From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

While Feng Zhengming and his friends were chatting, the restaurant started serving them appetizers.

Grandpa Feng is still not used to the appetizers.

"These Western dishes always have so many vegetables as appetizers. I really can't get used to them."

Mr. Situ laughed: "Hahaha, Xiao Feng, these vegetable salads are quite delicious. You can't just eat meat, you should eat some vegetables as well."

Feng Zonghe immediately said, "I don't usually eat meat at home, I also eat some vegetables. But compared to these Western dishes like cold dishes and salads, I still prefer Zhengming's stir-fried dishes."

Hearing his grandfather say this, Feng Zhengming smiled and asked, "How about I go to the kitchen and cook for you?"

When Feng Zonggu heard this, he smiled bitterly and asked, "Can this be fried? These dishes won't taste good if they're fried, right?"

Feng Zhengming thought for a moment and said, "Or, I can go to the kitchen and make you some stir-fry."

Naturally, grandpa wouldn't let Feng Zhengming go.

"Okay, no need to go, just wait for the food later."

Then a few more dishes were served, and they all looked delicious.

Finally, after waiting for a while, the restaurant's Western kitchen served the main course.

It's a Wellington steak that has just been cooked.

The whole golden pastry looks quite beautiful.

From the way the western chef walked with his head held high, it can be seen that he is quite satisfied with his Wellington steak today.

Coming to Feng Zhengming's table, the western chef greeted Feng Zhengming with a smile.

When Feng Zonghe saw the whole piece of something that looked like a puff pastry bun brought by the chef, he asked curiously, "Is this served directly with rice?"

Feng Zhengming explained to his grandfather: "Grandpa, this is not rice, it's steak. This is how Wellington steak is wrapped in puff pastry."

Feng Jiandong looked at him strangely and asked, "Are you asking us to split up?"

"Yes, it is a whole steak. When cooking, you can't just slice it. You need a whole cylindrical steak to cook it, so it will be cut for us when it is served."

The western chef looked at Feng Zhengming and said, "Chef Feng, I am very confident about this one. Please try it."

Feng Zhengming smiled when he heard it: "Okay, we are looking forward to your dish."

Next, the chef cut the whole steak off.

Then use a knife to gently cut off the outermost part first.

When you cut it, you can clearly hear the crispy sound of the puff pastry being cut.

Then after cutting it open, you can clearly see the meat juice flowing out.

After cutting off the front end, the chef uses a knife to cut a section in the middle.

The moment it was cut open, Feng Zhengming looked at the cross section of the red steak inside and exclaimed: "It's perfect."

I have to say, this Beef Wellington was really good.

The juice flowing out of the cross-section, combined with the pink cross-section, is quite tempting.

Seeing this dish of beef Wellington, Feng Zhengming knew that the Western chef of this hotel restaurant was indeed of high standard.

Luo Qing saw the pink cross section and couldn't help asking, "Is this not cooked?"

Feng Zhengming explained with a smile: "It's not that it's not cooked, it's just not cooked completely like when we cook beef in China.

If some parts of the beef are cooked too well, they will appear tough and the taste of the beef will be worse.

For example, in a piece of beef like this, the middle part is not cooked very well, which makes the whole piece of meat more tender.”

Luo Qing was still a little hesitant to eat it, as she felt it was like raw meat.

Grandpa also felt that the beef was a little raw.

It was Uncle San who expressed his willingness to give it a try.

Feng Zhengming and Grandpa Situ explained it to Grandpa and Luo Qing again.

In the end, I successfully persuaded Grandpa and Luo Qing to try it.

The chef cut a whole piece of Wellington steak into five large pieces and distributed them to Feng Zhengming and others.

Feng Zhengming used a knife and fork to help his grandfather and Luo Qing cut the whole slice into small pieces.

Then let Grandpa and Luo Qing eat it with a fork, or pick it up with chopsticks.

When they came to eat Western food before, Grandpa and Luo Qing were somewhat worried whether it was inappropriate to use chopsticks?
But after being persuaded by Feng Zhengming and Mr. Situ these days, they no longer care whether it is appropriate or not.

Just like Feng Zhengming said, when you eat, you should eat comfortably and not care what others think.

Luo Qing carefully picked up a piece with a fork and smelled it in front of her nose first.

What you smell is the aroma of puff pastry, the aroma of beef, and some seasoning mixed together.

Luo Qing felt that it seemed delicious.

Then Luo Qing carefully put it into her mouth.

Chew lightly, the outer pastry is very crispy, and inside is a sauce mixed with the aroma of beef.

Chewing it slowly in her mouth, Luo Qing could taste a unique flavor.

After eating a piece, Luo Qing said, "It's really delicious. It doesn't have the bloody taste that I imagined."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Right, this piece of beef is actually quite good. It seems that I was wrong when I said that the chef in the hotel's western restaurant was not good enough. The chef is still very good."

The manager who came over heard what Feng Zhengming said and couldn't help but smile and said, "It's our honor to satisfy Chef Feng."

Feng Zhengming turned his head and looked at the restaurant manager standing beside him.

"Hahaha, Manager, you are too polite. This Beef Wellington is really well made. Your Western chef is amazing."

The manager smiled and said, “Beef Wellington is indeed our chef’s specialty.”

Mr. Situ asked curiously, "Since this is your chef's specialty, why wasn't it on the menu before?"

The manager was a little embarrassed by the question and could only whisper: "Because we didn't prepare the materials before."

Hearing this, both Mr. Situ and Feng Zhengming laughed.

In fact, whether it is Chinese food or Western food, ingredients are indeed a very critical factor in order to achieve the ultimate deliciousness.

The same dish, if made with ingredients of different qualities, will definitely taste different.

Even Chinese cuisine has too many ways to make up for the gap in ingredients.

But good ingredients bring some taste experience.

It is still something that cannot be fully compensated by the chef's skills.

In this regard, Feng Zhengming and his team are competing with this hotel, which would rather not put the chef's signature Wellington steak on the menu when there are no suitable ingredients.

This is already a very conscientious approach.

Because even this hotel restaurant doesn't use some not-so-good ingredients.

I'm afraid that not many ordinary people can tell the difference. Especially in China, not many people have actually eaten Western food.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that most of the time, hotels receive foreigners and overseas Chinese.

After all, if things are not made well, foreigners and overseas Chinese will not tolerate them.

Once the reputation is bad, it will be very detrimental to the future development of the hotel.

Shortly after Feng Zhengming and his friends had finished tasting the restaurant's chef's specialty, the Wellington steak.

After finishing his work, the chef came out and toasted the diners in the restaurant tonight, and also chatted with Feng Zhengming for a few words.

The chef said: "I watched your competition these two days and I feel that your Chinese cuisine is really amazing. It is completely different from what I imagined before. It is incredible that you can make so many beautiful dishes."

Hearing the chef's words, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "We didn't communicate with each other enough before, so maybe there are some misunderstandings between us."

The chef agreed: "Yes, we communicate too little. I hope I can have more opportunities to communicate with you in the future."

Feng Zhengming smiled and asked, "Do you have any particular favorite dishes among the ones we are competing for?"

The chef thought for a moment and said that he preferred Feng Zhengming’s first cold dish, as well as the lobsters made by some chefs in Hong Kong.

The chef also said that he likes some sweet and sour dishes very much.

Feng Zhengming laughed when he heard this: "Hahaha, this is very much in line with your Western tastes."

When communicating with the other party, Feng Zhengming also said to him: "If there is a chance, I would like to invite you to try some of my other dishes. Perhaps it will further change your views on Chinese food."

The restaurant chef naturally expressed his willingness to try it, and finally praised Feng Zhengming for his Oolong Xizhu.

"That dish was really beautifully made. The lobster, shrimp balls, and sea cucumber all went really well together. I tasted the broth you put on the different ingredients, and they all tasted great."

Feng Zhengming also expressed his gratitude for receiving such praise from the other party.

Finally, the restaurant chef gave Feng Zhengming a bottle of wine.

It was a bottle of wine he brought from his hometown.

Feng Zhengming expressed his gratitude and invited the chef to visit Quancheng when he is free.

Everything that happened in the hotel restaurant was seen by many people.

Many people have noticed Feng Zhengming's ability to get along harmoniously with different chefs, and have developed some admiration for him.

After finishing talking with the chef, Feng Zhengming returned to his family.

Mr. Situ couldn't help but ask, "Zhengming, who did you learn foreign languages ​​from? Why can you communicate so fluently with the chef of the restaurant?"

My family members are also curious about this question.

Feng Zhengming smiled and replied, "I taught myself. I used to work in the kitchen of Yanxilou with my master. There was nothing to do in my spare time because there was no TV in the kitchen. I liked to listen to the radio and learned some foreign languages ​​from it."

Uncle San couldn't help but sighed: "So, Zhengming, you have a strong learning ability?"

Feng Zhengming just smiled and said nothing.

Looking back on the process of learning foreign languages ​​in his previous life, it was somewhat of a nightmare for Feng Zhengming.

I worked so hard to learn a foreign language so that I would be more competitive when looking for a job.

As a result, the boss assigned Feng Zhengming more work on the grounds that those who are more capable should do more work.

Eventually, he would work so hard that he would even lose his life.

In this life, Feng Zhengming still doesn't feel it's hard even though he studies cooking so hard.

Of course it’s because the suffering he endured in his previous life was much more difficult than learning cooking.

What's more, learning cooking is a way to satisfy one's hobby. Naturally, no matter how hard the process of learning cooking is, Feng Zhengming doesn't feel it is that hard.

And the learning ability and some foreign language skills accumulated through hard work in the previous life.

Apparently, they have all come in handy in this life.

But even at this moment, Feng Zhengming has come very close to winning the national cooking competition through his own efforts.

In his heart, he still wasn't grateful for the hard experiences he had in his previous life.

Because compared to what I have gained today through my own efforts.

Most of the experiences in previous lives were just ineffective efforts.

Feng Zhengming felt that there was no need for it to exist at all.

Seeing Feng Zhengming in a daze, the family members were a little surprised. They didn't know what he was thinking.
It was his third uncle Feng Jiandong who woke Feng Zhengming up directly.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?"

Feng Zhengming suddenly came to his senses and looked at his family members in front of him.

Grandpa, Grandpa Situ, and Third Uncle’s trust and support in me.

And his beloved girl Luo Qing is by his side.

Isn’t all this a more real kind of happiness?
Feng Zhengming smiled and responded to his uncle: "I was just thinking, if I hadn't achieved what I have now, I would just be an ordinary cook selling lunch boxes at the train station, at most I would open a dry rice shop.

I wonder if Grandpa, Grandpa Situ, Third Uncle, my family, and Luo Qing will still support me?"

Feng Zhengming's words stunned all the family members present.

The family didn't expect Feng Zhengming to ask this question.

After a moment of silence, Grandpa Situ and Grandpa looked at each other, and then the two old men laughed.

Grandpa said with certainty: "No matter what you do, whether you can achieve great success or small achievements, Grandpa will definitely support you."

Grandpa Situ said, "If you feel that Grandpa Situ's investment in you and asking you to open a restaurant in Shanghai may put too much pressure on you, you don't have to come. You can stay in Quancheng. Grandpa Situ also supports you."

After the two old men finished speaking, Luo Qing immediately said, "When we met, weren't you selling lunch boxes at the train station? How could I not support you?"

Third uncle Feng Jiandong laughed: "Hahaha, Zhengming, you are under too much pressure, right? Don't think too much. Whether you can win the first prize in this national competition or not, our family will definitely continue to support you."

After a brief pause, Feng Jiandong said with certainty: "Remember, you are the pride of our entire family."

Feeling the support from his family, Feng Zhengming knew at that moment that he truly had family and love here.

Just like when I was in Yan Xilou, my master and senior brothers didn’t have any requirements on me, but they taught me their skills without reservation.

With family, friendship and love, Feng Zhengming feels that he will definitely succeed with everyone's support.

"Hahaha, thank you all for supporting me. This makes me feel relieved. Even if I didn't get the top prize this time, I can go home without any pressure and continue to work hard next time."

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, everyone in the family laughed.

Everyone felt that he was too nervous about the results of this national competition.

Now seeing him smile, we feel that he has resolved this part of his problem, and his family is also very happy for Feng Zhengming.

Uncle Feng Jiandong said: "No matter you are the top scholar or not, you are the best chef in our hearts."

The family members also agreed and said they would always support Feng Zhengming. (End of this chapter)