From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Five days after the provincial reception dinner, Feng Zhengming and his senior brother were invited to attend a symposium arranged by the province.

The theme of the symposium was Chinese cuisine - Shandong cuisine.

In addition to Feng Zhengming and his senior brother, there were also several veteran masters in Quancheng who participated.

and personnel from provincial and municipal culinary associations.

More importantly, this symposium also saw the participation of foreigners who had previously attended the Huiquanlou dinner.

Apparently, in addition to tasting Shandong cuisine at Huiquanlou, they also tasted Shandong cuisine in different restaurants and hotels in Quancheng.

Therefore, this symposium can be regarded as an opportunity to have a frank conversation with foreigners about Shandong cuisine.

Feng Zhengming and senior brother Li Huidong rushed to the scene.

Before I even entered the door, I saw my master and Yan Jianxing coming.

Feng Zhengming and Li Huidong naturally took the initiative to greet the master and followed the master into the venue.

On the way to the venue, Yan Jianxing spoke first.

"The day before yesterday, several foreign guests came to Yan's Restaurant for dinner. It was arranged by the provincial government. It seemed that they ate at several restaurants and hotels. It seemed that they wanted to learn about Shandong cuisine."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "The province arranged for them to eat at Huiquanlou before."

Yan Jianxing immediately laughed: "I know, when they were eating, they were still talking about the dishes in Huiquanlou."

Yan Jianxing couldn't help but feel curious.

"What on earth did you cook for them at Huiquan Restaurant that made them remember it so fondly?"

Feng Zhengming and his senior brother Li Huidong looked at each other and answered very simply.

“It’s our Shandong cuisine.”

Master Yan immediately realized that it should be more than just Shandong cuisine.

"You should have some innovations of your own, right? Zhengming, you don't have to hide it from me. I know you can make some small innovations and combine different techniques to cook."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Master, please understand. I do have some small innovations."

Li Huidong directly revealed: "Some of his dishes can't be considered small innovations, such as he made the cabbage and prawns into bite-sized pieces and served them to customers as an appetizer."

Yan Jianxing was very curious when he heard this: "How about making the cabbage and prawns into bite-sized pieces?"

Then Li Huidong explained the general approach to Yan Jianxing.

Yan Jianxing couldn't help but sigh: "Zhengming, you are really good. You can make cabbage and prawns into various shapes."

Master Yan still didn't feel that much surprise.

"His way of eating in one bite should be learned from Western cuisine to cater to foreign guests."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Master, you have said too much. I want the foreign guests to taste more dishes, so I have improved some dishes so that they can eat more in one or two bites."

Yan Jianxing immediately couldn't help asking, "It should be your Oolong Playing with Pearls, right?"

Li Huidong smiled and answered helpfully: "Yes, there must be an Oolong playing with a pearl."

Yan Jianxing sighed: "I tried to replicate it in the store, but I always felt that the taste was lacking."

Hearing that Yan Jianxing also wanted to make that dish, Feng Zhengming did not hesitate at all.

"If you want to do it, I'll go to the restaurant and teach you later."

Yan Jianxing glanced at his father beside him and decisively refused.

"No, if you share it, wouldn't it be like I'm copying your dish? It's better for that dish to be the signature dish of your Huiquan Restaurant."

Yan Jianxing said this not entirely because he was afraid that his father would blame him.

Or it’s because Yan Jianxing has his father’s skill in making scallion-fried sea cucumber.

If he used Feng Zhengming's Oolong Xizhu again, it would seem that he was using his father's name to suppress his father's apprentice.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said to Yan Jianxing: "It's okay, brother. Once a dish is created, it should be allowed to be made by more people. If everyone works together, maybe others will have good ideas too."

Master Yan immediately stopped them: "Okay, you brothers can communicate with each other, but you must be reserved. You can communicate on methods and techniques, but you can't use the same seasoning, and you can't make exactly the same dish."

Apparently, Master Yan didn’t want his son to use the dish created by his apprentice.

As a father, I hope my son can create new dishes on his own.

Step into the conference room for the symposium.

Many people from the cooking association have already arrived, including Master Cui, Master Sun, Master Su and others.

In addition to several master chefs who are still in the kitchen, there are also several master chefs who have been teaching cooking in vocational schools all year round.

It can be seen that the scale of this symposium is quite grand.

It is considered to be a gathering place for some famous chefs of Shandong cuisine.

When everyone saw Feng Zhengming, they all took the initiative to greet him.

In particular, several old masters who teach in vocational schools were very happy that Feng Zhengming won the first prize in the national cooking competition with Shandong cuisine.

Because Shandong cuisine has always been an indispensable ingredient in national cooking competitions.

But he has never been able to win the top prize.

It seems that there are always more talented chefs emerging, catching Shandong cuisine chefs off guard.

Feng Zhengming's appearance and his performance in the national cooking competition.

Finally, the master chefs from other places can experience the same feeling as the Shandong cuisine chefs did before.

Feng Zhengming used a surprise attack and swept away everyone.

Faced with today's scene, Feng Zhengming naturally remained humble.

He is especially humble towards the old masters.

Everyone exchanges cooking techniques together.

Feng Zhengming felt that this atmosphere was quite good.

It can be said that the old masters have no airs at all.

Young chefs are fully allowed to express their ideas.

Of course, you can't express your ideas casually in front of the masters.

Mention any innovative dish and the chefs will quickly deduce the cooking process.

And point out some of the bad things about it.

Even some chefs who have integrated some cooking techniques from other cuisines will be able to be explained clearly by the old masters, who will point out the techniques borrowed from others and tell what similar techniques are in Shandong cuisine.
All of this is the result of many years of experience of the old masters.

You have to know that some of these masters are much older than Master Yan and others.

Many of them started working as apprentices in the kitchen when they were young.

Several chefs have even cooked for heads of state.

In their decades-long career as chefs, what have they not seen?
Therefore, in front of them, you must have real talents and knowledge.

Otherwise, they will really despise you.

These masters talked to Feng Zhengming about his Oolong Xizhu.

I can also point out some of its shortcomings.

For example, the flavor combination may not seem to be integrated enough.

A master chef said: "You should put them in a steamer after arranging them on the plate, so that the flavors can blend together, and then pour the sauce you prepared on them."

After listening to this, Feng Zhengming felt that what the old master said was indeed very good.

Moreover, it can be prepared in advance, and when customers need it, you can just steam it, pour the sauce over it and serve it to them.

After hearing what Feng Zhengming said, several chefs agreed that it was feasible. "Xiao Feng, you need to be more flexible in many cases. You can't be careless in the kitchen, but it doesn't mean you can't be flexible. The most important thing is to ensure the quality of the dishes and balance the taste of different dishes."

Every time Feng Zhengming communicates with the masters, he always feels that he has benefited a lot.

The years of experience of these old masters is exactly what he needs.

As more and more chefs came.

More and more people are participating in the discussion.

Many younger chefs, including master chefs from various families, also want to seize this opportunity to ask the old chefs for advice.

No one even wanted to sit down, they just wanted to stand together and talk about cooking.

Many people also seek advice from Feng Zhengming.

A chef told Feng Zhengming: "Chef Feng should compile the dishes you prepared in the national cooking competition into the recipe book. It is really worth buying and learning from."

Feng Zhengming responded with a smile: "I may not be qualified in this regard. I am still at the stage of cooking for others. If I were to write a book to teach others how to cook, I may still lack some experience."

Before the chefs could continue their communication, the leader who organized the symposium arrived.

The chefs had no choice but to disperse temporarily and go to their own seats.

Several foreign guests also came in.

When he saw them, Feng Zhengming immediately recognized them as foreign guests who had been to Huiquanlou.

After asking quietly, I found out that these people had also gone to other restaurants and hotels.

Wait until everyone is seated.

The on-site leader spoke first, saying that the chefs of Shandong cuisine were invited to the event, and the main topic of the discussion was to promote and inherit Shandong cuisine.

Invite a few foreign guests and ask them if they can give some suggestions?
This does have some meaning in dispelling the confusion of those in power.

After all, foreign guests give their evaluation based solely on their experience after eating there for a few days.

Although it is also their subjective evaluation.

But at least that’s their true feeling after eating the food.

Perhaps some of these bad feelings can become areas for everyone to learn and improve.

Then we invited foreign guests to speak on the spot and talk about their feelings after eating Shandong cuisine these days?
The other party was indeed quite subjective and didn't even organize his language specifically.

He opened his mouth and directly expressed his love for Feng Zhengming and Huiquanlou.

"The dishes at Huiquanlou are so delicious, and their dishes are beautifully presented. Moreover, their dishes are very suitable for the tastes of foreigners like us, and let us taste your Shandong cuisine.

He is truly the best Chinese chef we have ever had and we all approve of his cooking skills.”

He started by directly praising Feng Zhengming, and spent the first half of his speech talking about each and every dish at Huiquanlou.

Feng Zhengming was sitting there listening and had to admit that the other party had really put in a lot of effort.

Not only do I remember the presentation of each dish, I can also remember the taste of each dish.

Everyone at the scene couldn't help but look at Feng Zhengming and laugh.

At one point, everyone thought that his speech on the spot was entirely about praising Feng Zhengming's craftsmanship.

Fortunately, at the end of his speech, he described in detail his feelings about eating at various restaurants and hotels.

Moreover, this group of foreign guests did not only like Huiquanlou’s dishes.

There are also dishes from other restaurants and hotels, and they also listed many of their favorite dishes.

It seems that the person who spoke said that he also likes Jiuzhuan Dachang.

Having said that, he actually nodded at Feng Zhengming again.

"Chef Feng, we hope that next time we visit you, we can also eat your Nine-Turn Large Intestine."

When these words were spoken, many people at the scene couldn't help laughing out loud.

Feng Zhengming had no choice but to stand up in front of everyone.

"If I have the chance, I will cook Jiuzhuan Dachang for you to try. But Jiuzhuan Dachang is one of the most classic Shandong dishes, and its taste should be similar to everyone's."

All the chefs present agreed on this point.

The method of making Nine-Turn Large Intestine seems to be very similar.

But different chefs still have different seasonings.

Therefore, the taste of the final Nine-Turn Large Intestine will definitely be different.

But the foreigner who spoke was already a fan of Feng Zhengming.

He doesn't care how different the Nine-Turn Large Intestine made by Feng Zhengming is from others?

He just wanted to try the nine-turn large intestine made by Feng Zhengming.

This was a personal expectation, so Feng Zhengming naturally agreed to meet it.

After this foreign friend finished his speech.

Next, some veteran masters gave speeches.

The master chefs expressed their respective views on the inheritance, evolution and development of Shandong cuisine.

When talking about the development of Shandong cuisine today, Feng Zhengming naturally cannot be avoided.

Some of Feng Zhengming's innovative things are considered by the old masters to be worth learning.

Master Cui said: "It may not be possible to fully promote it and have all restaurants and hotels follow his method, but some of his things can be learned and absorbed, and we must be able to digest it and use it as our own."

As the oldest master present, Master Cui’s words certainly carry a lot of weight.

After Master Cui said this, Master Su immediately agreed with Master Cui's point of view.

“In recent years, many young chefs want to innovate, but innovation is not as simple as it sounds. Many innovative dishes not only fail to taste delicious, but may even make some old dishes look sloppy.

So when it comes to innovation, I hope all young and middle-aged chefs can be more cautious.”

Master Yan echoed, "Yes, we can't innovate for the sake of innovation, and we can't abandon our traditional craftsmanship. We need to learn cooking techniques thoroughly and follow traditional cooking techniques before trying to innovate."

The words of the old chefs were somewhat didactic to the young and middle-aged chefs on the scene.

After the senior chefs spoke, young and middle-aged chefs were also invited to speak.

Then everyone unanimously nominated Feng Zhengming to speak first.

Being pushed out by everyone caught Feng Zhengming somewhat off guard.

But he also knew that he couldn't refuse, so he had to go ahead with it.

"First of all, I would like to thank several foreign friends for their recognition of Huiquanlou and me. I will arrange for you to have Jiuzhuan Dachang next time you go there."

As soon as these words were spoken, a joyful atmosphere suddenly filled the scene.

Everyone was amused by Feng Zhengming's words.

Of course, the foreign fan of Feng Zhengming nodded happily and said that he wanted to go to Huiquanlou again.

“I came here today without any scripts. I wanted to listen to what overseas friends think of our Shandong cuisine and to hear the old chefs share their experiences.

I didn’t expect that I would have to speak, so I could only cram at the last minute.

"Shandong cuisine is our most traditional and ancient cuisine. We have grown up eating Shandong cuisine and have cooked it for many years. Shandong cuisine is a part of our lives.

But if we really want to make Shandong cuisine well, we all know that it is really not easy.”

These words resonated with the Shandong cuisine chefs present.

If you just know how to cook Shandong cuisine, many dishes are not difficult to make, but it is really not easy to cook them well. (End of this chapter)