From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The news that Master Wang was leaving still surprised Feng Zhengming.

He explained the affairs of Huiquan Building and Qianfanpu, and then rushed to Jubinyuan with his senior brother and third senior brother following his master.

Before Master Wang left, he invited several masters to have a final gathering at Jubin Garden.

Feng Zhengming, senior brother and third senior brother were also invited.

When they arrived at the scene, they saw that several other masters had also brought their apprentices.

Through conversations among everyone, we learned that Master Wang specially invited several apprentices of Master Wang to come.

On Master Yan's side, in addition to Feng Zhengming and his two senior brothers, Master Yan's eldest son Yan Jianxing also came.

Master Cui brought two apprentices from his school with him.

Master Su brought with him Jufengde’s current master ladle master.

The person who came with Master Sun was naturally the current master chef of Tai Feng Tower.

When everyone arrived, Master Wang and his son Wang Zhisheng came out to greet them and ushered everyone into a large private room upstairs in Jubinyuan.

Everyone was somewhat surprised to see Master Wang's son Wang Zhisheng.

Master Yan spoke first: "It turns out that Zhisheng is back. It seems that Zhisheng persuaded your father to go to the capital with you this time?"

Wang Zhisheng smiled and greeted several masters, and then answered Master Yan.

"Uncle Yan, my dad has indeed promised me to invite a few senior uncles and senior uncles to get together this time, and then I will take my parents to the capital together."

Hearing what Wang Zhisheng said, Master Su said: "So that's it, Lao Wang is going to the capital? That's good."

Master Sun said: "Congratulations to Lao Wang, my son has finally made his mark."

Master Cui already knew about Wang Zhisheng's situation.

"Zhisheng is now the chef of Zhengyang House. He has won glory for us Shandong cuisine chefs."

After learning this information, several old masters even praised Wang Zhisheng.

Feng Zhengming and others also looked in awe of Wang Zhisheng.

Zhengyang Tower was one of the eight buildings in Shandong Province in the past.

Although his reputation has not been as good as before in recent years, being able to be the chef at Zhengyang Tower is enough to illustrate Wang Zhisheng's skills.

Mr. Wang greeted with a smile: "Okay, okay, I invite you brothers to come over. I want to have a little gathering with you before I leave. Come on, let's all sit down."

Then the master chefs sat down around the big table in the private room.

The apprentices then sat down one by one. Because Feng Zhengming was the youngest, he naturally sat at the last seat, and opened and poured wine for everyone.

When Master Wang saw Feng Zhengming taking the initiative to pour the wine, he immediately said: "Zhengming, how can you pour the wine? Let your senior brother handle this matter. Zhisheng, you go."

Feng Zhengming poured the wine and said, "Uncle, you're welcome. The people here today are all my seniors. I'm the youngest, so it's up to me to pour the wine."

Then he stopped Wang Zhisheng who was about to get up: "Senior brother, you can also sit down. I'll do it."

Seeing this scene, Master Wang said: "That's what Zhengming is good at. He knows his craft well and does things in a very orderly manner."

Master Yan said: "Don't praise him. He has been in the limelight in Quancheng recently. Let him serve us and suppress his prestige."

These words immediately amused the old masters present.

Feng Zhengming also smiled and said: "Master is right, no matter how popular I am, I am still a junior here."

When Feng Zhengming poured the wine, the door of the private room was pushed open again.

Cheng Guosheng and Lin Guofu together led the disciples of Master Wang from the back kitchen of Jubinyuan to walk in and served everyone a table of sumptuous dishes.

When the dishes were served, Master Wang called over his two apprentices, Cheng Guosheng and Lin Guofu.

"Guosheng, you and Guofu stay and sit here."

Cheng Guosheng and Lin Guofu looked at each other after hearing this, then looked at everyone present, and both of them agreed to stay.

Zhu Xu took the remaining disciples and grandchildren out with the tray and cart, and he also closed the private room door with his own hands.

Feng Zhengming sat down with Cheng Guosheng and Lin Guofu, and stood up again to pour wine for them.

But when Feng Zhengming sat down again, the private room suddenly became quiet.

The atmosphere suddenly seemed to be a little strange.

It was Master Wang who spoke up: "Okay, today, I will use this formal retirement dinner to let you, Guosheng, and Zhengming talk about the conflict in front of us."

When Master Wang said this, Feng Zhengming turned to look at Cheng Guosheng.

It happened that Cheng Guosheng also looked at him.

The two people looked at each other, and Feng Zhengming could see a hint of jealousy in Cheng Guosheng's eyes.

He quickly picked up the wine glass and stood up: "Senior Brother Cheng, maybe I have offended Senior Brother Cheng in the management of Huiquan Building. Here I use Uncle Wang's banquet to apologize to Senior Brother Cheng."

Hearing what Feng Zhengming said, he looked at Feng Zhengming standing there holding a wine glass.

Cheng Guosheng really wanted him to stay standing at this moment.

However, I knew that in such a situation, if Feng Zhengming was allowed to stand like this all the time, he would indeed look too stingy.

Cheng Guosheng also stood up with a wine glass in hand: "Junior Brother Feng, there is no need to apologize. There is nothing wrong with your management of Huiquan Building, and I also admire your methods.

Nowadays, Huiquan Tower is becoming more and more famous. If Jubin Garden is not as good as yours, it’s because we haven’t done enough.

In the future, I will let Jubinyuan learn more from your Huiquan Building. If we fight again in the future, I will not show mercy. "

Feng Zhengming smiled and said: "It is our honor at Huiquan House to be able to communicate more with all the senior fellow students and make progress together."

The two people's wine glasses clinked and drank the glass under the witness of the old masters.

Seeing the two of them drinking this glass of wine, although everyone could see that Cheng Guosheng was unconvinced in his heart.

But this kind of dissatisfaction is what everyone wants to see.

For several master chefs, Shandong cuisine can develop better if there is competition among the younger generations, so they hope that the younger generations will compete with each other.

After Feng Zhengming and Cheng Guosheng sat down, several senior masters also spoke a few words respectively.

The first person to speak was Master Cui, the oldest.

"The purpose of competition and exchange in cooking is to compete with each other. We old guys are getting older. From now on, we will just watch you compete with each other.

This time, Zhengming is slightly better at Huiquan Tower. You senior brothers cannot completely admit defeat.

You must also use your skills and your true abilities to compete with him. "

The masters present all nodded after hearing this and said they would be well prepared.

Then Master Su said: "Fighting is fighting. Don't let the temporary dispute hurt the harmony. You must know that you all represent Shandong cuisine chefs when you go out, so you all need to communicate more."

Master Sun echoed: "Yes, you need to communicate more with each other. It doesn't necessarily have to be what Huiquan Tower has. Jubinyuan, Taifeng Tower, and Jufengde must also have it, but you need to understand some of the dishes in Huiquan Tower." Why is the dish popular?

You should also come up with corresponding dishes that can attract customers more and are unique to each of your restaurants. "

Master Yan warned Feng Zhengming: "Zhengming, you can't be too proud. You should be more modest, ask other seniors for advice, learn more, and share some of your ideas with fellow seniors." Wang The old master spoke last: "Guosheng, Guofu, and Zhisheng who are here today, you all must remember the words of my uncles and masters.

Whether you are in Quancheng or leaving Quancheng, you must remember that you are Shandong cuisine chefs and you must represent Shandong cuisine.

You can argue and learn from each other, but you cannot ignore communication.

Don't start hating the other person just because he or she is better than the other person. You should learn with an open mind.

Carefully see where the other person is better than you, learn from others' strengths, and understand other people's ideas for designing a dish through communication. "

Obviously, Master Wang's treat this time was to coordinate the relationship between Cheng Guosheng and Feng Zhengming before he left.

It’s not that I expect the two of them to really turn their hostility into friendship.

Master Wang and several other masters have a very clear attitude, there is no problem for the apprentices to compete with each other.

They each operate different restaurants, and there must be competition between them.

Therefore, each uses its own means to compete, and as long as the means are not illegal, everyone relies on their own abilities.

However, the masters do not want their apprentices to refuse to communicate with each other because of mutual competition.

The master chefs know very well that the development of Shandong cuisine cannot be achieved by just one person.

The younger generation of chefs must work together.

If all the apprentices can make a name for themselves.

Each has its own unique understanding, and based on traditional techniques, different ingredients and seasonings from all over the world can be used to make some more special dishes.

That is a very good thing for the development of Shandong cuisine.

It will also be a real event.

Similarly, the inheritance of the Shandong cuisine tradition also requires disciples like Feng Zhengming to follow the tradition and maintain the traditional craftsmanship well.

When everyone was silent, Master Cui smiled and spoke again.

"Well, the National Cooking Skills Exchange Competition is coming soon, and the provincial selection will also begin. It will depend on how you show your skills to each other."

When the National Cooking Skills Exchange Competition was mentioned, everyone present became serious.

Master Cui also gave Feng Zhengming and others a thorough explanation.

"This time the chefs from our province who will participate in the competition will go through a provincial selection first, and then five people will be selected to participate in the national competition, so you must be prepared."

Speaking of this, he looked at Feng Zhengming and Master Cui reminded him with a smile.

"Zhengming, this is not the previous young chef competition. This time it will bring together chefs from all over the province. There is no age limit."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Thank you Master Cui for reminding me. I understand that I am already the chef of Huiquan House, and I cannot always protect myself as a young chef."

Master Cui said: "Yes, as the chef of Huiquanlou, you are now so famous. It is impossible to continue to be regarded as a young chef. No matter how old you are, you must face the challenges of other chefs."

Feng Zhengming quickly corrected himself: "Master Cui, I should be the challenger."

This sentence made everyone present stunned for a moment.

The old masters looked at each other, but they quickly understood.

The other senior brothers present at Feng Zhengming couldn't help but feel a little jealous of him as a challenger.

Many times, you know that your opponent's ability is equal to yours, or even slightly better than yours.

At the same time, he also maintained a low profile and appeared as a challenger.

Just in terms of mentality, the other party already has the upper hand.

Encountering such an opponent, I am afraid that anyone would find it very difficult.

Master Wang and the other masters looked at each other, and then he said with a smile: "Okay, okay, the atmosphere doesn't need to be so serious. Let's all have some food together."

Then, under the leadership of the master chefs, everyone ate some vegetables first.

After eating a round of dishes, Li Huidong stood up as the oldest disciple present.

"I am the oldest among the disciples present today, so I will pretend to be a senior brother and lead the junior disciples to toast our masters with the first glass of wine."

When Li Huidong said this, naturally Feng Zhengming and the others stood up together holding wine glasses.

Then he added: "We wish the masters good health and witness us carrying forward Shandong cuisine in the future."

Feng Zhengming and others said in unison: "I wish Masters good health."

After toasting to the old masters.

Afterwards, the atmosphere at the table became much more comfortable.

The master masters did not put on airs and have been guiding the apprentices to communicate.

Under the guidance of the masters, Feng Zhengming and the others also had a lot of exchanges with each other.

For example, Wang Zhisheng asked Feng Zhengming more directly about the idea of ​​braised squab.

As for this question, the master chefs of several large restaurants present were actually a little curious.

Feng Zhengming did not hide his secrets and expressed some of his thoughts.

“My chestnut-yellow braised pigeon is actually an upgraded version of the chestnut-yellow braised chicken recipe. The overall cooking method is based on the braised chicken technique, but I just used it to make pigeons.

When I participated in competitions before, I used adult pigeons, but after our research, it was better to use squabs.

In fact, the method is simple, just use the braised chicken technique.

Our Huiquan restaurant will stew the pigeons in advance, and a large pot of stew will be cooked that morning. Later, the pigeons will be deboned in the kitchen and the meat will be prepared one by one.

If a customer orders this dish, we will steam it in the bowl first, then add the soup to thicken it.

It is very easy to serve food to guests in a short time. "

I heard that Feng Zhengming not only explained how to make it, but even dismantled the process in the kitchen and explained it clearly.

Everyone present, including Wang Zhisheng, was shocked by his approach.

If you hadn't heard what Feng Zhengming said, you might not have thought of doing this.

Feng Zhengming also emphasized: "Brothers, if you want to make it, remember one thing in the kitchen: the pigeons must be oiled, and the lard must be added when collecting the juice."

Hearing this, Master Cui laughed: "Hahaha, Zhengming is so sincere that he told you all his secret recipe."

Master Su directly took the test on the spot: "You have all listened, tell me, why do you need to add lard to harvest the juice?"

A group of people looked at each other, but it turned out that the master of Jufengde was the one who answered.

"Pigeons themselves have relatively little fat. When collecting the juice, add lard to increase the flavor of the fat."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Senior brother is right."

This was a farewell banquet for Master Wang, and everyone had a great time discussing cooking techniques. (End of chapter)