From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The day after returning to Jinan, Feng Zhengming drove his wife and children to visit his master and his wife.

Master didn't expect that Feng Zhengming would return to Jinan so quickly.

When the master opened the door and saw his young apprentice standing there, along with his wife and children who had come with him, he was incredibly excited and looked utterly incredulous.

"Zhengming? You, why are you back?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master, we came back specifically to see you."

Feng Nuanyou peeked her little head out from behind her father: "Hello, Grandpa Master."

The master's wife, standing behind him, was very fond of the little guy.

"Oh, it's Youyou! Come in quickly, let Grandma see you."

The master smiled and let his young apprentice and his family enter first.

"Come on, come on, come in quickly."

As Feng Nuanyou entered the room, she was warmly hugged by her grandmother.

"Hello grandma."

The teacher's wife was very happy: "Hello, how come you came back with your parents?"

Luo Qing answered for her daughter: "On the phone, Zhengming thought that Master might not be feeling well, so he rushed back to see him."

The master listened with a serious expression: "How can I be unwell? I'm still in good health and can easily cook several elaborate dishes in the kitchen."

The master's wife couldn't help but smile: "Your master isn't feeling unwell, he just suddenly wanted to clarify things."

Then the master's wife added, "I was just saying that once he made the call, Zhengming would definitely come back, and sure enough, he came right back."

The master still looked serious: "Aren't you busy in Shanghai? You just came all the way back like this?"

Feng Zhengming: "I'll definitely be busy, after all, I still have a restaurant in Shanghai that I need to manage."

The master immediately bristled and glared, "Then why did you come back?"

When Feng Nuanyou saw that her master was angry, she immediately stood up.

"Grandpa, don't be angry. Dad came back to see you. Dad also missed Grandpa and Grandma."

Feng Nuanyou's words instantly calmed her master's anger.

"No, no, Grandpa isn't angry. Grandpa isn't angry. Come in quickly, sit down, and let Grandma get you something nice to eat."

Feng Nuanyou: "Hehehe, my mom, dad, and I brought back some delicious food for Grandpa and Grandma."

As she spoke, Feng Nuanyou quickly pulled her mother inside and asked her to take out the things she had brought.

Luo Qing took out the items hanging on the back of the two children's strollers.

It wasn't any popular health supplements; it was mostly some unique seasonings, as well as some food that Feng Zhengming had specially bought for his master and mistress. He also brought a few bottles of healthy red wine for his master.

Feng Zhengming said with a smile, "Master knows that no medicine can replace food. These seasonings are specially brought back for you, Master, as well as some abalone, fish maw and bird's nest."

The master looked at the things Feng Zhengming had brought back and couldn't help but mutter something again.

"You're back, so why did you buy these expensive things?"

Feng Zhengming: "Master, these are for you, so you have the opportunity to continue researching some new dishes. Without these dried goods and seasonings, wouldn't you slack off and not properly research new dishes?"

The master was a little confused by what his little apprentice said.

Even the master's wife was stunned.

However, the master quickly came to his senses.

"Well, you're starting to lecture your master now, aren't you? I think you're getting more and more disrespectful. Do you think that just because you're the head chef of one of the world's top ten restaurants of the year, or the national culinary champion, your master can't do anything about you?"

Feng Zhengming chuckled, "Master, don't be angry. I was just joking with you."

The master remained serious: "I told you you have no respect for your elders, how dare you joke around with your master?"

Feng Zhengming: "Isn't this at home?"

Master: "It won't work even at home."

Seeing that her grandpa was speaking loudly again, Feng Nuanyou immediately stood up to protect her father.

"Grandpa Master, don't speak loudly, you'll scare your younger siblings."

Upon hearing the little girl's words, the master's wife immediately realized that there were two more little ones.

I quickly looked at the stroller that was being pushed into the room.

"Oh my, there are two little babies here too."

The master and his wife also saw the two little ones sleeping side by side in the stroller.

Why did you bring the little one along?

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "The two little ones haven't really met their grandparents yet, so we brought them along so they can meet them too."

The teacher's wife was truly melted by the two little ones.

The two little ones in the stroller opened their big eyes and blinked curiously as they looked around.

Seeing their grandmother's face made the two little ones feel very unfamiliar.

However, when their grandmother smiled at them, the two little ones slowly followed suit and smiled back.

The teacher's wife was overjoyed: "Oh my, she smiled! She's so cute!"

Soon, the master and his wife's attention were drawn to the two little ones.

The two little ones were very cooperative; instead of crying, they allowed their grandparents to hold them.

The master was a rather traditional person, and it was obvious that he preferred Feng Zhengming's son.

"It's good to have a son. With a son, he can inherit your skills and run all your shops well."

The master's wife agreed: "Yes, it's too hard for little girls to work in the kitchen. It's better for boys to work in the kitchen; they can do more work."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "It depends on their own choices in the future. I hope that the children can choose to do things they like in the future."

The teacher's wife thought Feng Zhengming's idea was very good.

"Yes, yes, children should be allowed to do what they like."

But the master wasn't too satisfied with this.

"Girls can learn a skill, but boys should learn a trade. It's also important that your skills be passed down. Boys need to endure some hardship to grow into real men."

It's not that Master is wrong. Master's ideas are very traditional. He believes that men should shoulder more responsibilities and become leaders in their respective fields.

Especially with a father like Feng Zhengming, the master felt that Feng Zhengming's son should learn the craft well.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master is right. We should educate him properly and make him learn to be ambitious. Whether he becomes a chef or not, he should learn skills. With skills, he will have nothing to fear."

Both the master and his wife agreed with these words.

"That's right, that's right. You need to learn some skills so that you won't be afraid of anything."

"Yes, yes, children should learn things, whatever they learn, they should learn some skills."

At this point in the conversation, the master said that he was no longer angry about Feng Zhengming's sudden return.

“Zhengming, you should already know, right? Some restaurant owners went to the provincial capital to sue you, saying you disrupted the market and drove up labor costs in the province.” Feng Zhengming: “I already know, Master. They’re not wrong. I did intentionally drive up labor costs.”

The master frowned immediately: "What do you mean by this? Are you deliberately trying to raise costs? Don't you want them to continue?"

Feng Zhengming: "Master, don't you think that most chefs aren't receiving the compensation they deserve?"

The master remained silent, simply watching his young apprentice.

Feng Zhengming simply continued speaking.

"In Shanghai, most chefs now earn significantly more than those in Jinan, and many of them are just filling in the gaps."

I believe our Shandong cuisine chefs are definitely more skilled than them, so why can't they receive higher salaries?

The apprentice's words made the master fall into deep thought.

Master has thought about this issue over the years.

I've also discussed this with several experienced craftsmen.

After all, times have changed. In this day and age, chefs also need to earn money.

Currently, many chefs in cities like Beijing and Shanghai earn very high incomes.

However, in various parts of Shandong, which is the birthplace of Shandong cuisine, chefs are not highly regarded.

Or perhaps it should be said that because there are too many Shandong cuisine chefs in the province, they are not valued.

It seems that, compared to some other professions, chefs are considered inferior.

What Feng Zhengming is doing is trying to change the status of chefs.

He wanted everyone to know that chefs can earn higher incomes, that chefs deserve respect, and that chefs are no less than anyone else.

In the past, masters would teach their apprentices to be low-key and not to show off too much.

In particular, the master did not want his junior apprentice to use his power to bully others.

But it's different now.

What the apprentice is doing now is not wrong in the master's eyes; on the contrary, it is a good thing for the entire industry.

After much deliberation, the master could only agree with his apprentice's approach.

“You did nothing wrong, but your method was a bit too brutal. Now, not to mention the whole province, just in Jinan alone, I’m afraid there aren’t many companies that can offer the salary you’re offering.”

The master also understood why his apprentice was able to offer such a high salary.

"You pay such high salaries because you have many stores. Even if you earn less at each store, with so many stores together, you can still make a lot of money every year."

Besides, you also have stores in Shanghai and Beijing. Those must be some of your most profitable stores, right?

But what about the restaurants and eateries in Jinan? The owners behind them may only own one business.

Some of these small shops are even run by husband and wife; how can they possibly offer you such a high salary?

Feng Zhengming naturally understood everything his master said.

"I did consider that, so I didn't increase it by much. I just gave the kitchen staff a bigger raise, but I didn't give the service staff much of a raise."

Master: "That's not bad, it allows the small shop to still hire waiters."

Feng Zhengming then explained his plan to open restaurants in various parts of the province.

The master was somewhat surprised by this.

"You want to open a restaurant all over the province?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, just like my rice shop chain, the restaurant chain will also open a branch in various parts of the province. This way, all the experienced staff in the rice shop can go to the kitchen of the newly opened restaurant."

Then, the interns from various locations can take over the canteens, creating a personnel rotation.

Upon hearing his apprentice's suggestion, the master thought that this might be a solution.

Every year, new apprentices come to Feng Zhengming's shops in various places for internships.

Among those apprentices, some are indeed very hardworking, but if they were asked to go out and find new jobs, they might not be able to find suitable ones.

But what if Feng Zhengming opened restaurants all over the province?

This allowed kitchen staff from various local rice shops to work in the restaurants.

This will free up some positions in the kitchens of rice shops in various places.

Then, outstanding apprentices are assigned to fill vacant positions in the kitchen of the rice shop.

If someone else were to do this, they might not be able to do it very well either.

But if Feng Zhengming were to do it now, he would certainly be qualified to train more good chefs.

Moreover, no one would raise any objections to his arrangement.

The master thought for a moment and said, "If you do it this way, you will probably offend even more people. If you try to create a monopoly in various parts of the province, some people in those places will definitely have a lot of opinions about you."

Feng Zhengming: "It doesn't matter. Let them have their opinions. As long as I'm doing the right thing, I'll let the chefs under my command do a good job of cooking."

Our chefs let their skills speak for themselves. Our excellent skills provide customers with a superior dining experience, which attracts more customers and makes them enjoy dining at our restaurant.

The master was truly pleased with his young apprentice's words.

It seems that the junior apprentice is still using his power to bully others.

But his pressure is meant to ensure that everyone can learn, master, and pass on their skills.

This aligns with the principles that experienced craftsmen have always adhered to.

"Then go ahead and do it. I believe you have the ability to do it. Remember, your restaurant must be affordable for most people. You can't make it a restaurant that claims to be high-end but is unaffordable for most people."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master, don't worry. That kind of restaurant is not suitable for people from all over Shandong. We Shandong people value practicality. What I want to do is to make a restaurant that is good quality and inexpensive, so that most people can afford it and the food tastes good."

Master: "That's right. You need to get the locals to spend money so they'll be willing to go. Then you also need to make the food taste like the local cuisine, and naturally the business will be good."

Feng Zhengming: "I understand, Master. Don't you know me? When I open shops in different places, I always try to cater to the local tastes and preserve some local specialties so that the locals will enjoy them."

The master smiled and said, "I'm not worried about that. I've heard it from others before."

The master was indeed at ease with his youngest apprentice's tastes.

The fact that dry rice shops throughout Shandong have always been doing so well speaks volumes.

The prices are fair, but more importantly, Feng Zhengming's rice shops in various places all have local specialties.

Furthermore, the flavors will be tailored to the local taste preferences.

As a result, many locals enjoy eating at Feng Zhengming's various branches of his dry rice shop.

Once you're liked by the locals, your business is naturally secure.

This is why many people are envious of Feng Zhengming.

Many people believe that Feng Zhengming has monopolized the business by bringing all the outstanding young chefs under his wing.

But they never imagined that it was Feng Zhengming who gave those outstanding young chefs the opportunity when they were not yet good enough, or even when they were just apprentices who had just graduated from vocational school.

It was Feng Zhengming's comprehensive training system that nurtured them.

Where do geniuses just appear out of thin air? (End of Chapter)