures that the food provided to the children is not too heavily seasoned, but still delicious and enjoyable for them.

Having Xia Hui and the others take turns cooking in the kitchen is also to help them better master the seasoning.

All of this is based on Feng Zhengming himself and the fact that he has a large number of excellent chefs under his command.

Therefore, even if some people want to imitate Feng Zhengming, they will ultimately only "try to draw a tiger but end up with a dog instead".

After having dinner with his family at home, Feng Zhengming tidied up and went out again.

Feng Nuanyou originally wanted to go with her father.

But her mother stopped her.

"Don't go. You've been running around all day. Why don't you stay home with your younger siblings tonight?"

Hearing her mother say this, and seeing her younger siblings staring at her expectantly, Feng Nuanyou finally obediently agreed to stay at home and help her mother, maternal grandmother, and great-aunt take care of her younger siblings.

Seeing this, Feng Zhengming smiled and praised, "Our Youyou has really grown up, and is becoming more and more like an older sister."

Receiving praise from her father made Feng Nuanyou raise her chin with a touch of pride.

"Hehehe, Dad, you go ahead, I'll take care of things at home."

These words made the whole family burst into laughter.

Seeing his family's support, Feng Zhengming said goodbye to them and left home with peace of mind.

This time, we drove directly to the old-style restaurant.

At this moment, the guests for the evening at the old-style restaurant had just begun to arrive.

Upon seeing Feng Zhengming enter, the gourmets from Shanghai sitting on the first floor immediately greeted him happily.

"Oh my, our top scholar Feng is back!"

"Great! Scholar Feng is back. Is there anything special for dinner tonight?"

"I'm getting a little tired of eating the same dishes every day for a while now."

"That's right, everyone's thinking about trying Feng Zhuangyuan's new dishes."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I just got back and didn't have time to make any new dishes tonight. I'll update the menu later once I've made some arrangements, so please look forward to it."

Hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the gourmets of Shanghai were all very excited.

Then a seasoned gourmet from Shanghai asked, "Master Feng, I heard you've opened a branch in Chengdu recently?"

Feng Zhengming: "I went to Chengdu. The branch there is not mine. It was one of my chefs who joined me and used my brand. The dishes in the restaurant are still mainly Sichuan cuisine."

Hearing this surprised the gourmets.

Another gourmet pondered: "Feng Zhuangyuan, you now have a branch in Shanghai with local Shanghainese flavors, as well as Shandong cuisine. I've also heard that there are branches in Hangzhou, Xiamen in Fujian Province, and even a branch in Beijing."

Now you've gone to Chengdu and even had a Sichuan chef open a Sichuan-style restaurant. Are you trying to open restaurants all over the country?

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I do have the idea of ​​opening branches all over the country, but that's not possible for now. Our country is too big, and I don't fully understand the tastes of many places yet."

Hearing Feng Zhengming say this made the gourmets laugh, all thinking he was being modest.

"Scholar Feng is too modest. We all know your skills. How could there be anything you don't understand?"

Feng Zhengming: "Everyone is praising me too much. There are still many regional cuisines that I don't understand. My real expertise is based on Shandong cuisine, as well as some things that I've figured out on my own."

Faced with Feng Zhengming's humility, the gourmets felt that he hadn't changed at all over the years.

When they first came to Feng Zhengming's restaurant, Feng Zhengming maintained a humble attitude.

Now, he is clearly recognized as the top scorer in the country.

His old-style restaurant has also been recognized by the International Gastronomy Association.

It is the first restaurant in China to be named one of the world's top ten restaurants of the year.

Feng Zhengming remained humble as always.

If we're talking about the chef in China who has the most right to be arrogant, then everyone's first choice would probably be Feng Zhengming.

But Feng Zhengming always remained humble, and no matter how much he achieved, he was never arrogant.

In the eyes of these gourmets in Shanghai, Feng Zhengming is a true master for his character.

Because of Feng Zhengming's character, many gourmets in Shanghai regard him differently and are even willing to associate with him.

A true master always retains the heart of a student.

As Feng Zhengming chatted with the gourmets, he mentioned some seasonings he had brought back from Sichuan and Chongqing.

"The seasonings from Sichuan and Chongqing have their own unique characteristics. I specially purchased a lot of them this time. They were all bought directly from the production areas. I spent a lot of money just on shipping."

The gourmets of Shanghai immediately looked on with anticipation.

"I'm really looking forward to it. I'll be able to enjoy Sichuan and Chongqing cuisine here at your place, Scholar Feng."

"It's not just spicy in Sichuan and Chongqing, is it? There's also the 'go away' flavor."

"Sichuan cuisine is known for its 24 flavor profiles, so it's definitely not just about spiciness."

"However, in our impression, Sichuan cuisine seems to be all about spiciness."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, Sichuan cuisine is spicy, but what about Hunan cuisine? And Jiangxi cuisine? Actually, these two places are no less spicy than Sichuan cuisine, and may even be spicier."

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, everyone nodded in agreement.

"That's true, Hunan cuisine is also very spicy."

"Jiangxi cuisine is even spicier. I worked in the countryside there when I was young, and the spiciness there was really intense."

"Haha, when you compare them, Sichuan cuisine doesn't seem to be that spicy."

"Sichuan cuisine seems to have some very high-end dishes, like the boiled cabbage in clear broth served at state banquets?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, boiled cabbage in clear broth is a Sichuan dish. Many people may think it is a Shandong or Cantonese dish. Another representative of non-spicy Sichuan dishes is chicken tofu."

The gourmets couldn't help but swallow hard after hearing Feng Zhengming's words.

"We look forward to Scholar Feng making it for us to try."

"Yes, yes, I'd like a boiled cabbage in clear broth, and a chicken tofu dish, too?"

"Scholar Feng should be able to do that too, right?"

"Haha, we believe in Feng Zhuangyuan's skills."

Feng Zhengming laughed along: "It is indeed possible to make it, but it is still very time-consuming. I will make it for everyone when I have time. However, I need to think carefully about how to make something new."

Hearing Feng Zhengming say he wanted to come up with something new naturally made the gourmets all happy.

"We just want something new."

“That’s right, it’s Feng Zhuangyuan’s originality that we like.”

"Haha, the reason we come to Feng Zhuangyuan's place is to eat this new food."

"I'm kind of looking forward to it, but I don't really feel like eating tonight's dishes."

"No, no, it's not that bad. We still need to eat tonight's dishes."

The gourmets chatted about everything under the sun, and were quite pleased with what Feng Zhengming said.

At this moment, the restaurant kitchen began serving the dishes.

Feng Zhengming looked at some of the dishes prepared for tonight.

Overall, he was quite satisfied with it.

The reason he didn't go straight back to the kitchen of the old villa restaurant tonight was that he wanted to see if Fu Jun and Cai Tao could cook the dishes well while he was away.

Judging from the dishes served at the beginning, Fu Jun and Cai Tao had already done a very good job.

The two-person meal lacked innovation and highlights, but they did do everything they were supposed to do well.

The lack of innovation and highlights cannot be blamed on Fu Jun and Cai Tao.

After all, the two of them had only been following Feng Zhengming for a little over a year.

The fact that they were able to prepare the menu that Feng Zhengming had decided on already shows that the two of them have a certain level of skill.

Setting higher expectations for them requires time to build up their understanding and skills.

After each dish was served, Feng Zhengming stood aside and observed carefully for a while.

Make sure there are no problems with any of the dishes.

He smiled and bid farewell to the several gourmets of Shanghai.

"Please continue eating, I'll go check the back."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the gourmets of Shanghai naturally smiled and told him to make himself at home.

Feng Zhengming went to the locker room to change his clothes first.

After changing into his chef's uniform, he walked into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Fu Jun and Cai Tao were still busy with their team.

The two of them were extremely serious, and dared not relax even slightly.

The other people in the kitchen were also very serious, and they strictly followed Feng Zhengming's instructions for every dish and every step.

Perhaps if other chefs came to take a look at the kitchen of the old villa restaurant.

They would all be surprised that Feng Zhengming was able to standardize Chinese cooking.

This should be considered Feng Zhengming's true core competence.

They can break down the cooking process and arrange each step in detail.

Of course, this approach of breaking down the steps and arranging each step in a specific way can only standardize some dishes that do not require high standards in the cooking process.

Dishes that rely more on cooking and stir-frying, and depend entirely on the chef's skill in controlling the heat and using the wok, still require the chef's skill in cooking.

There's no better way in this regard; we can only rely on the chefs' own efforts.

Before each trip, Feng Zhengming would prepare a standard menu for the old villa restaurant. It didn't require much skill, but it was a menu that would satisfy most customers.

This menu won't include dishes that require advanced cooking techniques.

Most dishes on the menu do not emphasize cooking time or the chef's skill with the ladle.

But all the dishes are truly top-notch and satisfy customers.

This is also why Shanghai's gourmets were so excited to see Feng Zhengming return tonight.

After all, eating the same dishes repeatedly will eventually lead to boredom. (End of Chapter)