From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming straightened his chef's uniform, looked determined, and entered the competition venue accompanied by his family.

After saying goodbye to his family with a smile, Feng Zhengming walked towards his own stove with firm steps.

Mr. Situ led the Feng family to sit down in the audience seats.

Soon, other invited audience members also came in one after another.

Lin Moli and her mother naturally showed up as well.

When they saw Mr. Situ, Lin Moli and her mother took the initiative to greet him.

Some other invited overseas compatriots, including many foreigners, also took the initiative to greet Mr. Situ.

Obviously, in this national competition in Shanghai, there are still quite a lot of people who respect Mr. Situ.

After Lin Moli sat down, she looked at the people around Mr. Situ.

The girl couldn't help but ask: "Grandpa Situ, are they your friends?"

Mr. Situ smiled and introduced: "They are Chef Feng Zhengming's family. This is his grandfather, this is his third uncle, and this is his girlfriend."

Lin Moli was a little surprised: "Ah? He has a girlfriend?"

When Luo Qing heard Lin Moli's exclamation, she turned her head and looked at Lin Moli.

Looking at this mixed-race girl’s pair of big watery eyes, although she is young and a little immature, she is still very beautiful.

However, Luo Qing still showed her generosity and greeted him: "Hello, I'm Feng Zhengming's girlfriend. You seem surprised to know that he has a girlfriend?"

Lin Moli also greeted Luo Qing: "Oh, hello, I am a little surprised."

Then Lin Moli was also more direct: "Because I think he is very young, not only is he very good at cooking, he is also very handsome, I also want to pursue him when I grow up."

These words stunned Luo Qing, Grandpa Feng and Feng Jiandong.

Mr. Situ smiled and said, "Jasmine grew up abroad, so she is more direct in expressing her feelings."

Lin Moli's mother also helped her to apologize to Luo Qing.

"I'm sorry my daughter's words offended you."

Luo Qing quickly recovered and responded with a smile: "It doesn't matter. Being liked by such a beautiful foreign girl shows that Feng Zhengming is very good. I am very proud to be his girlfriend."

Seeing Luo Qing say this, Lin Moli continued, "Chef Feng is really great. He is the best chef in every aspect that I have ever seen."

It is true that Lin Moli has been abroad for a long time, so she is more lively and cheerful in all aspects.

So her presence made the atmosphere very lively.

The first game was soon announced to start.

All of Feng Zhengming's chefs were standing in front of their respective counters.

All the things they had prepared were placed on their desks in advance.

In the following time, they each started cooking their first dish.

Feng Zhengming’s first dish was naturally a platter of cold dishes that showcased his knife skills.

But this time, Feng Zhengming did the carving very seriously.

He also used the broth prepared in advance and added some Western fruits, nuts, etc. to make several different sauces.

Also use some vegetable and fruit colors to dye the sauce different colors.

Seeing Feng Zhengming's serious preparations made his family members who were concerned about him very nervous.

Especially Grandpa Feng, he kept staring at him intently.

When Feng Zhengming was halfway through his work, the Western chef from the hotel restaurant also arrived.

He quickly found Feng Zhengming among the competing chefs.

When he saw Feng Zhengming using a small pot to cook the sauce, some very unique cooking techniques made this Western chef fall into deep thought. He stared at it intently, as if he was learning seriously.

One of the sauces Feng Zhengming makes is made by frying the shrimp heads after he peels the shrimp and extracts the shrimp oil.

Add stock directly to the pot, there is no need to add color, the soup will naturally turn golden yellow.

Then Feng Zhengming used lotus root and lotus seeds to cook another soup.

Then use fruit to make a third type of soup.

After preparing several kinds of soups, Feng Zhengming used various auxiliary materials to carve out various objects, including lotus leaves and small bridges.

Then put all these things into the steamer and steam them all.

Then cut out the shrimps fried in soup and various cold meat dishes that were prepared in advance.

Here Feng Zhengming also showed off his knife skills.

Many people who saw it at the scene were amazed.

Finally everything was ready, and Feng Zhengming began to arrange the food on the plate.

First, shrimps, cucumber slices, and various braised slices were placed on one side of the plate to create the image of a mountain of rocks towering into the sky.

Then put the pumpkin-carved bridge on top and decorate it with thin slices of winter melon and winter melon peel.

Further up is a lotus in the lotus pond.

Then, add the prepared soups to the blank areas on the plate.

Feng Zhengming made the shrimp soup look like a swimming fish.

The green vegetable soup is dotted into strips that look like water ripples.

Feng Zhengming carefully dropped a drop of the fruit soup on the lotus leaf, which looked as crystal clear as a drop of water left on the lotus leaf.

Feng Zhengming's cold dish of Lotus Pond Bridge is now ready.

When Feng Zhengming finished his dish, some chefs on the scene had already finished their dishes.

Although he was making a cold dish, the carving and making various soups were very time-consuming.

Especially the final plating needs to be completed very carefully and step by step.

So it is not as fast as some dishes cooked by chefs.

However, when his dish was completed, it still caused quite a stir at the scene.

The TV station quickly turned the camera to his side, filmed his dish, and broadcast it live to the audience in front of the TV.

In Quancheng, everyone in Huiquan Building gathered together in the afternoon to watch the live broadcast on TV.

When I saw Feng Zhengming appear on TV, his dish appeared next.

Everyone in Huiquan Tower exclaimed in surprise.

"Wow, isn't this so beautiful?"

"As expected of a chef's dish, it's really beautiful."

"This dish made by the chef is even more beautiful than what he made before in Quancheng."

……

The service staff at Huiquanlou exclaimed in amazement, and they all felt that Feng Zhengming's dish would definitely win an award.

Third Senior Brother Yang Bin sighed while watching the TV: "Zhengming's cooking skills are too amazing."

Fifth Senior Brother Cao Zhiguo nodded: "It is indeed amazing."

The other chefs in the kitchen were also amazed.

The apprentices found it even more incredible.

"The chef is so amazing that he has turned the dishes into works of art."

"It really is like a painting on a plate." "Yes, it is a painting on a plate."

"I don't think it's just a simple combination of cold dishes, right?"

"It's definitely not that simple. The chef was not shown the footage before. I don't know what he did before?"

Yang Bin made some guesses: "The shrimp should have been soaked, the marinated food should have been prepared in advance, and some processing should have been done before the dishes were served. The vegetables and fruits should have also been pre-processed."

Cao Zhiguo looked at the lotus leaf on the screen and quickly noticed that there was something underneath the lotus leaf.

"Third brother, look, there is something under the lotus leaf. I'm afraid it's edible."

Yang Bin smiled and said, "Looking at the food on the plate, I'm afraid everything is edible. Zhengming will definitely cook them all in advance so that everything is edible."

The live broadcast screen now changed to dishes prepared by other chefs.

However, there were still many people at the scene discussing Feng Zhengming's cold dish.

In the judges' seats, several judges were also having some discussions.

"Feng Zhengming's dish is quite interesting."

"Yes, he actually used some Western cooking techniques and made the dipping sauce on the plate."

"Didn't you see that he even used a needle? He really learned a lot from Western cuisine."

"What a special chef. I think he's a Shandong cuisine chef, right?"

"Yes, he is a Shandong cuisine chef, who learned from Master Yan."

"Oh? You are Master Yan's disciple?"

"I didn't expect that Master Yan would teach such an unconventional apprentice."

"During this exchange, Feng Zhengming has the best relationship with chefs in Hong Kong. He is indeed a chef who is not bound by cuisine and is very active in communicating with chefs from all over the world."

"Hahaha, it's good to be young. I am willing to communicate and learn from other chefs."

While the professional judges were discussing Feng Zhengming, the invited foreign judges and gourmet judges were discussing Feng Zhengming even more intensely.

Mr. Cai from Hong Kong City expressed his admiration for Feng Zhengming outspokenly.

"He used a syringe to put the dipping sauce on the plate to make various dishes. It was really creative.

Those techniques are commonly used by Western chefs, and he was able to learn to use them in an eclectic way, and he knew how to apply them flexibly, just like painting on a plate.

It’s a pleasure to watch him cook, and he enjoys the cooking process himself.”

The invited foreign judges also said that Feng Zhengming's craftsmanship was very outstanding in this competition.

“He’s really versatile.”

“And he seems to be able to combine many elements very well.”

"I like his dish, it's really beautiful."

Of course, Feng Zhengming’s dishes were not the only ones that stood out in the live competition.

Some other chefs also showed off their amazing skills.

For example, a Sichuan chef specially carves a big rooster and three small bowls that look like bird's nests, and then puts the fried Kung Pao Chicken in them.

Such decorated dishes also amazed many people at the scene.

There is also Lin Bosheng, who made a lotus crab dish, surrounded by green fruits and carved heart-shaped borders, and also fried some diced vegetables with crab roe and placed them in the heart-shaped border.

Make the whole lotus crab look more high-end and exquisite.

It can be said that every chef on the scene really showed their exquisite skills and creativity in the individual competition.

The audience was really dazzled by the show.

The judges didn’t know how to evaluate for a moment.

Finally, all the chefs finished cooking and the judges officially entered.

Start to taste the dishes one by one.

All the chefs including Feng Zhengming stood at their respective seats waiting for the judges' evaluation.

Because Feng Zhengming had scored higher points before, he was ranked relatively far back.

But because his dish was a cold dish, he didn't care when the judges would arrive.

Finally it was his turn and the judges came before him.

Mr. Cai smiled and said, "Chef Feng's dish is really exquisite, like a painting on a plate."

"Thank you Mr. Cai for the compliment." Feng Zhengming expressed his gratitude to Mr. Cai.

Then, among the professional judges, the first-time champion, Master Liu, asked: "I saw that you used a lot of cooking techniques in making this dish. It seems that you used some Western cooking techniques, right?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, I used some Western cooking techniques. This was a small inspiration I got by chance after having a Western meal with my family at noon."

Another judge asked with a smile: "So the syringe you used was borrowed from the hotel restaurant kitchen?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, I thought the Western chef should have one, so I borrowed one from him."

Mr. Cai smiled again and said, "You really know how to apply what you have learned. You can even apply it right away."

The judges also agreed with Mr. Cai's evaluation.

Feng Zhengming's method of learning and applying immediately really made them look at him in a different light.

In particular, several invited foreign professional chefs appreciated Feng Zhengming's practices.

Because in the eyes of foreign chefs, cooking should be a matter of free play.

After some discussion, the judges began to taste Feng Zhengming's dish.

The shrimps are chewy, and the flavors of the various braised dishes are not too strong. They taste very refreshing when paired with vegetable slices.

But if you dip it in a little bit of sauce, the taste will be completely different.

When Feng Zhengming said that the carved bridges, lotus leaves and lotus flowers can also be eaten.

This really surprised several foreign judges.

But what surprised everyone the most was a ball of fish paste hidden under the lotus leaf.

If Feng Zhengming hadn't revealed it, no one would have noticed it at all.

This ball of fish meat paste, like the shrimp, was cooked by Feng Zhengming using the stir-fry method. It retains the deliciousness of the sea fish meat and also has a slight smoked aroma.

At this moment, the judges on the scene had to admit that Feng Zhengming's seemingly simple and plain cold dish really had a lot of surprises.

Of course, everyone knows that Feng Zhengming is really showing off his skills by making this cold dish.

Or it should be said that his cold dish is a direct challenge to the chefs in Hong Kong.

Just like in the first game, Dai Long from Gangcheng also made a cold dish.

Feng Zhengming used this unique method to announce to Hong Kong chefs that mainland chefs have greater culinary talents than them.

In this individual competition, several chefs from Gangcheng also prepared cold dishes.

They also displayed a lot of gorgeous techniques.

They also racked their brains to create a very beautiful presentation.

But compared with Feng Zhengming's cold dish, the chef from Gangcheng was obviously completely crushed.

The ingenuity that Feng Zhengming put into this cold dish is truly something other chefs can hardly match.

After tasting the dish, Mr. Cai said with a smile: "I now feel that the competition should compare cold dishes and hot dishes separately. Chef Feng's dish cannot be said to be the best, but the ingenious idea in it is really worthy of recognition."

After hearing what Mr. Cai said, the judges all said that it was indeed necessary to have a good discussion. (End of this chapter)