From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

In the evening, in front of Jufengde’s door, Feng Zhengming personally escorted the two grandfathers and the masters to the door.

Naturally, he did not go in. To avoid suspicion, he did not go in to participate in the judging.

The other two groups of reviewers have already entered Jufengde.

There are also quite a lot of customers in Jufengde in the evening.

Among the other two groups of reviewers, one group actually had to wait in line.

Grandpa Feng Zhengming and the two masters stepped into Jufengde together.

There was no waiter to greet us, nor was there any chef in the kitchen.

And it can be seen that because there are many customers, Jufengde is quite busy and crowded.

Just the experience of entering the door alone is enough to deduct points from everyone's mind.

Master Su felt helpless, and even had a wry smile on his face when he looked at the other masters.

Master Yan comforted him in a low voice: "It's okay, this is more authentic. After all, Jufengde is our old brand in Quancheng. It's normal that its service is not as good as the other ones."

When Master Su heard Master Yan's words of comfort, he felt even worse.

"It looks like Jufengde is going to lose face this time."

In fact, Master Su was somewhat helpless.

Jufengde has a good reputation, and the management rights have always been in the province.

Therefore, Jufengde’s business performance is definitely not as good as those of the other restaurants.

But Jufengde has a good reputation and has never lacked customers.

It is natural that most of the managers in charge of running Jufengde are more or less arrogant and unwilling to learn the route of combining service with quality control from other restaurants.

They didn't have to wait long before a service staff took the initiative to receive them.

He led them upstairs and took them to the private room that had been booked in advance.

After sitting in the private room, the service staff was quite diligent and provided various services.

But after experiencing it, I found it much more stiff than Huiquanlou and Jubinyuan.

The two grandfathers and the masters didn't mind too much.

After all, everyone knows that Jufengde does not pay attention to this aspect, and we are more looking forward to some of Jufengde's dishes.

Perhaps the only one who felt a little panicked was Master Su.

The main reason is that the contrast with Huiquan Tower and Jubin Garden is too strong.

Especially compared with Jubinyuan, which provides more meticulous services, Jufengde seems to be forced to join the market unwillingly.

Master Su is now very grateful to Feng Zhengming.

If he had not held a small meeting in the afternoon and emphasized to everyone that Jufengde and Taifenglou, as time-honored brands, could not be judged entirely by today's standards, but must still respect and maintain traditions.

Perhaps just based on the series of experiences starting from the entrance, Jufengde would hardly be rated even as a four-star hotel.

In the hall, one of the other two groups of judges had already seen the dishes served.

The other group finally got their table.

Before we sat down, the service staff cleaned the table quickly and cleanly.

From this point of view, it gives the judges a better impression.

Feng Zonghe and Mr. Situ ordered some of Jufengde’s famous dishes, such as cooked shrimp slices and stir-fried chicken.

These two dishes are considered classic traditional Shandong cuisine, and are also one of the dishes that made Jufengde famous.

Master Su went for the high level and ordered the Deep-fried Double Crispy Dishes and Nine-Turn Large Intestines.

The other chefs saw that Master Su had already ordered the fried crispy dishes.

They also ordered a few traditional classic Shandong dishes.

In fact, the recommendation guide includes ratings for restaurants and eateries, as well as many snack bars.

Most are judged by common dishes.

After all, common dishes are the foundation of a restaurant.

Most customers will not order strange dishes when they come to the restaurant. Instead, they will order dishes that they like to eat and common dishes in restaurants.

Unless you want to go to Feng Zhengming's store, you might look forward to some of his innovations.

So it was in the Zheng Luxing store on Feng Zhengming’s Shanghai Western Restaurant Street.

Most customers may order different dishes every time they go.

The store always launches some interesting new products to attract customers.

Different from other new products launched by Western or Chinese restaurants.

The new products in Feng Zhengming's store are often the result of long-term research by him and everyone in the kitchen, and have received unanimous praise from everyone.

After he breaks it down and simplifies it step by step, it will finally be put on the menu and served to customers.

Therefore, many customers will feel that, although it is a new dish, the serving speed is not slow, and the experience feels like an old dish that has existed for a long time.

This is determined by Feng Zhengming's personal ability, which is indeed beyond the reach of others.

So it was just like what Feng Zhengming said in a special meeting to the reviewers.

For time-honored brands like Jufengde and Taifenglou, there is no need to make too many innovations. What is important is to stick to tradition.

The greatest achievement of Jufengde and Taifenglou is to pass on the traditional craftsmanship and classic Shandong cuisine.

Jufengde and Taifenglou do belong to the same style.

Including the waiting time for food at both restaurants, it is actually relatively long.

Of course, we cannot blame the two restaurants for this.

After all, many of the cooking techniques of the two families still follow the traditional Shandong cuisine techniques.

Without a genius like Feng Zhengming who can break down the technical steps, it would be slow to do it step by step.

Moreover, Jufengde’s cooking is more old-fashioned, and they insist on doing it in a proper and traditional way.

So although the dishes are not served quickly, each dish on the table basically follows the way the traditional dishes should be.

If you compare it with old recipes, you will find that Jufengde’s dishes are indeed exactly the same as described in the old recipes.

After the dishes were served, Chef Su's expression naturally improved.

Several old chefs are quite satisfied with the cooking skills of the new chef of Jufengde.

It can be said that every dish is cooked to perfection.

You could say that Jufengde lacks the quality of service and fancy plating arrangements of Jubinyuan.

You can also say that Jufengde does not have some of the original features of Huiquanlou.

But you really can't say that Jufengde's dishes are wrong or bad.

The group of judges who sat downstairs first had almost finished eating.

They paid the bill and walked out of Jufengde, and bumped into Feng Zhengming outside.

Feng Zhengming smiled and asked directly: "How is it?"

Everyone looked at each other, and it was the team leader who answered first.

"Jufengde's traditional craftsmanship is truly amazing. Each dish is cooked to perfection, just as I saw in the description on the recipe, and they all tasted really good."

He paused here and said, "Yes, the overall service experience is indeed much worse." The team leader had already spoken, and naturally everyone else followed suit.

"The seating inside is still arranged in a very traditional way. When there are too many people, it will seem a bit crowded, and if people talk too loudly to each other, it will really have an impact."

“In terms of the environment, it is indeed not as good as Huiquanlou and Jubinyuan, especially Jubinyuan, which is really a great experience.”

"But in terms of the price of dishes, the prices of dishes in a large restaurant like Jufengde are not very high. They are within the range that everyone can afford, and they are indeed very good."

"And the cooking skills of the chef at Jufengde are really amazing. The dishes we ordered have maintained the same standard after so many years."

After listening to the description of the first group of reviewers.

Feng Zhengming was not surprised at all.

The advantages and disadvantages of Jufengde and Taifenglou have always been very obvious.

In today's era, it is not easy for them to stick to the old taste.

But it is true that because of its adherence to traditional things, the restaurant does not have much competitiveness in terms of service.

Most of the furnishings are old, which makes it difficult to attract young people.

But Feng Zhengming still feels that such a Jufengde should continue to exist.

This is not nostalgia, it is a respect for traditional heritage.

The second group of reviewers came out later, and their reactions to Feng Zhengming were not much different from those of the first group.

Some individuals may have their own subjective feelings, but it cannot be denied that Jufengde’s dishes are indeed excellent.

Feng Zhengming asked the two groups to get on the arranged car first and took them back to the hotel to rest.

After all, we may need to go to other restaurants in various parts of Qi and Lu.

Feng Zhengming and his wife Luo Qing took their daughter and waited in the car for the two grandfathers and the professional team of masters to come out.

In the meantime, Feng Zhengming even went to buy some food for his wife and daughter.

Feng Zhengming’s wife, daughter and he all like some of the street snacks.

Finally, accompanied by the current chef in charge of the kitchen of Jufengde and the current manager of Jufengde, the old masters walked out.

Feng Zhengming saw through the car window that Master Su was talking to his apprentice in a constant manner.

It is not difficult to see that Master Su still needs to give instructions to his apprentice.

So that the apprentice can realize some of his shortcomings.

The manager came out with the masters, still politely hoping that the masters would be lenient when giving their scores.

The two grandfathers and the masters looked at each other, and finally just smiled and didn't say anything.

The manager and the chef both seemed a little worried.

The person was finally sent to the minibus.

Feng Zhengming got out of the car.

Seeing Feng Zhengming, the manager and the current head chef of Jufengde came forward and greeted Feng Zhengming.

"Hello, Mr. Feng. I didn't expect you to come here in person. Why don't you come in?"

"Junior Brother Feng, long time no see. If there is anything we cannot do, please explain it to us."

Feng Zhengming always had a smile on his face as he responded to the words of the manager and the chef.

"Don't be nervous, the two of you. I initiated the Qilu Restaurant Recommendation Guide, but I won't interfere with the judges' scoring, so I'll be waiting in the car outside and won't go in to interfere with the final result."

After hearing Feng Zhengming’s attitude, the two people from Jufengde understood.

They still need to find some old masters to help.

It is obvious that it is useless to ask Feng Zhengming for help directly.

But then Feng Zhengming gave the two of them another reminder.

"This is the first time we have launched a restaurant recommendation guide. All major restaurants in Shandong and Qilu should be included, but their ratings may be high or low.

I think Master and all the uncles and uncles in the senior division will be more lenient and not put too much pressure on you.

However, with this year's standards, future scoring may become more stringent.

Jufengde is a time-honored brand and a benchmark for Quancheng, Qilu and Shandong cuisine, so you two still need to work harder and keep up with things like service and tableware arrangement.”

Feng Zhengming has already put his words very bluntly.

This time, it is the first year that the restaurant recommendation guide is launched.

He will set more lenient conditions and will not make very strict ratings for restaurants.

But it doesn’t mean that you can rest easy in the future just because you have received five stars and been included in the recommended guide.

If some of the problems pointed out by Feng Zhengming and the old masters are not corrected in the next year.

There is a very high possibility that it will lose stars next year, or even be removed from the recommendation guide.

The two people from Jufengde could hear that Feng Zhengming attached great importance to the recommended guidelines.

The two did not plead for Jufengde anymore, but just said that they would make improvements.

"Please rest assured, Mr. Feng, we at Jufengde will definitely make improvements in the next year. We will improve our services, replace some non-compliant tableware, and rearrange the interior."

"Thank you, Junior Brother Feng, for giving us the opportunity at Jufengde. I will also lead everyone in the kitchen to stick to the old brand of Jufengde."

When Feng Zhengming heard what the head chef said, he looked at Master Su with a smile.

"Master Su, isn't this great? It seems that you have successors. I believe Jufengde will get better and better."

Master Su also showed a smile on his face.

Master Su was happy to be recognized by Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming also gave a reminder to the current head chef of Jufengde.

"Brother, Brother Kong's restaurant in Shanghai will also become famous this time, so I hope you can also help Jufengde go further and stabilize our firm position as a traditional Shandong cuisine restaurant."

The current head chef of Jufengde looked at Feng Zhengming.

He also looked back at Master Su.

Finally, he responded to Feng Zhengming with a smile.

"Thank you, Junior Brother Feng, for reminding me. I will defend Jufengde well, and at least it won't be worse than before Senior Brother Kong left."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Hahaha, that's right, Senior Brother. Show your aura as the head chef of Jufengde. If Senior Brother Kong comes back from Shanghai in the future, you must also give him a show of strength on behalf of Jufengde."

This time, Master Su finally couldn't help but speak.

"Zhengming, you bad boy, are you deliberately trying to stir up trouble? What do you mean by waiting for Kong Xingli to come back and then give him a warning? They are all brothers in the same sect, is there anyone like you who is behind this?"

As soon as Master Su said these anxious words, everyone laughed.

When everyone thought back to Feng Zhengming's words, they couldn't help but feel that he did seem to be deliberately instigating the situation.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Uncle Su, I am putting some pressure on you. Brother Kong is under a lot of pressure in Shanghai. You guys at Jufengde must do well too."

Master Su immediately looked serious: "If he can't do anything, he doesn't deserve to come back.

As for Jufengde, as long as our craftsmanship is passed down, Jufengde will never fall, and Jufengde will still be the best restaurant serving authentic traditional Shandong cuisine."

Hearing Master Su's powerful words, Feng Zhengming's face was filled with smiles.

This is what he hopes to see, the spirit that Jufengde should have. (End of this chapter)