From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

When Xia Mingye saw his grandfather, he almost subconsciously wanted to hide.

Then he was grabbed by the old man.

"You little brat, you still want to run?"

Seeing that he couldn't escape, Xia Mingye could only beg for mercy from his grandfather.

"Master, I haven't brought shame to our family."

Upon hearing this, Master Xia was so angry that he laughed.

"You still have the nerve to say that you didn't bring shame to our family? What on earth did you compete in today?"

This question left Xia Mingye speechless.

He knew in his heart that he had not performed well in the final round of today's game.

Especially with the two kitchen helpers, there was absolutely no cooperation.

As a result, I had to prepare all the dishes myself and almost messed up the cooking.

Fortunately, thanks to the training from his grandfather and father, Xia Mingye was able to prepare today's dishes independently.

Seeing Xia Mingye kept silent.

Master Xia continued, "Do you know why we assigned you two kitchen helpers in the last round? It's to see if you have the ability to be a master chef.

What is the ability of a master chef? Is a master chef just good at his craft?

A master chef is someone who can be a teacher and teach others. It is not enough to just do it yourself, but to teach others how to do it. "

Having said that, Master Xia looked at Feng Zhengming who was surrounded by people asking him questions.

"Have you seen the gap between you and your Uncle Feng today?"

Xia Mingye nodded. Today he finally understood the gap between himself and the master chef.

Master Xia continued, "Think about it carefully. Why was your uncle Feng the first to finish that table of dishes today? Even if he just cooked a table of home-cooked dishes, which of those home-cooked dishes is not very complicated?

Why is it that your Uncle Feng can complete those complicated dishes so quickly and easily?
You have been here these days. Have you ever been to the kitchen of the dry rice shop with your sister? "

After being asked, Xia Mingye quickly nodded and said, "Yes, I went to the kitchen of the dry rice shop to see it."

"Then you should know why your Uncle Feng was able to finish that table of home-cooked food so easily and so quickly?"

When asked this by his grandfather, Xia Mingye immediately nodded to show that he understood.

Recalling the scene in the back kitchen of the dry rice shop, Xia Mingye could indeed understand why Uncle Feng performed so quickly and well today? Moreover, he and the two kitchen helpers were particularly relaxed.

Just like in the kitchen of a restaurant, there are people dedicated to each process.

Moreover, the division of labor for each dish is particularly detailed, which can ensure the efficiency of cooking.

The dry rice shop has so many customers every day, and the tables turn over so quickly especially at night.

We need to be able to ensure table turnover and also ensure that customers eat well.

So the collaboration of everyone in the kitchen is really important.

If it were before, Xia Mingye would have thought that the kitchen of the dry rice shop was able to coordinate well because of the presence of Uncle Yang.

But today, I saw Master Feng and two kitchen helpers who had only been in the kitchen for two days, and they were able to easily prepare a table of dishes together.

He finally understood that the collaborative process in the kitchen of the dry rice shop should have been arranged by Uncle Feng.

Thinking of this, Xia Mingye also looked at his sister.

Xia Hui guessed what her brother was thinking, and nodded with a smile: "You are right, the process of the kitchen in the dry rice shop and the overall rhythm of our work were indeed arranged by the uncle.

Uncle Yang also often said that he was particularly good at tapping into everyone’s potential and enabling everyone to use their abilities well.”

Master Xia sighed, "You can't learn the abilities of your Uncle Feng for now. His demeanor is innate and can't be learned later. You should start by learning the basics of collaboration."

Xia Mingye thought about it seriously and suddenly said, "Master, can I stay in Quancheng after the competition? I want to learn from Master Feng."

Master Xia did not agree, but instead looked at his granddaughter standing beside him.

Facing her grandfather's gaze, Xia Hui smiled and said, "Master Uncle has a rule that if you want to follow him into Huiquanlou, you must first work in the kitchen of the dry rice shop for a year."

Xia Mingye immediately said: "No problem, I'm willing to work in the kitchen of the dry rice shop."

Seeing that his grandson was willing to go to Quancheng on his own initiative and gain some experience with Feng Zhengming.

Master Xia also nodded: "Okay, if you want to stay here, then stay. You have learned almost all the skills in the kitchen at home. It's time to go out and try your luck."

"Grandpa, what about my dad?" Xia Hui was still a little worried that her father would not be happy.

Master Xia waved his hand and said, "Don't worry about your father. I'll go back and tell him."

Feng Zhengming finally finished answering some questions and got out of the crowd, coming here to reunite with his grandfather, the Xia family, and Luo Qing and the others.

"Hello, Master Xia."

When Master Xia heard Feng Zhengming's proactive greeting, he smiled and was very happy.

"Xiao Feng, since you call me uncle, I have something to ask of you."

Hearing this, Feng Zhengming's eyes immediately fell on Xia Mingye.

When Master Xia saw this, he knew that Feng Zhengming had already guessed it.

"Xiaoye's cooking skills are already very good. He can cook basically many dishes, and he has also mastered the bone-removing skills of our Kongfu cuisine very well.

But he still lacks experience, and you can actually see that he is not very efficient when cooking.

So I thought, let him learn well in your restaurant with Hui girl."

Master Xia still knows his grandson's situation very well.

In fact, during this period of time, Feng Zhengming also discovered that Xia Mingye had a problem when cooking, which was that he was rather slow.

Master Xia said that he was not good at cooking.

Every time Xia Mingye cooks, he always prepares everything very carefully.

And he often takes a long time to prepare.

There are many dishes that should be prepared quickly, but Xia Mingye would take a long time to prepare them.

It cannot be said that Xia Mingye did something wrong. Although it took him a long time to prepare, he was able to ensure that the dishes he made were indeed of standard.

But I usually cook in the kitchen, not participate in chef skills competitions.

The standard of cooking really allows customers to enjoy authentic dishes.

If a dish requires guests to wait for a long time.

Even if the food tastes great, many customers who are unwilling to wait too long will still be dissatisfied.

Feng Zhengming thought for a while and said, "Uncle Xia, I am now running Feng's Dry Rice Shop and Huiquanlou. My rule is that if you want to work in the kitchen of Huiquanlou, you must work in the kitchen of the Dry Rice Shop for a full year.

Then you have to pass the internal competition at the end of the year and win over others to be eligible to enter the kitchen of Huiquanlou."

Xia Mingye quickly said, "Uncle Feng, my sister has just said that I am willing to work in the food shop for a full year."

Seeing that Xia Mingye took the initiative to express his willingness, Master Xia naturally looked at Feng Zhengming with a smile on his face.

"Xiaoye is willing to give it a try. As his uncle, can you give him such a chance?" What else can Feng Zhengming say now that he has said this?

"Okay, if you want, then stay and work in the restaurant with your sister first."

Xia Mingye looked at his sister excitedly and moved closer to her with a flattering look on his face.

"Sister, please take care of me in the future."

Xia Hui pouted and said, "I'm afraid I can't take care of you for long. It's almost the end of the year and I have to participate in an internal competition. If I win the competition, I will go to Huiquanlou."

These words instantly broke Xia Mingye down.

"Really? I'm the only one left in the dry rice shop?"

Feng Zhengming said: "You are not alone. In the internal competition at the end of the year, the last two will go from Huiquanlou to the kitchen of Fengjia Ganfanpu."

Xia Mingye looked at his sister and said flatteringly: "Sister, how about you stay with me for another year?"

"Get lost." Xia Hui said bluntly.

This scene made everyone laugh.

Feng Zhengming continued, "Okay, let's go back first. The competition is over. We have a week to prepare, which is quite ample time. I'd like to invite Master Xia to the kitchen of Huiquan Building today to give us some guidance."

Master Xia laughed: "You are already going to the national competition, how can I guide your work?"

Feng Zhengming said politely: "In front of you, Master Xia, I will always be a junior. I must always accept your teachings so that I can continue to make progress."

It has to be said that Master Xia, like many other masters, the more he interacted with Feng Zhengming, the more he admired him.

Feng Zhengming will always remain humble.

His humility is not false or sarcastic.

He was truly humble in front of his elders from the bottom of his heart.

And he always respected every elder.

When it is time to express his views, he will express them without hesitation.

But he will give his elders enough respect where it is due.

Therefore, chatting with Feng Zhengming makes the old masters feel very comfortable.

He is not the type to flatter blindly, nor does he put on an arrogant face.

At this moment, Master Xia felt that "it's a pity that such an outstanding junior is not my apprentice."

The group left the competition venue, and Luo Qing helped call two taxis in advance.

Feng Zhengming and his friends took a taxi and went directly to Huiquanlou.

On the way, the taxi driver saw Feng Zhengming and took the initiative to greet him.

"Chef Feng, I watched you cook on TV. Your cooking skills are really amazing."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master, you are too polite. I don't dare to be a chef. My master can be called a chef. I am just an ordinary cook who can cook a few dishes."

The taxi driver smiled and said, "You are so polite. I saw the dishes you cooked on TV. They were really beautiful."

Feng Zhengming said: "Those dishes are for competitions. I probably wouldn't cook like that on a normal day."

The driver continued, “I have a relative who went to your Huiquan Restaurant for a wedding banquet. After he came back, he would brag about it to everyone he met, saying that the wedding banquets at Huiquan Restaurant were the best in Quancheng.

We didn’t really believe it before, but to be honest, we old Quancheng people still think Jufengde is more authentic.”

Feng Zhengming smiled and nodded to show that he understood: "Jufengde is the Huangpu of Shandong cuisine after all, and the craftsmanship is indeed more authentic."

The driver then said, "But after seeing the dish you cooked on TV, I now believe what my relatives said."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Hearing is believing, seeing is believing. Master, if you have time, you can bring your family to our Huiquan Restaurant to try it. If you eat in the hall, it won't cost much."

The taxi driver smiled and agreed: "Okay, I will definitely bring my family to try it when I have time, or wait until my mother's birthday comes, and I will go to your Huiquan Restaurant to set up a table."

Feng Zhengming immediately said, "Okay, Master, you can come to me when the time comes. I will make sure to make arrangements and ensure that you don't spend a lot of money and that you can eat well."

"Okay, thank you so much, Chef Feng." The driver was obviously very excited.

Feng Zhengming smiled and responded: "You're welcome. We chefs cook to make everyone happy and satisfied."

The taxi took Feng Zhengming and his friends to Huiquanlou, and the driver was determined not to take any money.

But Feng Zhengming still forced him to pay the fare, saying that things should be handled separately.

This also leaves a very good impression on the taxi driver.

Before the driver left, he said, "Chef Feng, you are a very respectable person. Don't worry. If anyone from other places comes to Quancheng and takes my taxi, I will definitely recommend them to eat at Huiquanlou."

Feng Zhengming smiled and waved, watching the driver's taxi leave, then he turned around and returned to Huiquan Building.

Master Xia looked at Feng Zhengming and whispered a reminder to his grandson and granddaughter.

"Did you see that? What does it mean to be a good person? Your Uncle Feng is a good person. He chatted with a taxi driver along the way and even promised to entertain his mother well if she came to Huiquanlou for a birthday party.

He spoke very nicely and only returned to Huiquan Tower after watching the other person leave.

This is what it means to be a good human being. The taxi driver will feel respected.

Then the driver will definitely speak well of him to Huiquanlou.

Think about what kind of people taxi drivers usually meet? If they all help recommend Huiquanlou to outsiders, wouldn’t Huiquanlou’s business be bad? ”

After hearing what Master Xia said, brother and sister Xia Hui and Xia Mingye understood instantly.

Xia Hui knew better why Feng Zhengming always had a good reputation.
Both his Fengjia Dry Restaurant and Huiquanlou have a very good reputation.

His own reputation has always been very good.

The scene just now was one of the reasons.

Feng Zhengming will treat all kinds of people politely.

Naturally, it will leave a very good impression on all kinds of people.

When everyone says good things about him, naturally there will always be someone standing up to speak for him at any time.

Just as Master Xia said, Feng Zhengming left a very good impression on the taxi driver.

Afterwards, taxi drivers will help him promote the service to people from other places who come to Quancheng to take a taxi.

It will naturally attract outsiders to dine at Huiquanlou.

Huiquanlou’s business is thus well protected.

Master Xia can understand these things because the masters treated people in the same way back then.

Therefore, in the impression of many people who know the master craftsmen, every master craftsman is so approachable and always seems like they will never get angry.

But nowadays, most chefs stay in the kitchen and communicate less and less with customers.

Gradually, I no longer understand how to deal with people.

So there are always people who say that the chefs are becoming more and more arrogant. (End of this chapter)