From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Chapter 535 Invitation from Hong Kong City

The 3rd National Cooking Competition has ended.

Perhaps this year's national competition cannot compare with the previous two in terms of the qualifications of the participating chefs.

It may not be as good as the future national cooking competition in terms of scale and the innovation of some dishes.

But this year, because of Feng Zhengming, there are chefs from Hong Kong who were invited to participate in the competition.

This National Cooking Competition has become a competition that connects the past and the future.

This year's national cooking competition tried the live broadcast format for the first time, allowing television viewers across the country to see the country's outstanding chefs.

It also allowed audiences across the country to experience what authentic Chinese cuisine is through live television broadcasts.

In this national cooking competition, chef teams from various cuisines from all over the country worked together to prepare the banquet.

It will also become a permanent memory for many people.

The unique banquets from different regions also allowed the participating chefs to have good communication with each other.

At the end of the competition, the most talked about person must be the top scorer Feng Zhengming.

Such a young champion in the national cooking competition.

It really gives people too much room for imagination.

After the live broadcast ends, many people still gather together to talk about it.

After the award ceremony, Feng Zhengming and others were interviewed by the TV station.

The TV station specially interviewed the top ten chefs and outstanding chefs.

We also interviewed chefs whose dishes won gold, silver, and bronze medals.

Among them, Feng Zhengming naturally received the most interviews.

Not only did the CCTV TV reporters want to interview him, but the Shanghai TV station and the Hong Kong TV station also wanted to interview him.

Feng Zhengming also accepted everyone's interview seriously.

So after the results of the competition were announced in the morning, Feng Zhengming just had lunch with his family.

He spent the entire afternoon giving various interviews to television stations and newspapers.

After he finished dealing with various interviews, he walked out of the small meeting room where the interviews were arranged, feeling a little tired.

When I was about to go upstairs to Grandpa Situ’s room to reunite with my family.

Feng Zhengming was blocked by several people again.

The people who brought people to block Feng Zhengming were Jiang Chengzhe and Long Kunbao.

He saw Jiang Chengzhe and Long Kunbao bringing people to block him.

Feng Zhengming immediately laughed and said, "What's going on? Are you trying to rob my No. 1 trophy?"

Without waiting for the two to speak, Feng Zhengming continued, "You want to rob the No. 1 Scholar trophy, but it's useless for you to stop me, because the trophy is not with me."

Jiang Chengzhe and Long Kunbao smiled at each other.

Then Long Kunbao introduced Feng Zhengming and said, "These people are businessmen from Hong Kong who came to Shanghai to invest. They asked me and Azhe to introduce them to you. They want to meet you and discuss some things with you."

After hearing this, Feng Zhengming looked at the Hong Kong businessmen introduced by Long Kunbao.

Feng Zhengming also had some impressions of these people.

Although they are not the most famous Hong Kong businessmen, they all have a very high social status in Hong Kong.

The leader among them was named Wu. He was not very old and seemed quite elegant and dignified.

Through the introduction of Long Kunbao, Feng Zhengming met and got to know several Hong Kong businessmen.

Mr. Wu, a Hong Kong businessman, said with a smile: "I was born in Shanghai, so I still have a lot of feelings for Shanghai. This time when I learned that the National Cooking Competition was held in Shanghai, I made a special trip to come and take a look.

Originally, I thought that with Dai Long, A Bao, A Zhe and others, the Hong Kong City chef team should be able to win easily.

I didn’t expect that we underestimated the chefs in the mainland, especially that Shandong cuisine would have such an outstanding young chef like you, Mr. Feng.”

Feng Zhengming responded: "Mr. Wu, you are too polite. This competition has really inspired me a lot. I also came here and learned a lot of cooking techniques that I didn't know before through exchanges with chefs from different places."

At this point, Feng Zhengming smiled and pointed at Jiang Chengzhe: "Chef Jiang taught me a lot of things. He deserves half of the credit for my winning the top prize."

Jiang Chengzhe quickly said, "Don't say that. I don't dare to take half the credit."

Long Kunbao then said, "Chef Feng, you are too modest. Maybe Azhe taught you something, but you deserve the title of No. 1. We are really impressed by your cooking skills."

"Hahaha, we don't need to praise each other. We can communicate and learn more when there is a chance."

Feng Zhengming's words were agreed by Long Kunbao and Jiang Chengzhe.

Long Kunbao then took the opportunity to tell about several Hong Kong businessmen who were looking for Feng Zhengming.

"It's like this. Mr. Wu and his team actually want to invite you, along with the other top ten and outstanding chefs in this national cooking competition, to go to Gangcheng for a cooking exchange."

Feng Zhengming was a little surprised. He didn't expect that the other party wanted to invite the outstanding and top ten chefs in the national competition to Hong Kong City.

What's more, the other party actually specifically communicated with himself, the top scorer, first.

This made Feng Zhengming feel that he, as the top scholar, was respected.

In fact, the other party didn't need to find Feng Zhengming separately to invite him.

The other party can contact the Culinary Association directly, find the Ministry of Commerce through the Association, and arrange for outstanding chefs and the top ten chefs to go to Hong Kong City together.

This is also a standard process.

Feng Zhengming knew that his master and others had been invited to Hong Kong and abroad for performance exchanges.

It is the same as before. The other party finds the headquarters, then reports to the Ministry of Commerce, and then the Ministry of Commerce makes the arrangements.

After being surprised, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Mr. Wu, why did you find me alone? Why did you invite me alone first?"

Mr. Wu smiled and said, "Because you are not only the top scholar, you are also the most special chef in the mainland."

When Feng Zhengming heard the other party say that he was the most special among all the chefs, he couldn't help but feel curious.

"I am the most special? What makes me special?"

Mr. Wu continued, “You may not even know it yourself, but among all the chefs participating in the national competition, you are the only one who runs a restaurant or a hotel on your own, or should I say, the only one who is self-employed.”

Feng Zhengming was stunned by the other party's words.

But then he realized that the other person was right.

And not just this year.

The previous two national cooking competitions, including this one.

In the three national cooking competitions, Feng Zhengming was the only one who participated as an individual.

The other chefs have their own units.

Most of them are in the reception department. Even the chefs from Gangcheng are from the major restaurants in Gangcheng, and they are not the owners of the restaurants.

From this perspective, it is indeed true that there is only one top scholar, Feng Zhengming, who is both the chef and the boss.

Think clearly about what makes you special.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said to Mr. Wu and other Hong Kong businessmen: "I still hope that others will regard me as a chef, not a boss."

Hearing this, Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help laughing: "Hahaha, my master also said the same thing."

The master Jiang Chengzhe mentioned was naturally Li Guansheng.

Feng Zhengming knew that Li Guansheng also opened his own restaurant.

His specialty is naturally Li Guansheng’s most famous abalone.

It is said that in Hong Kong, Li Guansheng's restaurant is also quite famous. It is often packed with customers and there are long queues of people.

Feng Zhengming actually really wants to open a restaurant as famous as Li Guansheng's one day.

Mr. Wu asked again: “Is Chef Feng willing to go to Gangcheng for this exchange?”

Feng Zhengming nodded and said, "Of course I am willing. It is my honor to be able to communicate with more chefs in Hong Kong.

But this matter should still need to be arranged by the Culinary Association, right? And it also needs to go through the Ministry of Commerce, so I probably can’t make the decision myself.”

Mr. Wu smiled and said, “We will communicate on this aspect.”

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Then I really have to trouble Mr. Wu."

“It’s not a big deal. Inviting Chef Feng and other mainland chefs to visit Hong Kong for exchanges will cause a sensation in Hong Kong. It will also be a good exchange between Hong Kong and the mainland before Hong Kong returns to the embrace of the motherland.

Through food and cooking, we can all get to know each other better.

Let some young people in Hong Kong know that we are a family and increase their identification with the motherland."

Feng Zhengming also agreed with Mr. Wu's words.

"That's right. If we communicate more, we will understand that we are all a family."

Mr. Wu smiled and said, "Okay, since Chef Feng has agreed, we can better communicate with the Culinary Association and the Ministry of Commerce on some specific matters."

Feng Zhengming was still somewhat curious and asked, "Mr. Wu, you specifically came to me to discuss this matter. Are you worried that I won't go?"

Mr. Wu smiled and nodded: "Yes, we are indeed worried that you will not go, because you have your own restaurant and restaurant, and you are also the top scholar of this year. You may refuse to go to Hong Kong City."

Feng Zhengming was a little amused and could only say, "Mr. Wu, don't worry too much. If you arrange the itinerary, I will definitely go."

Mr. Wu then asked, "If we hope that you can go during the Spring Festival, would Chef Feng be willing to go?"

"Why do we have to go during the Spring Festival?" Feng Zhengming was a little puzzled.

Mr. Wu explained: "The Spring Festival is the most important festival of the year for us Chinese. It is also a time for family reunion. We thought if you are willing to go during the Spring Festival, we can hold a Spring Festival banquet in Hong Kong."

Long Kunbao then said: "Then you can have a more direct communication with the chefs in Gangcheng."

I have to say that this arrangement is indeed very good.

Spend the Spring Festival in Hong Kong and have some exchanges with Hong Kong chefs.

However, Feng Zhengming still smiled and said: "If it is the Spring Festival, I may not be able to go. This year my uncle who lives abroad will return to China for the Spring Festival. I still want to celebrate the Spring Festival with my family."

Mr. Wu and his group were a little surprised to get Feng Zhengming's answer.

However, Mr. Wu still respected Feng Zhengming's opinion.

"Okay, since Chef Feng's time during the Spring Festival is not convenient, we will choose another time. We understand that. After all, everyone needs to be with their family during the Spring Festival."

Seeing that the other party was so easy to talk to, Feng Zhengming also said in a friendly manner: "Thank you Mr. Wu for your understanding. It is really my honor to be able to go to Gangcheng for culinary exchanges. As long as it is not the Spring Festival, I will make arrangements to go at other times, and I will also seriously communicate with every chef in Gangcheng."

Mr. Wu said, “Okay, thank you Chef Feng for speaking to us so openly. We will not bother Chef Feng anymore.”

Feng Zhengming responded: "Then I will go back first, we will talk again when we have time."

After bidding farewell to Mr. Wu and his group, Feng Zhengming took the elevator upstairs to Grandpa Situ's room.

I rang the doorbell, and it was Luo Qing who came to open the door for Feng Zhengming.

After entering the door, grandpa and third uncle were also there.

Grandpa Situ saw Feng Zhengming coming in and asked with a smile, "How is it? Is our number one scholar very popular? Is he being besieged by those reporters?"

Feng Zhengming first smiled and nodded, then recounted some of the interview process.

After talking about the interview, he also mentioned that he was blocked by Gangcheng after the interview and was invited by the other party to go to Gangcheng.

Third uncle Feng Jiandong was a little excited: "Great, going to Hong Kong to show yourself and communicate, this is a very good opportunity, it will definitely increase your popularity."

Grandpa immediately said, "You just won the first prize and you are going to Hong Kong to perform and exchange ideas. Isn't your schedule too tight? You should have some time to rest, right?

Besides, it’s not far from New Year’s Day and Spring Festival. If we want to plan to go to Hong Kong, should we wait until after the Spring Festival?”

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Originally, they wanted me to go during the Spring Festival, with the outstanding chefs and the top ten chefs. By spending the Spring Festival in Hong Kong City, I can directly exchange more banquets with Hong Kong City chefs."

After hearing this, Uncle San still thought it was a good thing.

“This is a good thing. It means that if you communicate in this way, you can stand out during the Spring Festival. After that, you will definitely become famous in Hong Kong City, and then spread your fame to all parts of the world through Hong Kong City.

By then you will become a truly world-famous chef, and you may even be invited abroad, how great is that?"

I must say that Uncle San is indeed a qualified businessman.

He was still thinking about how to consolidate Feng Zhengming's fame so that he could rely on his fame to expand the restaurant and hotel business in the future.

But on this matter, grandpa is still very traditional.

"Third brother, what nonsense are you talking about? Zhengming is going to Hong Kong City during the Spring Festival. Can the family go with him? Your eldest brother and his family are coming back this year, and our family must celebrate the New Year together."

I saw that my grandfather was a little annoyed and seemed to be about to lose his temper.

Feng Zhengming quickly comforted him: "Grandpa, don't be angry. I have also told the Hong Kong businessmen about the situation. They also said they understand and will arrange another time. They will not let us go during the Spring Festival."

Grandpa Situ said: "It may be possible to get better publicity if we go during the Spring Festival, but the Spring Festival is a big festival for family reunion after all, so we should still celebrate it with our family."

Grandpa agreed: "That's right, we must celebrate the Spring Festival at home."

As he said this, Grandpa glared at Uncle San.

Feng Jiandong was glared at by his father, and heard Uncle Situ also say that the family should celebrate the Spring Festival together.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming had communicated with the other party and said that it was impossible to go to Hong Kong during the Spring Festival.

Feng Jiandong had no choice but to smile and say, "Dad, don't be angry. I didn't think it through. Why do you say that old people are wiser? We young people don't think about things as comprehensively as you and Uncle Situ."

Uncle San took the initiative to admit his mistake and did not forget to praise the two old masters.

It made Mr. Situ laugh.

Grandpa Feng naturally did not pursue the matter further.

(End of this chapter)