From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

The masters and three senior brothers took the initiative to request a competition.

In fact, they all wanted to see how the young chefs that Feng Zhengming brought to Shanghai had progressed.

Facts have proved that under Feng Zhengming's leadership, the young chefs have made quite obvious progress.

When Xia Hui made her stuffed pig's trotters, she also cut them into thin slices very carefully.

The dish was arranged into the shape of a flower, and finally the tip of the pig's trotter was placed next to it.

Served with some vegetables brushed with barbecue sauce along with the pig's trotters.

It gives the impression that a pig is digging for food in the mud.

The several masters who served as judges, as well as Grandpa Feng and Grandpa Situ, all found it very interesting.

Of course, the interesting shape is only one aspect. Another thing that makes everyone feel great is the overall seasoning.

After returning to Quancheng, Xia Hui kept in mind what Feng Zhengming taught them.

That is, when seasoning, you must take the customer's taste into consideration.

When making this dish in Shanghai, the taste must be slightly sweet.

But back in Quancheng, this dish must be salty and fresh. Although sugar is added, it must not be sweet.

Several master chefs tasted this dish together with Grandpa Feng and Grandpa Situ.

After putting it in their mouths, they chewed it carefully.

You can clearly taste the layered texture.

And because Xia Hui also added tendons, the dish has a bit of chewiness when eaten.

All in all, the taste of this dish really amazed the chefs, Grandpa Feng, and Grandpa Situ.

After tasting Xia Hui’s dishes, I then tasted dishes from other young chefs.

In terms of taste, it really fits the taste preferences of people in Qi and Lu.

In terms of taste alone, the young chefs returning from Quancheng and Shanghai are equally good.

But if you take into account the various details in the cooking process.

The old masters still had to admit it.

"Zhengming took them to Shanghai, and it really made them improve significantly."

"Yes, take a look at your cutting board and stove after cooking."

"Compare the details between you two and the difference is not even a little bit."

Several veteran masters commented from a more professional perspective.

They also bluntly pointed out some problems of their respective disciples.

From the final cleaning of the chopping board and stove, it is not difficult to see the difference between the two sides.

The young chef who came back from Shanghai would clean up the chopping board and stove.

But most of the masters' disciples do not pay attention to these details.

However, the young chefs in the kitchens of Feng Zhengming's several stores in Quancheng also cleaned the kitchen.

From this point of view alone, there is indeed a gap between the masters' apprentices and their descendants, and more training is needed.

Fortunately, this was just a temporary cooking competition and there was no reward for winning or losing.

Of course, this cooking competition allowed the old chefs to realize Feng Zhengming’s ability to train newcomers.

It is obvious that these young chefs who went to Shanghai with him have made great progress.

The one with the most obvious improvement is probably Xia Hui.

Her stuffed pig's trotters are really great.

Whether it is the application of techniques in the process, the seasoning of the whole dish, or the final presentation, it all shows the progress Xia Hui has made in Shanghai.

When Xia Mingye saw his sister receiving everyone's praise, he was not jealous at all. Instead, he was happy for his sister.

"Sis, I knew you would win. Your cooking is getting better and better."

Xia Hui looked at her brother, but she was not very satisfied.

"You weren't fooling around in Huiquanlou, were you? What was the last dish you made?"

Xia Mingye quickly explained: "What I made was also some novel ideas that I came up with myself."

"Bullshit idea." Xia Hui was not polite to her brother at all.

"The dish you made didn't show off the advantages it should have. Do you still have the nerve to say that you are creative?"

Despite being criticized by his sister, Xia Mingye still had a smile on his face.

"I'm just trying it out. If it doesn't work, I'll try to improve it later."

Xia Hui said seriously, "Don't try this kind of thing casually. You should first make all the traditional classic dishes well and master the techniques better."

Xia Hui became more and more excited as she spoke, and was obviously a little disappointed with her brother's performance.

So she wanted to teach her brother a lesson and encourage him.

Xia Mingye didn't expect that he wanted to congratulate his sister, but was stopped by her and given a lecture.

Fortunately, Sun Hai appeared in time.

"What's wrong? I see you seem to be angry with Xiaoye?"

When Xia Mingye saw Sun Hai appear, he hugged him as if he had grabbed a life-saving straw.

"Hey, brother-in-law, you're finally here. Brother-in-law, are you deliberately giving in to my sister today? I used to think that you must be better than my sister in cooking."

Sun Hai felt a little flattered when Xia Mingye called him brother-in-law over and over again.

He didn't notice at all that there was something wrong with Xia Hui's look next to him.

"I'm not giving in to your sister. I just don't have any good ingredients, so I made a simpler dish. I don't have the right to compete with your sister."

Xia Mingye smiled and said, "Brother-in-law, I know you did it on purpose. You were so excited when you were helping my sister grab the ingredients."

Sun Hai was embarrassed by what he said: "I was afraid that we would be outdone by the young chefs from Quancheng after returning from Shanghai."

Xia Mingye had actually noticed that his sister's expression was not right.

But he continued to talk to his brother-in-law in a seductive way.

"Brother-in-law, tell me, if you show your true strength, my sister will not be your opponent, right?"

These words startled Sun Hai, and he then looked at Xia Hui.

I saw that the expression on Xia Hui's face was not right.

"No, we are a team in the Shanghai kitchen. Junior Master Uncle always tells us that there is no strong or weak in the kitchen. We all have to work together. When someone needs help, the others have to go all out to help."

Sun Hai's words stunned Xia Mingye.

Xia Mingye recalled that he missed the opportunity to go to Shanghai because he went back home for a while.

Then, with his own efforts, he was successfully transferred to the kitchen of Huiquanlou.

When he entered the kitchen of Huiquanlou, Xia Mingye still wanted to show off a little bit at first.

Later, Li Huidong found him and had a private talk with him.

During that conversation, Li Huidong said almost the same thing to Xia Mingye.

From then on, Xia Mingye gradually stopped wanting to show off.

He also noticed that everyone in the kitchen of Huiquanlou did more than just do their own job.

The kitchen of Huiquanlou is like a whole. Whenever anyone needs anything, someone will step forward to help.

Seeing her brother in a daze, Xia Hui reached out and gently tapped his forehead.

"What are you thinking about? Humph, I see you two are pretty close. You call me brother-in-law all the time, right? Then go have a good discussion."

After saying that, Xia Hui turned and walked away.

Xia Mingye and Sun Hai were left standing there in a daze. Xia Mingye was stunned for a moment before coming to his senses.

"Brother-in-law, go chase my sister quickly. Can't you see that my sister is angry?"

Sun Hai also realized the problem, and quickly left Xia Mingye behind and chased after Xia Hui.

After Xia Hui and Sun Hai left one after another.

Xia Mingye began to think about the words his sister had taught him.

Just as he was thinking about it, Feng Zhengming appeared beside him.

"I never knew you were so cheerful. You weren't angry at all after being scolded by your sister?"

Xia Mingye raised his head and saw Feng Zhengming, and immediately greeted him with a serious face.

"Hello, uncle."

Feng Zhengming was amused by Xia Mingye's appearance.

"Hahaha, come on, don't try that on me."

Xia Mingye also laughed: "Uncle Master, my sister and the others have made great progress under your guidance. I couldn't imagine before that they could cook such exquisite dishes."

Feng Zhengming said: "Some things become better once you get used to them. When you cook, you get used to doing your best and then you won't find it difficult to make a good dish."

Xia Mingye nodded: "Uncle Master, you are the one who can say it. Unlike my sister, she only knows how to insult and scold me."

"Your sister is so disappointed in you. She hopes you can support your family."

Xia Mingye looked helpless: "I know that too, but I think that if I follow the requirements of my family and my sister, I will feel too much pressure, and I can't cook according to my own ideas."

Feng Zhengming was amused: "What do you think? Tell me about it."

Xia Mingye was stunned for a moment, then he stared at Feng Zhengming with a longing look.

"I just want to be like you, Uncle Master, and be able to freely cook the dishes I want, and combine different cuisines from different places to make dishes that will amaze everyone."

"Okay, you are quite ambitious." Feng Zhengming smiled even more.

"Have you ever thought about whether you can win the national cooking competition?"

Hearing this, Xia Mingye instantly felt a little dispirited.

"Uncle Master, can we not mention this?"

Feng Zhengming put away his smile.

“I really can’t help but mention this. Have you ever thought about how you are going to become famous across the country if you can’t stand out in the national competition without the support of your family?
The most important thing is that if you want to show your stuff, you need a suitable stage.

But if you are not famous, you can only work in the kitchen of other people's restaurants or hotels.

Do you think you can still present your own ideas when you have to work for someone else?"

Feng Zhengming's words stunned Xia Mingye.

He suddenly realized.

Everyone will envy Feng Zhengming.

Everyone thinks that Feng Zhengming is what a chef should pursue.

But many people overlooked that Feng Zhengming was able to achieve all this because he was the top pick in the national competition.

With this identity, he can do what he wants to do.

He doesn't have to look for a job everywhere, and he doesn't have to cook according to the wishes of restaurant and hotel owners.

After Xia Mingye was silent for a while, he sighed.

"Okay, Uncle Master, I understand. I'll go home and learn my craft well then."

Feng Zhengming reached out and gently patted Xia Mingye on the shoulder.

“Don’t think that just cooking Confucius Mansion cuisine will limit your ideas and development. In fact, if you can master all the techniques of Confucius Mansion cuisine, you can also innovate on the basis of tradition in the future.

But you have to remember that innovation is based on your ability to do well in classic traditions.”

Xia Mingye nodded seriously: "Uncle Master, I still don't fully understand it, but I will remember your words and learn the craft at home well."

Feng Zhengming was very satisfied: "That's right. Go back with your sister during the Chinese New Year. Please bring good news to Master Xia for me. Remember to bring back the gift I bought as well."

Xia Mingye agreed: "Uncle Master, don't worry."

After teaching Xia Mingye, Feng Zhengming went to talk to several newly hired young chefs in the kitchen of Huiquanlou.

As for Xia Mingye, Feng Zhengming still hopes that he can return to the Xia family.

After all, Xia Hui has already decided to follow him.

Feng Zhengming felt embarrassed and asked Xia Mingye to follow him.

Then who will inherit the Confucius Mansion cuisine that we finally helped the Xia family get back?
We must always consider the inheritance of the Xia family.

So Feng Zhengming was helping Xia Mingye to change his thinking.

Let him understand the importance of learning the Confucius family cuisine first.

In Feng Zhengming's opinion, Xia Mingye was too well protected by his family.

If I wasn't embarrassed to ask Master Xia.

Feng Zhengming really wanted to take Xia Mingye to Shanghai to experience it.

It can be seen that the newly recruited young chefs of Huiquanlou have integrated well into the atmosphere of the kitchen under the guidance of their two senior brothers.

They were old acquaintances of Feng Zhengming. It was Feng Zhengming who transferred Xia Hui, Sun Hai and others from Huiquan Building.

The two senior brothers selected young chefs from branches of dry rice shops in various places.

Feng Zhengming had received a call from his senior brother when he was in Shanghai before.

On the phone, the senior brother praised the young chef training program designed by Feng Zhengming.

This time, in order to gain a foothold in Shanghai, Feng Zhengming almost transferred away all the backbone personnel from several stores in Quancheng.

But young chefs were transferred to Quancheng from branches all over the country and they quickly filled the vacancies in Huiquanlou’s kitchen.

Then, under the leadership of the two senior brothers, the reputation of Huiquanlou was not affected in the slightest.

The eldest and fifth brothers both knew very well that all this could happen so smoothly thanks to the complete young chef training program designed by Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming also gave some encouragement to the young chefs in Huiquanlou's kitchen.

At the same time, he also encouraged young chefs in the kitchens of several dry rice restaurants in Quancheng.

"You guys have to work hard and try to defeat these chefs from Huiquanlou during the internal competition next year. Then you can move into Huiquanlou and take their places."

These words immediately aroused the fighting spirit of the young chefs from several other restaurants.

Among them is Ma Jingcheng.

It was only after he went to the brewery store that he truly understood the gap between himself and the others.

It seems that his skills were already quite good when he worked in his master's shop in his hometown.

But it was in Feng Zhengming's shop that he finally realized what the gap was.

The kind of cooking that was done with ease, and the exquisiteness of various knife and fire skills.

Even with this, there is no way to enter the kitchen of Huiquanlou.

This really shocked Ma Jingcheng.

Today he competed with the chefs Feng Zhengming brought back from Shanghai.

Once again, I suffered a big blow.

He really can make vegetables look like flowers.

Looking back at himself, Ma Jingcheng felt for the first time that there was a huge gap between him and others.

Now, after hearing Feng Zhengming's encouraging words, Ma Jingcheng also had a goal in mind.

First, you have to enter the kitchen of Huiquanlou from the dry rice shop. (End of this chapter)