From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

When chefs associations in various places were thinking about how to get Feng Zhengming to provide recommendation guides locally.

Feng Zhengming has returned to Shanghai with his wife Luo Qing and their daughter.

Unlike other chefs associations that wanted him to go, the Shanghai Chefs Association and the catering industry reacted somewhat indifferently to Feng Zhengming's return to Shanghai.

It seemed that he was still somewhat resentful of Feng Zhengming for lowering the rating of this old Shanghainese restaurant.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming did not explain to the Chefs Association or the catering industry after returning to Shanghai.

He and his wife brought their daughter back to Shanghai and first inspected their four stores in Shanghai.

During this period, all four stores have undergone some changes.

After this period of experience, Sun Hai no longer has to take care of everything in the store by himself as he did before.

He now knows how to coordinate the staff in the store and get along well with them while maintaining his authority as the store manager and head chef.

A lot of the work is no longer done by Sun Hai alone. Someone in the kitchen will take the initiative to do a lot of the work.

Feng Zhengming is very satisfied with this change.

This is what a good chef should be able to do.

The reason why a chef is a chef is not just because of his good cooking skills.

More importantly, be able to coordinate the staff in the kitchen.

You need to be able to get the kitchen staff to help you prepare each dish.

Oftentimes, when the chef creates some new dishes, whether they can be launched in the restaurant depends on whether other people in the kitchen can cooperate well.

With good staff cooperation, any new dish can be promoted quickly in the store.

This is why some dishes in cooking competitions are often impossible to make in the restaurant.

It is precisely because the dishes in the competition, when making them in the kitchen, under the condition of time limit, if the kitchen staff cannot cooperate well, it is impossible to make them in large quantities.

Feng Zhengming also learned these from his master in the kitchen of Yan Xilou.

In the original kitchen of Yan Xilou, the master was the head chef, but in fact the kitchen team was quite large.

At most times, there will be hundreds of people in the kitchen to ensure the efficiency and quality of the dishes.

Over the years, Feng Zhengming has been deliberately cultivating his own team.

However, he didn't want the people in the kitchen to just cooperate with him blindly.

Instead, it is to cultivate stronger comprehensive abilities of everyone in the kitchen.

It is just like the branches in Shanghai and Shandong today. The store managers and chefs can take charge of the business and run each branch very well.

But if Feng Zhengming needs them, they can gather around Feng Zhengming at any time.

Then you can also form a very powerful kitchen team with him.

These are the people Feng Zhengming has really wanted to train over the years.

When they are dispersed, they will all be truly excellent chefs who can stand on their own. No matter which restaurant they are placed in the kitchen, they will be the kind of chefs who support a restaurant.

If they gather together around Feng Zhengming, they can form a very strong team with Feng Zhengming.

This team of chefs is fully capable of handling all banquets.

Like Sun Hai, Sun Decai has also made progress.

He has grown rapidly during this period and is no longer the young man he used to be.

Now Sun Decai’s basic skills have been trained more solidly and he can cook independently.

Sun Decai can easily master the classic Shandong cuisine.

Of course, Sun Decai still lacks a little spirituality, and his tone is a little conservative.

This isn't really a problem.

It’s just because Sun Decai has not really grown up and cannot become an independent chef.

So when Feng Zhengming returned to Shanghai, he transferred Sun Decai back to the Western Restaurant on the street.

The branch was completely handed over to Sun Hai alone, who ran it with his new apprentice.

Sun Decai was transferred back to the branch of the Western Restaurant on the street, and Feng Zhengming arranged for him to follow Jiang Chengzhe.

"You should learn from Chef Jiang and see how he cooks and how he coordinates the kitchen staff. These are what you need to learn more about."

Sun Decai nodded very seriously and agreed: "I understand, uncle. I will study hard."

After arranging his four branches in Shanghai, everyone thought that Feng Zhengming was going to start preparing for the opening of the Old House Restaurant.

Feng Zhengming revealed an even more important piece of news.

He is going to officially accept a disciple.

After the news was released, Feng Zhengming and his wife invited Xia Hui and Sun Hai to dinner at their home.

At the dinner, Feng Zhengming asked Xia Hui directly: "You two have been with me for a long time. Sun Hai has been accepted as a disciple by my third senior brother, but you have never had the intention of becoming his disciple. Do you want to become my disciple?"

Xia Hui was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect Feng Zhengming to ask her so frankly.

She looked at Feng Zhengming, and then at Sister Luo Qing who was sitting next to her uncle.

Then he looked at Sun Hai next to him.

Then Xia Hui answered seriously: "Yes, I want to be your disciple."

Feng Zhengming: "Do you think you are ready to be a senior sister?"

"Sister?"

Xia Hui was shocked.

Sun Hai was also a little surprised.

However, Luo Qing looked at Xia Hui with a smile on her face.

Feng Zhengming smiled calmly: "Yes, Senior Sister, you should have heard that I am going to formally accept a disciple. If Xia Hui still wants to take me as your master, then you will be the Senior Sister from now on."

Xia Hui was still a little confused, but a look of joy slowly emerged on her face.

Over the years, she went from running the first Fengjia dry restaurant with Feng Zhengming to running a street food stall with Feng Zhengming at the train station.

Then I witnessed Feng Zhengming becoming the champion of the national cooking competition step by step.

Follow Feng Zhengming into the kitchen of Huiquanlou.

Then follow Feng Zhengming from Quancheng to Shanghai.

Having followed him till now, Xia Hui already feels like she is Feng Zhengming's apprentice.

Even many people around her tacitly accepted and regarded her as Feng Zhengming's apprentice.

Even when Feng Zhengming was not in the Western restaurant on the street, Jiang Chengzhe would tacitly let Xia Hui make many of the signature dishes designed by Feng Zhengming.

Xia Hui did not disappoint this trust and was able to reproduce Feng Zhengming's craftsmanship very closely.

But even in his heart he considered himself as Feng Zhengming's apprentice.

Even others tacitly accepted that she was Feng Zhengming's apprentice.

But as long as Feng Zhengming never acknowledged her and formally accepted her as his disciple, Xia Hui did not dare to reveal her identity as his disciple to others.

Now Feng Zhengming is finally going to officially accept disciples, and he wants to accept me as the first disciple.

This is a truly great honor for Xia Hui.

After a moment of silence, Xia Hui couldn't help but burst into tears.

Luo Qing handed Xia Hui a tissue and soothed her with a smile: "Why are you still crying? Don't be so excited. Your uncle, oh no, I'll say he's your master from now on. You've been working with your master since a long time ago, working hard and never complaining by his side. It's only a matter of time before you become his disciple."

Sun Hai was also very happy that Xia Hui could become Feng Zhengming's apprentice.

"Congratulations to Master Uncle for finally accepting a disciple, and congratulations to Huihui for finally getting your wish to become Master Uncle's disciple."

Feng Zhengming smiled and raised his glass: "Okay, let's all have a drink together."

The four of them raised their glasses together. At this time, Feng Nuanyou also raised her hand and pretended to raise her glass, babbling to celebrate together.

Seeing Feng Nuanyu's expression, Feng Zhengming and the others all laughed at once.

Since it is a formal apprenticeship, the apprenticeship ceremony should be more formal.

Soon Feng Zhengming formally informed his master and senior brothers.

He also informed several master craftsmen and Xia Hui's family.

He also announced that this time the disciple-recruiting meeting would be held in Quancheng.

When Jiang Chengzhe learned the news, he also congratulated Feng Zhengming and Xia Hui.

"Of course, you two will officially become master and disciple now. It's no longer like before, where you always have to call me uncle or uncle. From now on, you can call me master."

Xia Hui was also very happy when Jiang Chengzhe congratulated her: "I am lucky to be the first disciple of Master."

Jiang Chengzhe joked: "You changed your mind so quickly? It seems like you've been planning this for a long time."

Xia Hui did not hide it: "Yes, ever since I was introduced to Master Feng's dry rice shop, I have always wanted to become his disciple, but Master did not accept disciples at that time."

Jiang Chengzhe sighed: "You will be the eldest senior sister in the future. This generation is very high."

Xia Hui: "That's not as senior as yours."

Jiang Chengzhe: "Your master didn't consider seniority with me, otherwise I would really have to change my words and call him Uncle Master."

Xia Hui was surprised: "Why did you change your name to Uncle Master?"

Jiang Chengzhe was helpless: "Even if I am a junior in Gangcheng, if my master really ranks people by seniority, I would be Master Yan's junior, so I must be demoted to a lower generation."

Jiang Chengzhe then said, "However, we don't belong to the same cuisine, so my master and Master Yan are equals, and I am also equal to your master."

Xia Hui smiled and said, "Okay, I'll call you Uncle Jiang from now on."

Jiang Chengzhe also smiled: "Okay."

The news of Feng Zhengming accepting a disciple was indeed quite a sensation.

After all, he is now very famous both inside and outside the culinary industry.

Many people were very curious about his first formal apprenticeship.

After inquiring, I learned that this was Feng Zhengming's first time accepting disciples, and he only accepted Xia Hui as a formal disciple, while the others were temporarily regarded as apprentices and not considered disciples.

Many people also began to inquire about Xia Hui's situation, wanting to know the specific identity of this chef who was accepted as Feng Zhengming's first apprentice.

Naturally, everyone soon learned that Xia Hui was from the Xia family, which originated Confucius cuisine.

Moreover, Xia Hui was the first young chef to follow Feng Zhengming.

In this way, everyone felt it was not surprising that Xia Hui was accepted as the first disciple.

Feng Zhengming made some arrangements in Shanghai, and this time he even closed down four stores in Shanghai.

Then he asked everyone to go to Quancheng to watch the ceremony of accepting disciples.

Jiang Chengzhe was a little amused and confused about this arrangement.

"Chef Feng, you are so arrogant now. In order to accept an apprentice, you let us all close down together."

Feng Zhengming: "Chef Jiang, don't you understand?"

Jiang Chengzhe was stunned, but soon he understood some of Feng Zhengming's ideas.

The reason why the four stores in Shanghai are temporarily closed for a few days.

The first is to give everyone a break and have a rest, and the second is to give the Shanghai Chefs Association and the catering industry a little bit of a warning.

He wanted to let them know that without Feng Zhengming, the Shanghai Chefs Association and the catering industry would not be able to thrive.

Upon learning that Feng Zhengming's four stores were closing down, many people in Shanghai's catering industry were excited.

They thought this was a good opportunity for them to counterattack and attract customers from Feng Zhengming's store to their own store.

Even some restaurants have already started planning.

Kong Xingli got the news and heard his investor talking to him about wanting to attract Feng Zhengming's customers.

He scoffed at this: "If you want to pull me, you can figure it out on your own. I have to tell you in advance that I will also go to Quancheng to watch the ceremony. It's a big deal for Feng Zhuangyuan to accept an apprentice, and I, a Shandong cuisine master chef, must be there."

The investor was puzzled by Kong Xingli's actions: "Chef Kong, what do you mean by this? This is clearly a good opportunity for us to make a name for ourselves."

Kong Xingli: "Become famous? You are just being unclear and can't see the other person's strength at all."

Not wanting to explain further to the investors, Kong Xingli gathered his apprentices and explained the matters in the kitchen to them.

Then he booked a plane ticket back to Quancheng and rushed back to Quancheng to prepare to participate in Feng Zhengming's apprenticeship.

At the same time, Master Wang and Master Hou in the capital also got the news and prepared to arrive.

There are also master chefs from all over the country who have a good relationship with Feng Zhengming. They either personally bring their apprentices to the Spring City to watch the ceremony, or send a congratulatory letter to Feng Zhengming in advance.

Feng Zhengming arranged everything and led everyone back to Quancheng.

After returning to Quancheng, Feng Zhengming first took Xia Hui to visit his master.

Master Yan was very happy to see Xia Hui.

"Xiao Hui finally got what she wanted. She finally became my disciple."

Xia Hui kowtowed to Master Yan very respectfully.

"Thank you for introducing me to Master. Otherwise, I would not have had the opportunity to become his disciple."

Master Yan: "Get up, get up. It is your fate that you can become master and apprentice. I am just connecting you to this fate."

Feng Zhengming: "I really have to thank Master. Xia Hui is a very good apprentice. She can already cook most of my dishes. She works really hard."

Master Yan: "This shows that you are a good master. Not only did you teach her the skills well, but you also taught her some good qualities."

Feng Zhengming: "In fact, Xia Hui owes a lot of her knowledge to her Third Senior Brother."

Xia Hui: "Master, you taught me a lot of concepts, and you personally practiced the basic skills, which also touched me a lot. Without your personal teaching, I would not work so hard."

Master Yan smiled and nodded: "Look, this is a very good master-disciple relationship between you two."

Feng Zhengming and Xia Hui looked at each other. There was really no need to say anything more between the master and the disciple.

Their master-disciple relationship is destined to be closer than that of other disciples.

Because they worked together from the bottom up step by step.

Xia Hui understands Master’s efforts very well, and is also aware of how difficult it is for Master to make every progress.

Feng Zhengming also witnessed Xia Hui's growth.

It can be said that they are master and apprentice, but also comrades-in-arms who work side by side.

This kind of friendship may be difficult for ordinary masters and apprentices to understand.

Master Yan: "Well, I heard that Zhengming, you have made a grand preparation for accepting a disciple this time. Master, I will wait for you to witness your apprenticeship ceremony and taste your cooking skills."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Welcome, Master. We will do our best to serve you." (End of this chapter)