From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

After returning to Shanghai, Feng Zheng obviously felt as happy as if he had just caught a big fish in the ocean.

It’s not that Shanghai is better than Quancheng.

In fact, the pace of life in Shanghai is much faster than that in Quancheng.

So life in Shanghai is more busy and not as comfortable and relaxing as in the City of Springs.

But in Shanghai, Feng Zhengming and Jiang Chengzhe can cook according to their own ideas.

Whether in the store on Western Restaurant Street or in the other three stores, Feng Zhengming always tries something different.

Even though he is cooking the same Shandong cuisine, Feng Zhengming in Quancheng would unconsciously make it more old-fashioned and traditional.

When in Quancheng, especially in the kitchen of Huiquanlou.

Feng Zhengming and his two senior brothers strictly use traditional techniques.

The techniques of each step usually do not change.

The abundant products of the land of Qi and Lu are cooked into delicious dishes using the techniques of Shandong cuisine.

That is a kind of respect for Shandong cuisine.

That is also the reason why many people in Quancheng like to eat at Huiquanlou.

In Quancheng, both ordinary families and wealthy families recognize the authentic craftsmanship of Huiquanlou Shandong cuisine.

During the holidays, invite a few close friends and find a table in the lobby on the first floor of Huiquan Building.

Order some seemingly simple and ordinary Shandong dishes.

Pair it with a bottle of wine.

Relax and savor it slowly, chat and talk about recent developments.

The wine has passed three rounds, and the food has passed the five flavors.

You can add one or two stir-fried dishes to finish off the drink, and then have a bowl of hand-rolled noodles, or a silver roll, or even a bowl of rice with the vegetables.

A simple meal can give everyone a different kind of satisfaction.

For these gourmets in Quancheng, can they easily tell whether the chef has cheated or not?
You can also tell whether each dish is cooked to perfection.

Especially when it comes to traditional Shandong cuisine techniques, almost all gourmets can make a few comments.

This will put a lot of pressure on the kitchen.

Although Feng Zhengming can make every dish very accurately.

But he has too many ideas of his own and cannot express them freely in his dishes.

It’s not a bad thing for Feng Zhengming.

But in my heart I always yearn for more opportunities to express myself freely.

Once you arrive in Shanghai, everything can change.

Feng Zhengming doesn't have to stick to tradition.

More changes can be made based on tradition.

You can also use Shandong cuisine’s techniques to try making dishes from different regions.

By exchanging and integrating numerous techniques, many different arrangements and combinations can be created.

Of course, the most crucial point is that Feng Zhengming does not have to attend social events in Shanghai.

Most of the time, he was just in the kitchen, cooking with everyone and researching various new menus.

Feng Zhengming does not have to attend some activities of the Shanghai Local Chefs Association and Catering Association himself, but can ask Jiang Chengzhe and other young chefs in the kitchen to go.

It is also an opportunity for everyone to communicate together and allow others to step out of the kitchen.

In Quancheng, Feng Zhengming often has to be present in person to do this.

For quite a few events, people would invite Feng Zhengming again and again and confirm his time.

This often makes it impossible for Feng Zhengming to cook in the kitchen peacefully.

There were also various social engagements. Some people booked tables at Huiquanlou, hoping to meet Feng Zhengming.

He even wanted to have a couple of drinks with Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming was somewhat disgusted by this.

It’s not that he doesn’t respect the customers who support Huiquanlou.

There are indeed some people who intend to ask Feng Zhengming to come forward.

Those people will act like, I’m here to take care of your business, so you have to give me some face.

Feng Zhengming does not hate this kind of people, he just finds them ridiculous.

So in Quancheng, Feng Zhengming would prefer to chat with ordinary customers in the lobby during his free time while cooking.

When they are having a good time chatting, they will also clink glasses with the gourmets.

That’s a different kind of fun.

It's just that kind of fun will always be interrupted by someone.

There are no such messy people and things in Shanghai.

Feng Zhengming can cook more easily and comfortably.

There is no need to indulge those who don't know their own identity.

Even some bosses who came to the store specially to patronize the store were mostly polite to Feng Zhengming.

This contrast in status naturally makes Feng Zhengming feel more comfortable.

But the comfortable days did not last long.

Soon, as if to prove that Jiang Chengzhe's guess was accurate.

Feng Zhengming received an invitation to a competition from Quancheng.

Just as Jiang Chengzhe said before, the competition is very prestigious.

"International Shandong Cuisine Master Chef Exchange Competition"

Moreover, the invitation letter delivered to Feng Zhengming was also quite exquisite.

Jiang Chengzhe was surprised when he saw it: "This is really a big deal, a gold-stamped invitation card, and the words are actually handwritten. It looks like the words must have been specially written by a calligraphy master.

The key point is that the invitation words are also very well written, and they really have an ancient flavor, reflecting the etiquette of the state of Qi and Lu. "

Feng Zhengming was not in much of a mood to joke. He just felt that this kind of invitational competition was really boring.

The name of the competition is indeed big enough, but in reality it is not really intended to inherit and promote Shandong cuisine.

To put it bluntly, they just take advantage of this competition to introduce a few chefs they have selected.

Just like Jiang Chengzhe said, whether Feng Zhengming goes or not, the outcome is not something he can control.

The other party has made such a big fuss, and the name of the competition alone is enough to attract the attention of many people at home and abroad.

It can also be predicted that the other party's approach will also gain the support of Shandong cuisine masters including Master Yan.

At that time, Cheng Guosheng only needs to display his strength normally.

Then both he and Jubinyuan will gain enough fame.

Even if Feng Zhengming does not show up, it will not affect the effect they want to achieve.

After some thought, Feng Zhengming suddenly smiled.

“Since Shandong cuisine chefs from all over the world are invited to participate, does that mean that we can all participate? I want to bring the young chefs from the Shanghai branch back with me.

And I asked all the young chefs from all over Qilu to go to Quancheng to participate in this competition."

Feng Zhengming's words stunned Jiang Chengzhe and others.

Feng Zhengming then smiled and said, "Since they want this momentum, then we will give them this momentum. I want all Shandong cuisine chefs to participate together." Jiang Chengzhe came to his senses and asked, "But they are inviting famous Shandong cuisine chefs to participate. Are you sure they will let them participate if you bring young chefs?"

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "This is easy. Since they want famous chefs to participate, then we can let everyone become famous chefs."

Soon Cheng Guosheng and his investors witnessed Feng Zhengming's methods.

Feng Zhengming first accepted an interview on Shanghai TV.

Then he invited TV stations from all over the country to interview him, and later even the central radio station was invited to interview him.

During the interview, Feng Zhengming expressed it very frankly.

"I support the holding of this International Shandong Cuisine Master Chef Exchange Competition, which is a good competition for the inheritance and promotion of our Shandong cuisine.

However, I think that since it is a Shandong cuisine chef competition, equal opportunities should be given to Shandong cuisine chefs from all over the world.

Let everyone sign up to participate, and maybe some experts will emerge among the people.

The so-called masters also grow up little by little from ordinary chefs.

Therefore, I suggest that the scope of the competition be expanded to allow more capable young Shandong cuisine chefs to have the opportunity to participate.”

Feng Zhengming's remarks during the interview naturally caused an uproar.

On the one hand, his statement, in everyone's opinion, was promoting such a competition.

Moreover, the competition, which was originally limited to Qilu or even just the more well-known Quancheng, has become more popular.

All of a sudden it really became an international event.

It has attracted the attention of Shandong cuisine chefs from all over the country and even some overseas.

On the other hand, Feng Zhengming's statement can be regarded as forcing the organizers of the event to relax the threshold for chefs to register for the competition.

Not only the chefs invited by them, but many Shandong cuisine chefs from all over the world are also eligible to sign up for the competition.

In order to add weight to the competition, Feng Zhengming simply contacted Kofman overseas.

Invite Kofman to participate and watch the game.

Feng Zhengming personally returned to Quancheng and held meetings with the master chefs, the Provincial Chefs Association, and even the province to discuss the matter.

The hosting rights were directly taken back from the investors behind Jubinyuan to the Chefs Association.

Immediately afterwards, Feng Zhengming made a public statement.

“As the champion of the national cooking competition, I think it is unfair for me to participate in the competition, so I will not participate in the normal competition this time, but I have invited several Shandong cuisine masters, and we will have an exhibition match together.

This is a good start for the International Shandong Cuisine Master Chef Challenge, and I hope more young and outstanding Shandong cuisine chefs will emerge.”

As soon as Feng Zhengming took over, he immediately changed his previous humble attitude.

Openly put yourself on the same level as the old masters.

In the blink of an eye, he went from being an invited chef to a judge of this competition, on par with the old chefs.

At the same time, he will also have an exhibition match with the masters.

The name of the competition was even changed to Shandong Cuisine Master Chef Challenge.

That is to say, after the exhibition match, he and the masters will also accept challenges from the winners of the competition.

In a one-on-one challenge, if one fails to succeed, his status will still be lower than Feng Zhengming and the masters.

When Cheng Guosheng saw this situation, he got angry directly at his investors.

"What's wrong with you? Didn't we agree to use Feng Zhengming to participate in the competition to elevate my status? How come it has become that he is of the same generation as my master and I am his junior?

I am participating in this competition, and I have to compete with those juniors? What does this mean?"

Faced with Cheng Guosheng's questioning, the group of people who invested in him felt somewhat helpless.

“I’m sorry, Master Cheng, we really can’t influence the competition this time because Feng Zhengming has brought in a bigger sponsor, and he is the president of the Chefs Association and a national champion supported by the province.

He is indeed qualified to lead this competition, so we can only follow his arrangements."

Cheng Guosheng was surprised: "Can Feng Zhengming attract a more powerful sponsor?"

The investor nodded: "This time he invited two wealthy people from Hong Kong City and Macau City to sponsor, and several domestic bosses also participated in the sponsorship, and even his own sauce factory sponsored it.

Compared with them, the money we invested in early publicity is not worth mentioning at all.”

Upon hearing this, Cheng Guosheng sat down dejectedly.

At this moment, he has truly accepted his fate.

Compared with the sponsors that Feng Zhengming was able to invite, the investors behind Cheng Guosheng are indeed not worth mentioning.

Maybe he is just a wealthy man in Hong Kong or Macau, and the investors behind Cheng Guosheng can still fight back.

However, two wealthy people participated in the sponsorship, and many domestic bosses also contributed funds.

There is also sponsorship from the sauce factory in which Feng Zhengming himself owns shares.

Such a large team of sponsors is simply not comparable to the investors behind Cheng Guosheng.

So Feng Zhengming took over the entire game directly.

Even the name of the competition was changed.

As for the various rules of the competition, they were all changed at will by Feng Zhengming.

Fortunately, as an invited Shandong cuisine master chef, Cheng Guosheng does not have to start by competing with young chefs.

But Feng Zhengming still invited Shandong cuisine chefs from all over the country and abroad, including several of his senior brothers, to participate.

This puts enormous pressure on Cheng Guosheng.

At the same time, Feng Zhengming directly put himself on par with the old masters.

You can also have a showdown with the chefs to learn cooking skills.

This clearly tells everyone that he, Feng Zhengming, is already a master of Shandong cuisine, and that ordinary young Shandong cuisine chefs are his juniors.

Even the Shandong cuisine chefs of the same generation can only challenge him but cannot stand on the same level with him.

Feng Zhengming's arrangement and changes to the competition rules were also recognized by the veteran players.

The reason is simple, although Feng Zhengming has elevated his position.

But we also give every master enough respect.

The old chefs are still the masters of Shandong cuisine.

No matter how many competitions are held in this way, the status of the masters will only become more solid.

Feng Zhengming himself has also consolidated his position among Shandong cuisine chefs.

Cheng Guosheng sighed helplessly.

He understood that he really had no way to challenge Feng Zhengming's authority.

He became the best in the country by cooking Shandong cuisine.

Moreover, if Feng Zhengming had not opened four restaurants in Shanghai at once, Shandong cuisine would have long been a thing of the past in the competition with other cuisines from other places, and its real decline would not even be mentioned.

But because of Feng Zhengming, no one dares to look down on Shandong cuisine anymore.

Feng Zhengming's success in Shanghai also proved to everyone that Shandong cuisine is not out of date.

Therefore, no one would question Feng Zhengming's qualifications and authority to lead the "International Shandong Cuisine Master Chef Challenge".

The investors looked at each other, and then the person who had the best relationship with Cheng Guosheng spoke.

"Guosheng, are you still going to participate in this competition?"

Cheng Guosheng was stunned when he heard this question, but then he raised his head.

"Yes, at least we can't lose to those young chefs. We didn't expect to defeat Feng Zhengming in this competition, so as long as it can improve the reputation of Jubin Garden, I must participate in the competition." (End of this chapter)