From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

In the design of banquets featuring classic dishes from various regions, careful consideration is given, and the most representative dishes from each region are placed on the menu.

This is also the result of discussions among masters from all over the country before the national competition officially started.

Just like what the two masters Su and Sun said to Feng Zhengming and others.

The key to holding this national competition is actually to determine the standards for classic dishes so that they can be better passed down in different places.

The reason why we finally summarize the classic dishes from each place in this competition.

Eventually it was compiled into a cookbook covering gourmet recipes from all over the country.

I hope that this cookbook carries the local specialties and can better inherit and promote them.

This aspect has also received attention from the country.

After all, now that the country has opened its doors, the domestic economy is booming.

Everyone's living standards are getting better and better.

Various new things from abroad are also constantly pouring into the country.

Foreign culture also has a significant impact on China.

In terms of food, it has had a huge impact on the country.

Some foreign fast food and restaurants have entered the country.

It is also sought after by many people in China.

Because some foreign food is so popular, it is natural that many traditional dishes in China are forgotten.

In the competition, they are gradually falling behind.

Many dishes in domestic restaurants and hotels are considered by many people to be low-class.

I even think it is something only old-fashioned people would eat.

This time the national competition will be broadcast live on television, and through banquets featuring classic dishes, everyone will be able to experience the true beauty of Chinese cuisine.

We also need to set a standard so that in the future both chefs and diners will know how to distinguish between good and bad.
This is a test for the chefs and also a promotion to the public.

It is because of this background.

Therefore, chefs from all over the country are also preparing very seriously.

Even the Jiangsu Province, which had previously had different internal opinions, reached a cooperation agreement after some discussion.

The two menus that were originally separate were simply combined together.

All of them are banquets for Su Province.

Of course they will still make all the dishes on both menus.

Fortunately, the two previous menus did not offer many dishes.

Now that the two menus are put together, the overall amount of food is not much more.

The chefs in Hong Kong City also had some discussions.

According to the menu they gave before, it can be said that the dishes on the Gangcheng menu at this cooking exchange banquet are definitely the most valuable.

The menu provided by the chefs in Gangcheng can be said to include top-quality ingredients such as bird's nest, shark's fin, abalone and ginseng.

And on the menu of Hong Kong chefs, there are various top ingredients including lobster, grouper and caviar.

When the judges of the competition saw the menu submitted by Gangcheng, they were also stunned by the luxurious menu.

However, Mr. Cai from Gangcheng, who was invited, did not have a high opinion of Gangcheng's menu.

Mr. Cai even found the chef team of Gangcheng separately and raised some issues with the menu.

"If you simply pile up all kinds of top-notch ingredients, it won't actually show your cooking skills very well. Those expensive ingredients will only make your dishes more expensive, not better."

Mr. Cai came out personally and talked about the menu of Gangcheng.

It can also be regarded as a reminder to the chefs in Hong Kong City.

Let them not just focus on the price of the ingredients.

We still need to make more delicious food through communication based on the characteristics of different ingredients.

Mr. Cai said directly: "I hope that by then, I can see your cooking skills, not just the price of the ingredients that looks expensive."

The participating chefs, led by Dai Long, all expressed that they would prepare well.

Dai Long even stated: "Don't worry, Mr. Cai, we will definitely not just pile up the ingredients, we will make every top-quality ingredient well."

Jiang Chengzhe was more curious about the menu provided by the Shandong cuisine side.

"Mr. Cai, do you know what dishes are on the Shandong cuisine menu?"

Mr. Cai calmly replied, "The only dish on their menu that can compare in value with yours is the scallion-fried sea cucumber. The rest are classic Shandong dishes."

Dai Long immediately said, "I'm still very curious about the nine-turn large intestine of Shandong cuisine. I heard that it is the most classic dish of Shandong cuisine."

Mr. Cai nodded: "Nine-turn large intestine is indeed a classic Shandong dish. Although it is made with pig large intestine, the taste encompasses sour, sweet, bitter, salty and spicy. It is really a dish with all five flavors."

Jiang Chengzhe had never eaten Nine-Turn Large Intestine, and had only heard of this dish.

“Will it really have all five flavors?”

Mr. Cai answered confidently: "A well-made Jiuzhuan Large Intestine must have all five flavors, and the large intestine head will taste so good that you can't tell it's a pig's large intestine at all."

Hearing this, the chefs in Hong Kong City became very curious.

Mr. Cai went on to say: “You should not only focus on Shandong cuisine, and do not ignore cuisines from other places just because the young chef performed well. Sichuan cuisine also has many very good dishes, such as the chicken tofu pudding in Sichuan cuisine, where the chicken is made to look like tofu pudding.

In addition, there is also a very classic chicken porridge in Huaiyang cuisine, which is made by cooking chicken into a porridge-like appearance. There is also the Three-Head Feast in Huaiyang cuisine, which is also quite classic and not something that ordinary chefs can cook.

Of course there is also Cantonese cuisine. Many of their dishes may be similar to yours, so don’t take it lightly.

In addition, Fujian cuisine, Zhejiang cuisine, Anhui cuisine, cuisine from the three northeastern provinces, as well as Henan cuisine, Beijing cuisine, Shanxi cuisine, and Hunan cuisine all have their own characteristics.

Including some dishes from Yunnan and Guizhou, they all have their own unique flavors and should not be underestimated.”

After hearing Mr. Cai's instructions, the chefs in Hong Kong also became serious.

In fact, after the first competition, the chefs from Hong Kong also realized that the chefs who can come to the national competition are definitely unique in their cooking skills and should all have unique skills.

Therefore, the chefs in Hong Kong have now put aside some of their previous pride.

Now everyone will take this national competition more seriously.

After Mr. Cai left, the chefs in Hong Kong also started to work seriously.

As the leader of the entire Hong Kong city chef team this time.

He also enjoys a high status among chefs in Hong Kong.

Li Guansheng said: "Mr. Cai's reminder is very correct. Before coming here, each of you may have looked down on chefs from other places to some extent.

Moreover, before this, we have always paid more attention to chefs of the four major cuisines of Shandong, Guangdong, Sichuan and Huaiyang.

But after the first day of competition, it can be seen that the chefs who are able to participate in the national competition can be said to be chefs with superb skills.

We must not underestimate any chef and must prepare well.”

After Li Guansheng said this, everyone became serious.

After a moment of silence, Long Kunbao, the chef who ranked seventh in the total score, spoke up. "Since Uncle Guansheng has said so, we will definitely take it seriously and show some real skills."

Jiang Chengzhe said: "Abao is right. We must not lose face for chefs in Hong Kong and Kowloon."

Several other chefs also said that they should indeed show off their skills.

Dai Long finally said with a smile: "Okay, let's discuss how to make the dish well."

The chefs in Hong Kong have started to get serious.

Chefs from other places also treat this matter very seriously and carefully.

Especially Feng Zhengming's outstanding performance on the first day of the competition gave everyone a different impression of the Shandong cuisine chef team.

Shandong cuisine chefs are never looked down upon by chefs from other places.

But in recent years, Shandong cuisine chefs have not had outstanding performances in national competitions.

In the eyes of many other local chefs, Shandong cuisine chefs seem to still rely on the old skills accumulated and passed down by their masters.

However, the appearance of Feng Zhengming suddenly broke all their inherent ideas about Shandong cuisine.

When watching the Qilu provincial selection competition, everyone had already paid attention to Feng Zhengming.

But no one expected that Feng Zhengming would give everyone such a shock on the first day of the competition.

Let everyone realize that Feng Zhengming, a young Shandong cuisine chef, may become the person who brings about changes in Shandong cuisine.

He not only inherited the very authentic Shandong cuisine techniques.

At the same time, some of his creative ideas can break away from the framework of Shandong cuisine.

Combining various techniques and using cooking techniques to realize one's own creativity is as easy as pie in Feng Zhengming's hands.

His natural craftsmanship allows him to easily incorporate traditional techniques into creative dishes.

It left a deep impression on all the participants and spectators.

In the eyes of professional chefs, it is very clear how difficult it is to do what Feng Zhengming did.

Those are not things that can be achieved just by thinking of them easily.

It’s like Feng Zhengming’s second fish dish, which combines deep-frying techniques, stir-frying techniques, and the technique of using fresh shrimp to make the filling of a hummingbird.

He is very skilled in using them and is able to integrate several techniques well.

It can be said that Feng Zhengming's performance in the first competition sounded a wake-up call to chefs from other places.

Everyone realizes that Feng Zhengming and the Shandong cuisine chef team in this year's national competition may really be a team whose strength should not be underestimated.

Perhaps Feng Zhengming himself did not expect that, because of his performance, chefs from all over the country would become serious in the subsequent banquet exchanges and bring out classic dishes that are very representative of their local characteristics.

After the discussion, Feng Zhengming returned to his room and called his grandfather's home using the hotel phone.

The person who answered the phone was naturally grandpa.

Hearing Feng Zhengming's voice, grandpa put the phone on speaker.

Feng Zhengming then heard the praises from his entire family.

"Zhengming is amazing. You are able to overpower those famous chefs in Hong Kong. It's really amazing."

"Hahaha, I am your second uncle. You have really brought honor to our Shandong cuisine this time."

"Zhengming, work hard. We will all support you and wait for you to win the gold medal."

"Brother, you are so handsome. If I can't get into college, I might as well learn cooking from you."

"Come on, brother. You are the best. Don't accept brother Hongwei as your apprentice. He is very stupid."

When Zhang Hongwei heard Feng Shengnan say this, he was suddenly a little upset.

"Shengnan, this is not right. Why am I stupid?"

Feng Shengnan said with a smile: "You said that you would learn cooking from your brother only if you couldn't get into university. You can't get into university, aren't you stupid?"

Feng Shengnan's words made the whole family laugh.

Feng Suying even praised her little niece.

"Shengnan is right. If your brother Hongwei can't get into college, he'd be a fool. We can't let him learn cooking from your brother Zhengming, or we'll embarrass our Feng family."

At this moment, the whole family was happy, except that Zhang Hongwei was injured.

Fortunately, Zhang Hongwei is a broad-minded and thick-skinned guy.

"Humph, I want to get into college, and then we'll see how you guys can still call me stupid."

Seeing Zhang Hongwei’s serious look, the whole family encouraged him again.

Feng Zhengming also said on the phone: "Keep working hard. I believe Hongwei will definitely be admitted to university. Don't forget your own dream. Don't you still want to build airplanes? So work hard."

Zhang Hongwei was encouraged by Feng Zhengming and leaned over to the phone and said, "Brother, I will definitely work hard."

Afterwards, Feng Zhengming told his family about some arrangements for the next competition.

His family members are also very confident about his next game.

Everyone thought that Feng Zhengming, working with other Shandong cuisine chefs, would definitely be able to prepare a good banquet.

Third uncle Feng Jiandong said: "Zhengming, you still need to prepare well for your own individual competition. The individual competitions in the next three consecutive days are the key."

Grandpa Feng immediately said: “Individual competition is crucial, but communication at the banquet is also crucial.

When chef teams from all over the country work together to prepare banquets, it will be regarded as a standard and recorded and compiled into the recipes, so they must take every dish seriously. "

Feng Suying also agreed with her father's opinion: "Yes, the key is to exchange ideas at the banquet. If the dishes you make can be included in the national cooking recipes, it is not something that ordinary people can do. Zhengming, you must be serious."

"Grandpa and second aunt, don't worry, we will be very serious and make every dish well." Feng Zhengming responded seriously.

The family members had almost finished talking, and finally let Luo Qing chat with Feng Zhengming alone for a few minutes.

Luo Qing encouraged Feng Zhengming and said that she would visit her grandfather every day and help take care of him, and asked Feng Zhengming not to worry.

Feng Zhengming was also full of gratitude for Luo Qing's words.

"Thank you. I will definitely compete well and try to win more gold medals."

Luo Qing said: "It doesn't matter, you have performed very well. Even if you can't win the gold medal, you are still a great chef. We all support you."

With the support of his family and loved one, Feng Zhengming is greatly motivated.

He said confidently on the phone: "Don't worry, I will definitely win the gold medal."

After finishing the call with his family, Feng Zhengming called Ganfanpu and Huiquanlou respectively, had some discussions with everyone, and asked them to run the two stores well.

After Feng Zhengming hung up the phone, Lin Bosheng felt a little envious.

"Zhengming, you are really amazing. Not only do you cook well, but you also run a great business. You are participating in the national competition here, and you still need to call and instruct on the business at home."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Brother Lin, please don't envy me. I'm working very hard."

Li Zhifeng said: "When you return from this national competition, I'm afraid your Ganfanpu and Huiquanlou will do better business."

Feng Zhengming said modestly: "I also need to be more careful to run the two stores well. There must not be any deviation in taste. The pressure I need to bear is not small." (End of this chapter)