From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Feng Zhengming's words were still recognized by the two grandfathers.

Grandpa Feng said solemnly: "Any work should be paid accordingly, and any worker should be respected enough.

You have done a lot. If there is no chef like you, the chef’s skills may never be respected enough. "

Grandpa Situ nodded and said, "Yes, the reason why chefs are respected overseas is because of the emergence of top chefs. Only then can the chefs' skills be respected.

It is clear that you are now one of the top chefs in China, and your presence has also led to a greater emphasis on chef skills in China.”

Faced with the continuous praise from the two grandfathers, Feng Zhengming felt a little embarrassed.

"Grandpa, Grandpa Situ, please don't praise me like that. I am just doing what I can do. It is actually very insignificant if you really think about it."

Seeing Feng Zhengming being humble again, the two grandfathers burst into laughter.

"It turns out that what you are doing is not a trivial matter. What you are doing is a major event that will change an industry."

“Yes, if it weren’t for you, people wouldn’t pay more attention to a chef’s skills, and wouldn’t pay more attention to whether the chef cooks fresh food when they go to a restaurant.

Maybe some so-called high-end restaurants in China will also learn from some overseas ones and simply pile up all kinds of expensive ingredients.”

After the two grandfathers said this, Feng Zhengming's expression became serious.

“Simply piling up expensive ingredients cannot demonstrate a chef’s skills, just like when I was in Hangzhou, I met some chefs who claimed to be the inheritors of time-honored brands, but they didn’t even have the most basic knife skills.

Oftentimes, our craftsmanship doesn’t get the respect it deserves because there are too many people trying to take advantage of the situation.”

Grandpa Feng was immediately distressed: "The reputation of this old brand has been ruined by those people."

Grandpa Feng has a lot to say on this point.

The old sign of Feng’s dry restaurant, if it wasn’t kept by the old man.

Maybe in the end, you will also end up being corrupted by others.

Fortunately, Fengjia Restaurant met Feng Zhengming.

Under Feng Zhengming's leadership, the reputation of Feng's dry restaurant was not only not destroyed, but was instead promoted.

Nowadays, almost everyone who comes to Quancheng knows that if they want to eat Quancheng’s delicious braised pork, they have to go to Fengjia Rice Restaurant.

Isn't this the good fortune of the old signboard of Fengjia Restaurant?

But some other time-honored brands may not be so lucky.

Many old brands have long been lost.

Some of the old brands that still exist are gradually becoming lost, perhaps because no one is willing to learn the craft.

When such time-honored craftsmen meet someone who is willing to learn and carry forward their skills, they will naturally place their hopes on the other party.

The final result may often be unsatisfactory.

In fact, after what happened in Hangzhou, Feng Zhengming wanted to support some time-honored food brands from all over the country.

However, for now, although he wants to do this, there seems to be no suitable opportunity to do it.

On the one hand, he may not be able to provide enough funds for support.

After all, I now have many branches, but most of them are used to recover the initial investment.

On the other hand, Feng Zhengming does not have the right title to do this now.

Although he is the top scholar in the country, this title has been confirmed even now and has been recognized by almost most people in the country.

But he can't order others to do things according to his own ideas.

Even if he encountered problems in the national competition, Feng Zhengming had no choice but to leave.

Feng Zhengming felt that since he didn't have the skills, he wouldn't take on the job.

Just do your craft well and run your shop well.

At least now everyone recognizes the chef's skills.

Guests are willing to pay for the chef's good cooking skills, which is a big step towards Feng Zhengming's success.

Feng Zhengming temporarily closed the food stall and bought a plane ticket to fly to Shanghai alone.

I checked the situation of the four stores in Shanghai.

All the people in Shanghai were also given holidays.

The reason why Feng Zhengming made a special trip to Shanghai was mainly to give some final encouragement to the staff in Shanghai and to give everyone an extra New Year bonus.

The staff in the four stores were very happy to receive the New Year bonus from Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming expressed his gratitude to everyone with a smile.

“Thank you very much for your hard work over the past year. Without your efforts, our four restaurants would not be so famous in Shanghai and would not be listed as must-eat restaurants in Shanghai’s recommended guidebooks.

Therefore, this New Year bonus is what you all deserve for your efforts this year. I hope everyone can have a good new year.

In the coming year, I hope that everyone can continue to work hard as always, using our craftsmanship and service to allow every customer to taste the delicious food in our store.

I hope that our next three stores will continue to be on the recommended guide list for a long time.”

Jiang Chengzhe couldn't help but laugh when he heard this and said, "No, Zhengming, you only said that three stores should be on the list, so what should we do with the remaining store? Can't we try to get it?"

Jiang Chengzhe's question made everyone else present couldn't help laughing.

Feng Zhengming also looked at Jiang Chengzhe with a smile.

"As for this remaining restaurant, we don't need any promotion. With a Hong Kong chef like you in charge, how many restaurants in Shanghai can compare with your cooking skills?"

Jiang Chengzhe felt a little embarrassed when he heard this.

"No, no, no, no, why do I feel a little uneasy when you praise me so much? Are you trying to plot against me?"

Feng Zhengming was immediately amused: "What can I plot against you? What else can I plot against you now?"

Jiang Chengzhe thought about it carefully and spread out his hands helplessly.

"I really have nothing worth your calculation now. My people have been branded with your Zheng Luxing's mark. Even when they mention me in Hong Kong City, they will first say that I am now a general under the top scholar."

"Hahaha." Feng Zhengming couldn't help laughing after hearing this.

"They are wrong. You are definitely not just a general here. You are a full-fledged chef here. When I open a high-end restaurant in Shanghai in the future, there will definitely be a place for you."

Jiang Chengzhe was quite satisfied with the promise made by Feng Zhengming.

He knew that Feng Zhengming was a man who always kept his word.

Since he said he wanted to open a high-end restaurant in Shanghai, he would definitely do it.

Jiang Chengzhe also understood that Feng Zhengming was not doing it now because they were still lacking an opportunity.

Feng Zhengming has indeed gained a high enough reputation in the country.

However, high-end restaurants in Shanghai not only cater to domestic people, but may also serve many overseas people.

Therefore, he still needs to gain a certain status internationally before he can completely convince many people.

By that time, Feng Zhengming opened a high-end restaurant in Shanghai.

It will become a place where diners from all over the world come to pay homage.

Thinking about this, Jiang Chengzhe became even more excited about what different experiences he could have by following Feng Zhengming in the future.

Of course, there is another reason why Jiang Chengzhe is willing to follow Feng Zhengming all the time. It is because Feng Zhengming is never stingy with those who really work.

Jiang Chengzhe himself has run a restaurant, so he knows very well what a restaurant's revenue situation is like.
Among Feng Zhengming's four stores in Shanghai, the one on Western Restaurant Street is definitely the most profitable one.

This store even attracted many overseas friends to visit.

It can also earn money directly from overseas, plus the premium on the dishes in the store. It can be said that the profitability of one store may not be comparable to that of the other three stores combined.

For a store with such strong profitability, the bulk of Feng Zhengming's monthly expenses basically go into employee salaries.

Not to mention others, just the income that Jiang Chengzhe gets every month and the dividends from this store at the end of the year.

He even felt a little embarrassed to take it himself.

Because no matter what, the fame of this store depends on Feng Zhengming's reputation and craftsmanship.

Moreover, Jiang Chengzhe knew that many of the dishes in the restaurant were created by the two of them together.

In fact, it was Feng Zhengming who was responsible for the final review and finalization.

Jiang Chengzhe does have a lot of ideas most of the time, but after interacting with Feng Zhengming, he clearly feels that his understanding of diners' tastes is far inferior to Feng Zhengming's.

Feng Zhengming is always able to find out what diners like and make some adjustments to the newly created dishes.

Then those new dishes will be more easily accepted by customers.

In comparison, Jiang Chengzhe is indeed much worse than Feng Zhengming.

Or it should be said that Jiang Chengzhe is a creator immersed in himself.

Feng Zhengming is more like a down-to-earth popular craftsman.

Jiang Chengzhe is really impressed by Feng Zhengming on this point.

Feng Zhengming clapped his hands and said, "Okay, let me say one last thing to everyone. I wish everyone a happy new year. Starting today, our four stores will be closed. Everyone should come back to work on the tenth day of the first lunar month after the new year."

This kind of more than 20-day break during the Chinese New Year has become a feature of all Feng Zhengming's stores.

Other restaurants and hotels are thinking of not closing during the Chinese New Year so that they can do more business during the period.

As for Feng Zhengming, he has a holiday on the 20th day of the twelfth lunar month every year.

Then business will resume on the tenth day of the first lunar month.

It really helped all the employees in the store to have a good New Year.

Of course, this is not difficult to understand.

After all, it is impossible for all of Feng Zhengming’s stores to provide employees with two days off a week.

There may even be too many customers on weekends, so everyone may have to work overtime.

So if it's like in other restaurants and hotels, everyone will be asked to work overtime even during the Chinese New Year.

It does seem to be a bit too hard, and I'm afraid many people would not want to continue working after a year.

Of course, if Feng Zhengming is willing, he can open during the Chinese New Year, and his stores will probably be overcrowded every day during the Chinese New Year.

You can make money that way, but it's too hard.

Feng Zhengming obviously didn't want to do that.

The employees left one after another with the money.

Jiang Chengzhe and a few people from Qilu and Feng Zhengming were the only ones left in the store.

Jiang Chengzhe spoke more bluntly: "Zhengming, you had a lot of unpleasantness with many people in China at the national competition last year. Have you ever thought about taking the initiative to repair the relationship?"

Feng Zhengming smiled: "Why should I take the initiative to repair the relationship? I didn't have much interaction with them anyway."

Jiang Chengzhe also laughed: "It seems that our Feng Zhuangyuan is really tough."

Feng Zhengming put away his smile and said it very seriously.

“First of all, the rule I changed is not targeting anyone, but to give all chefs a fair chance.

Secondly, what time-honored brands should pass on is craftsmanship, rather than using the name of time-honored brands to cheat people.

Finally, the guy who voluntarily gave up was guilty. There is no need to bother with such a guy. "

After hearing Feng Zhengming's three points, Xia Hui and Sun Hai immediately led everyone to applaud.

Jiang Chengzhe looked at several people applauding, and he also clapped with a helpless smile.

"I didn't say that what you did was wrong. I just think that we should leave some room for everyone in many things. Otherwise, how can we meet in the future?"

Feng Zhengming asked directly: "Who do I need to meet? Do I have to meet that guy who gave up?"

Jiang Chengzhe quickly said, "It's not him. Why is he worthy of us meeting him? I'm talking about some senior chefs in the culinary industry."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Azhe, I noticed that you have become so worldly-wise in the past two years in Shanghai. You were not like this before."

When asked by Feng Zhengming, Jiang Chengzhe had no choice but to tell the truth.

"Some people from Shanghai City found me and hoped that I could tell you that you can meet up when you are free. Some judges from Hangzhou City want to find you to ease the tension."

Feng Zhengming finally understood why Jiang Chengzhe suddenly became different.

"In fact, whether it's Shanghai or Hangzhou, the people in the Chefs Association have no grudges against me, and I haven't said that I won't see them anymore."

Jiang Chengzhe immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Originally, Jiang Chengzhe didn't want to get involved in this matter.

But several chefs from Shanghai and Hangzhou specifically came to find him.

I also asked several chefs in Hong Kong to help talk to him.

Jiang Chengzhe had no choice but to agree and help them try to reconcile with Feng Zhengming.

Now Feng Zhengming said that he had no objection to the chefs of the Chefs Association, which made Jiang Chengzhe feel that things would be easier to handle.

Seeing Jiang Chengzhe's relieved look, Feng Zhengming was a little amused.

"Have they found you many times? You think I'm against them, right?"

Jiang Chengzhe didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "It's not me who thought that, it's them who thought that you resigned from the position of judge, and then you returned to Quancheng and didn't contact any of them.

The key point is that you didn’t even go to the final award ceremony, which made them very panicked.”

Feng Zhengming was amused again.

"I'm not angry with them. I just feel that since I've resigned from the position of judge, I don't need to be there to present the awards. The competition is supervised by regular judges in Beijing. I still believe in the professionalism of Master Hou and his colleagues."

Jiang Chengzhe thought for a moment and asked, "How about this, you meet with them before you go to Quancheng?"

Feng Zhengming nodded and agreed: "Okay, then let's meet. We will have to meet them sooner or later. Some things need to be explained clearly."

"Huh." Jiang Chengzhe completely relaxed. "It's OK as long as you are willing to meet."

Afterwards, Jiang Chengzhe called the vice president of the Shanghai Chefs Association, who had the most contact with him.

They learned that Feng Zhengming was in Shanghai and was willing to meet with people from the Shanghai and Hangzhou Chefs Associations.

Naturally, they agreed immediately and said that they would make arrangements to welcome Feng Zhuangyuan. (End of this chapter)