From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming returned to Shanghai, and his two stores quickly resumed business after the New Year.

In less than a week, business of both stores quickly recovered.

The store at the train station was the first to be packed with customers.

The main reason is that many people from other places come to Shanghai after the New Year.

Because Feng Zhengming’s store at the railway station sells pork stew cheaply and tastes very good.

It allows many people to eat their fill with very little money, and the key is that the food is good too.

So naturally it attracted a large number of people from outside Shanghai to visit.

For a while, the store at the train station was doing so well that Jiang Chengzhe was a little jealous.

"The business at the train station store is really too good. I, I really didn't expect the business there to be so good."

Feng Zhengming laughed when he heard this: "Why? You don't want to be the chef at the restaurant at the train station again? If you ask, I'll arrange it right away and transfer Zhu Xu to work with me."

Jiang Chengzhe immediately refused: "No, I'm just envious, I didn't say I wanted to go to that store over there."

Jiang Chengzhe then asked, "You said, our store over there is doing so well, can we copy the model of the store at the train station and open a few more stores in Shanghai?"

Feng Zhengming felt helpless after hearing this: "I want to, but we don't have enough manpower."

Jiang Chengzhe was stunned for a moment, then he thought about it and smiled bitterly.

What Feng Zhengming said is indeed correct.

They are really short of people now.

It is not difficult for Feng Zhengming to open another branch.

No matter where the store is, Feng Zhengming can afford to run it now.

But the key is that he doesn't have enough staff in the kitchen.

You should know that one of the important reasons why Feng Zhengming's stores are so popular is that the chefs in the kitchen are all very skilled.

It’s not that every chef’s skill is so good that they can rival the top chefs.

At least, in the kitchen of the branch at the train station, even Zhang Lei's cooking skills are better than those of the chefs in ordinary street restaurants.

The key to success is that the chefs in the kitchen of Feng Zhengming's store have stable skills.

It is possible to make every dish almost the same.

This is also the secret of why Feng Zhengming’s many branches can do good business.

But nowadays, it is hard to find chefs with such stable skills.

Most young chefs, when asked to participate in various competitions and assessments, can even show off their skills that rival those of master chefs.

Once you really start to take charge of the kitchen on your own, unstable situations will immediately arise.

Feng Zhengming realized this after he transferred people from Quancheng to Shanghai.

This has already been reflected in the young chefs recruited by several branches in Quancheng and Huiquanlou.

During the Chinese New Year, several senior brothers talked to Feng Zhengming seriously about this.

Before Feng Zhengming returned to Shanghai after the New Year, he gave intensive training to young chefs in several restaurants in Quancheng and the kitchen of Huiquanlou for several days.

And I repeatedly emphasized to them that they must first master the basic skills and be able to serve dishes stably.

Now, young chefs in several restaurants are still undergoing training.

It is not convenient to transfer it to Shanghai for use at the moment.

What's more, if those people were really transferred to Shanghai, it would cause a shortage of several stores in Quancheng, including Huiquanlou.

Jiang Chengzhe thought for a moment and gave a suggestion.

"Chef, do you think we can recruit a group of young chefs? Then we can open another store, split up the current chefs, and use the old chefs to train the new chefs to run two more stores?"

Feng Zhengming has also been thinking about Jiang Chengzhe's suggestions these days.

His ideas are similar to Jiang Chengzhe's.

It is a method of using the old to guide the new, allowing young chefs to grow while working in the store.

After all, being a chef is a hard job and one must practice a lot to develop his skills.

For example, the chefs in the two stores now have all been trained step by step following Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming thought for a moment and said, "If we really want to open two more branches, I'm afraid I'll have to go to a new store to train new people, and this store will have to be left to you to take charge of."

Jiang Chengzhe quickly said, "I'll go to the new store, you stay here. This store on Western Restaurant Street is our signature store in Shanghai."

Feng Zhengming smiled and asked, "You're going to the new store? Can you handle the pressure and lead your team to make Shandong cuisine?"

Jiang Chengzhe smiled and said, "I can actually cook Cantonese cuisine."

Feng Zhengming shook his head: "If we serve Cantonese cuisine, then it won't be the model of the store at the train station. When we open a new store, we want to follow the model of the store at the train station, not to open another store here with this model."

Jiang Chengzhe didn't ask why, he knew why in his heart.

The model of this store on Western Restaurant Street is not so easy to replicate.

What's more, if we follow the model of this western restaurant on the street.

We must raise the prices of vegetables in the store.

It won’t be able to attract enough customers.

Only by following the model of the store at the train station can we open two or even three or more branches at once and attract enough customers.

That model can be called "small profits but quick turnover".

The store's profitability is entirely dependent on the number of customers.

Therefore, stores like those located at train stations need more stable chefs in the kitchen.

It doesn’t require the chef to have too many flashes of creativity.

The goal is to enable chefs to have solid basic skills and to cook classic traditional dishes consistently.

Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but sigh when he heard Feng Zhengming's analysis.

"The most difficult thing about Chinese cuisine is its stability. Nowadays, many students in culinary schools are the kind who disdain the basics and always think they can become chefs with their own cleverness and creativity."

Jiang Chengzhe's eyes were full of contempt for those so-called creative ideas.

"If they can't even guarantee the stability of the most traditional classic dishes, how can they talk about innovation? It's all nonsense."

Feng Zhengming couldn't help laughing when he heard Jiang Chengzhe say this.

"How can you say that about younger people? If you hadn't met me, wouldn't you also just want to pursue creativity?"

Jiang Chengzhe's face turned red.

That’s indeed the case. If he hadn’t met Feng Zhengming, he might have just blindly pursued innovation.

It was really through my contact with Feng Zhengming that I saw that he could create new ideas for the most traditional classic dishes without losing the traditional classic taste.

Jiang Chengzhe then realized that his blind pursuit of creative practices had led him astray.

A chef cannot consistently make classic dishes taste as good as they should.

Then what is the need for creativity and innovation?

Without solid basic skills, creativity and innovation are nothing but rootless duckweed.

It's just a story to fool customers.

Feng Zhengming said to Jiang Chengzhe seriously: "Your suggestion is very good. We can indeed recruit a group of new people. Last time we recruited apprentices, this time we will recruit some young chefs.

Then we will learn in our two stores first, and then we will find the right time to open two new stores.

I will use the old-timer-new-trainer approach and go to a new store to train some staff.”

Jiang Chengzhe asked: "You don't plan to stay in the new store forever, do you?" This sentence revealed a little bit of Jiang Chengzhe's thoughts.

Feng Zhengming also saw through it at a glance.

"Hahaha, you're worried that I'll run the new store as a second western restaurant on the street and take away the business of this store. You'll be embarrassed, right?"

After being pointed out by Feng Zhengming, Jiang Chengzhe admitted it directly.

"Yes, you have that ability. If I compete with you on the same stage, I will definitely not be your opponent."

Feng Zhengming continued with a smile, "Don't worry, I'm going to let the elderly go to the new store. When I go to a new store, I will take Xia Hui and Sun Hai with me.

After getting them on the right track, I came back and handed the new store over to them.

Let them learn to guide new employees and apprentices in the new store.”

Jiang Chengzhe nodded after hearing this: "They are both really capable. In fact, their skills are already considered to be masters, especially Sun Hai's skills are really stable."

Feng Zhengming smiled proudly: "Of course, he is my third senior brother's apprentice, how can he not be stable?"

Jiang Chengzhe: "Don't be so harsh. It's clear that Sun Hai is basically taken care of by you. He should spend more time with you, right?"

After hearing this, Feng Zhengming carefully calculated and couldn't help but sigh: "Unconsciously, Sun Hai and Xia Hui have been here for three or four years."

Thinking of this, Feng Zhengming felt that time passed really quickly.

Jiang Chengzhe did not lament the passage of time, but thought of another thing.

"That's just in time. Didn't you ask your junior master to come to Shanghai to write some food reports? And then take the opportunity to launch a Shanghai restaurant recommendation guide?

Once the two new stores are open, we can take the opportunity to advertise and promote your brand.”

Jiang Chengzhe's words brought Feng Zhengming back to his senses.

"Okay, this is a good idea. Shanghai is different from our province. We really need more exposure here. Only by making a name for ourselves can we attract more customers."

Jiang Chengzhe nodded: "Yes, this is similar to Hong Kong. It's not enough to just have skills. There are too many people with skills. You must know how to increase your popularity and expose more people to attract more customers."

After discussing with Jiang Chengzhe, Feng Zhengming also started recruiting a group of new young chefs.

This time, Feng Zhengming and his team have very high recruitment requirements, and applicants must have sufficient kitchen experience.

And the on-site assessment is also quite strict.

If Feng Zhengming didn't want to move the staff of several stores in Quancheng, he might still transfer people from Quancheng.

Fortunately, this time Feng Zhengming contacted several masters in Quancheng.

The masters in Quancheng are quite capable.

We also selected a group of young chefs and asked them to come to Shanghai to try their hand.

In the end, the old masters really have good taste in recommending people.

After a round of screening by Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe, the young chefs who were retained were all recommended by the old masters in Quancheng.

Among the people recruited this time, there are two young people that Feng Zhengming is familiar with.

They were Hou Dong and Gao Yongfu, who had recently retired from the army.

Feng Zhengming was quite happy to see the two of them.

"I am really relieved that you two are here."

Hou Dong and Gao Yongfu were also very happy that they were able to stay here because of their skills.

Still passed the rigorous assessment designed by Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe.

"Finally I can follow you, the champion, again."

"Yes, we have always wanted to come to you, Brother Feng."

Feng Zhengming was very satisfied with their military style.

"Okay, since you are here, then just work hard in my shop and learn now.

I will open a new store in three months. I will then look at your performance and reallocate you to see which store you are most suitable to stay in. "

Hou Dong was a little surprised: "Brother Feng, are you going to open another branch?"

Gao Yongfu was also surprised: "So fast?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Not too fast. The business of these two stores in Shanghai is a bit too good now. If we don't open a branch to divert the traffic, we will be too busy to handle it."

Gao Yongfu sighed: "He really deserves to be the top scholar."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "After this year's national cooking competition, there will be a new champion."

Hou Dong said seriously: "Then you are still the top scholar. You are the best top scholar in my mind."

Gao Yongfu also agreed: "Yes, you are the best champion."

Feng Zhengming was happy: "Okay, okay, don't flatter me. Just prepare well. You will have three months of intensive training in the store. You must perform well for me and don't get fired midway."

Hou Dong and Gao Yongfu naturally agreed seriously.

Afterwards, Feng Zhengming divided the newly recruited young chefs into two groups in his two stores in Shanghai.

Let them undergo intensive training in two stores for three months respectively.

The training given to them is very simple, just the basic skills and the details of cooking classic dishes.

The only thing to emphasize is that the dishes must be produced stably enough.

Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe, including Zhu Xu, Sun Hai, Xia Hui, Guan Wei and Zhang Lei all participated in the training camp.

Newly recruited young chefs receive very strict training.

The requirements for each dish are quite strict.

It is necessary to ensure that there is not too much deviation.

The most important thing is the taste, to ensure that the same dish tastes consistent no matter how many plates are prepared.

The training at Feng Zhengming's Shanghai store really made these young chefs suffer a lot.

Because we want to ensure that each dish tastes basically the same.

It really tests the basic skills of young chefs.

It is even necessary to ensure that there is not too much deviation in each step and the movements are as consistent as possible.

Fortunately, after Feng Zhengming's training, the young chefs are basically able to do it.

After the first two months of training, Feng Zhengming began to frequently transfer this group of newcomers in the third month.

This also requires us to see which store these newcomers are suitable for.

In the end, Jiang Chengzhe was allowed to make the choice.

What Feng Zhengming didn't expect was that Jiang Chengzhe actually wanted Hou Dong and Gao Yongfu.

Jiang Chengzhe’s reason is very simple.

"They are the most obedient among all the newcomers, and they are the ones who can perfectly execute all the instructions from the kitchen, so it is most appropriate for them to stay in this restaurant on Western Restaurant Street."

After Jiang Chengzhe had selected the people, Feng Zhengming left three of the remaining newcomers in the store at the train station.

After replacing Zhu Xu and Zhang Lei.

He began to prepare for two new stores in Shanghai.

The two new stores and the store at the train station follow the same model.

One of the stores is under the management of Zhu Xu and Zhang Lei, and the other store is to be handed over to Sun Hai and Xia Hui.

Feng Zhengming will go to Sun Hai and Xia Hui's store in person to guide them.

But during the preparations for the new store, Xia Hui found Feng Zhengming and said that she did not want to go to the new store. (End of this chapter)