From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The New Year's Day reception banquet in Shanghai is in no way inferior to that in Beijing in terms of scale.

When designing the menu, Feng Zhengming also incorporated many elements of Shanghai.

For example, ask a pastry chef to make a dessert cake based on the Oriental Pearl Tower.

Feng Zhengming also mainly served seafood dishes.

Even for staple foods, Feng Zhengming used Chinese seasonings to make seafood pasta and seafood risotto.

He also prepared four different main courses to choose from.

One of them is his most classic "Dragon Playing with a Pearl".

One dish is fried scallions with steak.

One dish is lobster.

The last dish was cod.

Each main dish incorporates the essence of Chinese cuisine.

For example, scallion oil is found in almost every major cuisine across the country.

Feng Zhengming incorporated them into the four dishes in different forms.

For example, in terms of cooking techniques, Feng Zhengming uses more Chinese-style cooking methods.

And each dish has its own unique ingenuity.

The invited international guests were also quite impressed at the banquet.

Meanwhile, some people who had tasted the dishes at Feng Zhengming's Old House Restaurant discovered this after attending the dinner.

It seems that Feng Zhengming's cooking skills have improved again.

This improvement wasn't just about him introducing new dishes at the reception dinner.

This is further demonstrated by Feng Zhengming's ability to better integrate different cuisines, and even Western cooking techniques.

In terms of seasoning, he achieved a truly remarkable balance.

All the guests who attended the banquet tasted that each dish had an independent flavor experience, and yet the independent flavor experiences of each dish could be integrated into one.

Through the combination of dishes served by Feng Zhengming, all guests can savor the progressive layers of flavor.

This taste experience is something many guests have never had before.

In addition, there's the plating of each dish and the various color combinations.

Every guest, whether from China or abroad, can clearly feel the extraordinary skill that Feng Zhengming possesses in cooking.

After the banquet ended, the people from Shanghai who hosted and participated in the banquet went to the kitchen to see Feng Zhengming and his team.

This time, Feng Zhengming came to host the New Year's Day reception banquet in Shanghai, bringing along his apprentices.

Xia Hui and her five other apprentices were all brought by Feng Zhengming.

Most of the tedious tasks were assigned by Feng Zhengming, who then instructed the kitchen staff to complete them.

Feng Zhengming personally prepares the key seasonings to ensure that every dish tastes consistent.

This was actually a test for him and everyone in the kitchen.

Fortunately, the final result was quite perfect.

Upon meeting Feng Zhengming, several people from Shanghai offered him encouragement with smiles.

"Our Feng Zhuangyuan's skills are getting better and better."

"As expected of our top chef, tonight's banquet was truly perfect."

"Thank you for your hard work, Feng Zhuangyuan, and also thank you to everyone in the kitchen."

"Keeping Scholar Feng in Shanghai was truly our wisest choice."

Faced with the praise from several people in Shanghai, Feng Zhengming was quite humble and brought out his apprentices and everyone else involved in the kitchen.

"Actually, it's not just my achievement. The fact that this banquet went so well is mainly due to everyone's efforts."

It was only through our collective effort that we were able to make this banquet so successful, allowing all our guests to savor the unique charm of Chinese cuisine.

Feng Zhengming's words pleased and delighted everyone in Shanghai.

They also gave Feng Zhengming and his team a commendation.

Of course, Feng Zhengming and his team received a certificate of merit, while the rest of the kitchen staff received a bonus.

It's common knowledge that Feng Zhengming is not short of money, so they're giving him even more honors.

Feng Zhengming was naturally happy to accept the reward from Shanghai, which would make it easier for him to run his branches in Shanghai.

After the dinner, Feng Zhengming was unable to leave, as he was stopped and spoken to privately by several people from Shanghai.

This made Feng Zhengming a little uneasy, wondering if he had done something wrong.

After facing several people from Shanghai alone, Feng Zhengming learned why he had been left behind.

"Xiao Feng, I heard you're planning to reopen Yanxilou in the capital?"

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhengming understood what the others meant.

"Yes, reopening Yanxilou in the capital has always been my dream, and now it's not far from being realized. The renovations in the capital have already begun."

"So, Xiao Feng, you're planning to go to the capital soon?"

"Are you planning to be based in Beijing permanently? Will you leave your shop in Shanghai to your apprentices?"

“Xiao Feng, Shanghai is a more open and inclusive city, and many of your skills have more room to be displayed in Shanghai.”

"Yes, Xiao Feng, you should think about it carefully."

"Xiao Feng, your restaurant in Shanghai is the one you should be focusing on taking care of."

After listening to what the others said, Feng Zhengming was both amused and exasperated.

It turned out that the people in Shanghai were worried that if he left Shanghai, he would stay in Beijing.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "I don't plan to stay in Beijing permanently. Yanxi Restaurant in Beijing has reopened, so I will stay there for a while. Once my senior brothers have adapted to Yanxi Restaurant in Beijing, I should return to Shanghai."

After a brief pause, Feng Zhengming also emphasized.

“Shanghai is indeed more suitable for me, and the Old House Restaurant needs me. I also want the Old House Restaurant to be among the top 50 in Asia, or even become the number one in Asia.”

Furthermore, I hope to use my influence to further promote Chinese cuisine from Shanghai to the rest of the world.

In the future, a restaurant rating system belonging to Asia can be established.

In this way, we can judge the cuisine of various Asian countries ourselves, without having to rely on others.

After hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the people in Shanghai felt that they made sense.

Now, whether it's Feng Zhengming's Top 10 Restaurants in the World or the upcoming ranking of Asian restaurants, the judges are all so-called food critics from Europe and America.

As Feng Zhengming said, Asia should also have its own standards of judgment.

Why should the cuisines of Asian countries be judged by others?

The people in Shanghai looked at each other, and after some thought, they realized that Feng Zhengming's idea was indeed correct.

However, they couldn't make any promises to Feng Zhengming about this matter.

The only thing that can be given to Feng Zhengming is that he can do things his own way, and the country will be his strong backing and will give him the support he needs.

That's exactly what Feng Zhengming wanted.

He was well aware that excessive intervention at the national level would provoke resistance from other countries.

Therefore, I still need to do this myself and rely on my own influence.

"Thank you everyone. As long as we have a powerful nation behind us, I am confident that we can do this well. Next, my old-style restaurant in Shanghai will be among the top 50 restaurants in Asia." After a slight pause, Feng Zhengming's face was full of determination.

"Then we will gather renowned chefs from all over Asia to come to Shanghai to hold an Asian chefs exchange event. At that time, we will unite renowned chefs from all over Asia to present our own unique set of dishes."

The cuisine of Asia should be determined by us, not by others.

After hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the people from Shanghai present were also filled with enthusiasm.

"Haha, good, Xiao Feng is indeed ambitious."

"Very good, Xiao Feng, just go ahead and do it."

"Yes, yes, before the Shanghai World Expo, we can hold an Asian Master Chefs Exchange Conference as a warm-up event."

"That's right. To make Shanghai a true culinary capital of Asia, we need to attract more renowned chefs from across Asia to open restaurants in Shanghai."

"Xiao Feng, if all those famous chefs open restaurants, will it have any impact on you?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "There will definitely be an impact. I own many stores in Shanghai, and of course I want to be the only store in Shanghai so that I can become the exclusive business in Shanghai."

But I hope that Shanghai's cuisine can be more diverse, not only including our major cuisines, but also restaurants from all over the world opening branches in Shanghai.

Only through competition can we continuously improve and communicate better.

Only then can it live up to Shanghai's reputation as a city that embraces diversity and is a culinary capital.

Feng Zhengming's words indeed made the people in Shanghai very happy.

In their eyes, Feng Zhengming was a perfect leader.

"Good job, Xiao Feng. You truly deserve the title of top scholar."

"Great job, Xiao Feng! Keep up the good work, we'll give you our full support."

"And you don't need to worry about the capital either, we'll help you with recommendations later."

"Yes, we will help you reopen Yanxilou in the capital and do a good job so that you can have no worries."

Feng Zhengming hadn't expected that his simple desire to establish a rating system for Asian cuisine would actually delight several people in Shanghai.

They were even willing to step in and help Feng Zhengming resolve some of the issues related to reopening Yanxilou in Beijing.

This made it much easier for Feng Zhengming to reopen Yanxi Tower in the capital.

Feng Zhengming understood that he needed to make the old-style restaurant in Shanghai a success.

The key is to secure a place in the top 50 in Asia, and to strive for an even higher ranking.

Only then can I invite renowned chefs from various Asian countries to Shanghai for a culinary exchange, and incidentally introduce cuisines from around the world to Shanghai.

In this way, a unique fusion of Asian cuisines can be achieved.

Feng Zhengming believed that with the preferential policies offered to them by Shanghai, they would be willing to open a store in Shanghai.

They are even more willing to cooperate with Feng Zhengming to jointly build a food evaluation system that belongs to Asia.

After finishing his discussions with several leaders, Feng Zhengming was finally able to leave.

Fortunately, he arrived home before the first day of the new year had even passed.

However, upon entering the house, Feng Zhengming discovered that the lights were off.

This struck him as odd.
Today is New Year's Day, so my family shouldn't be going to bed so early, right?

Moreover, my daughter's kindergarten has an event today, and my wife and her family may need to host the Kaufmans tonight.

Feng Zhengming couldn't help but mutter, "Could it be that they're having too much fun and haven't come back yet?"

Thinking this to myself, I changed my shoes.

When Feng Zhengming tried to turn on the lights, he found that none of the lights in his house were working.

"Does it look like a burnt-out light bulb? Or is there a power outage?"

Muttering to himself, Feng Zhengming walked inside.

As soon as I stepped into the living room, a burst of dazzling colored lights suddenly lit up.

Then came a burst of cheerful music, and Feng Zhengming saw his daughter run out.

His wife, mother-in-law, second aunt, and the Kaufmans also came out, each holding a beautiful lantern.

Looking at everything before him, Feng Zhengming was truly moved.

I didn't expect my family to want to spend New Year's Day with me.

Feng Nuanyou rushed to her father and said, "Happy New Year, Dad!"

Feng Zhengming bent down and picked up his daughter: "Happy New Year, Youyou."

Then he looked at the others and said, "Happy New Year, everyone."

The family members all laughed.

Kaufman was delighted: "Feng, you guys have a really great way of celebrating New Year's Day. I thought you only celebrated the Spring Festival, but I didn't expect New Year's Day to be so joyful too."

Feng Zhengming: "Because Shanghai is an open city that welcomes people from all over the world, we also celebrate New Year's Day."

Mrs. Kaufman: "No wonder you have a New Year's Day fireworks display here."

Feng Zhengming asked, "Did you go see it?"

Feng Nuanyou immediately chimed in, "Go see it, it's so beautiful."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "As long as Youyou likes it."

Then the lights in the room were turned on, and Feng Zhengming and everyone else walked into the dining room.

The tables in the restaurant were laden with a very sumptuous spread of dishes.

It's obvious that Kaufman prepared this specifically for it.

"Oh, you haven't eaten yet? I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting so long."

Kaufman smiled and said, "Feng, don't be so polite. We're going to celebrate New Year's Day together, so we should have this meal together. Come on, everyone, sit down."

Feng Zhengming: "Okay, although you've taken the initiative a bit, we'll listen to you tonight."

The whole family sat down together, all smiles.

Luo Qing opened the red wine that Mrs. Kaufman had brought and poured a glass for everyone.

Feng Nuanyou naturally didn't drink alcohol, but poured her a glass of juice instead.

Then everyone raised their glasses together and wished each other a Happy New Year.

Everyone had a very happy New Year's Day family dinner.

Feng Zhengming was naturally even happier, to have such a bountiful feast waiting for him when he returned home after his busy work.

After the New Year's Day meal, Feng Zhengming had a private conversation with Kaufman.

Kaufman learned about Feng Zhengming's next plans.

He still strongly supports Feng Zhengming in doing it.

“Feng, your idea is right. You should have your own rating system. You shouldn’t let others evaluate your dishes. You should create your own unique style. What’s your own national and ethnic style is what’s truly yours.”

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "We may need Mr. Kaufman's help at that time."

Kaufman understood that Feng Zhengming needed his influence among international chefs.

“No problem, Feng. I’m happy to help you because we’re both food lovers. I believe you can cook very well and I won’t have any prejudice against you.”

Feng Zhengming: "Of course, my country and I welcome cuisines from all over the world to come and exchange with us."

Kaufman laughed heartily: "Hahaha, yes, we chefs all over the world are one family." (End of Chapter)