From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Over the next few days, Feng Zhengming, along with his two senior fellow students, Xia Hui, Sun Decai, Tang Yong, and Lu Haisheng, officially entered the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

They were not allowed to stay in hotels, but had to move to secluded, specially arranged accommodations.

Feng Zhengming originally wanted his wife to take their daughter back first, but Luo Qing refused to go back first.

"Didn't I also go to Hongcheng alone last time? This time I'm bringing my daughter, but Beijing won't be as dangerous as Hongcheng. Besides, Mengran is with me, so you can go and do your thing without worry."

My daughter and I have found a shop for you at the hotel, and we're waiting for you to complete your mission smoothly.

Feng Zhengming did not expect his wife to be so insistent, and this time she even wanted to bring their daughter along.

Fortunately, Tao Mengran was there in the capital to help take care of things.

Seeing his wife's insistence, Feng Zhengming had no choice but to agree to let her stay in Beijing with their daughter.

Anyway, I let my wife and daughter stay in the hotel, and the hotel arranged all kinds of facilities very well.

If you need to go out, you can have Tao Mengran drive over to pick you up, which is quite convenient.

Feng Zhengming also promised Tao Mengran and her husband that once he was done with his work, he would invite them to Shanghai so he could personally host them at his old-style restaurant as a token of his gratitude.

He said goodbye to his wife and daughter, and the little girl seemed to know that her father would be gone for a long time.

So the little girl clung to her father's neck, unwilling to let go, and stayed snuggled in his arms.

It's quite amusing to everyone who sees it.

After Feng Zhengming talked to his daughter for a long time, the little girl seemed to understand and let go of her father's neck.

Feng Zhengming handed his daughter to his wife to hold, and then kissed her forehead one last time.

After formally saying goodbye to his wife and daughter, he and the others boarded the minibus that was picking them up.

Feng Nuanyou only started crying in her mother's arms after the minibus drove away.

Tao Mengran stood to the side, watching the little girl cry so sadly.

Luo Qing comforted her daughter, saying, "Okay, Daddy's going to work. He'll be back when he's done. Don't cry like this. It's okay. We've had times when we didn't see Daddy for a long time before."

Feng Nuanyou gradually calmed down, only sobbing softly in her mother's arms.

Tao Mengran looked at the little girl and said, "She really has a very good relationship with her father."

Luo Qing: "Yes, she's her father's little darling."

Tao Mengran: "Then I want to have a son in the future. I can't let my daughter be so close to her father and leave me out."

Luo Qing laughed immediately after hearing this: "You should spend more time with your child. Children always prefer their mothers."

Then Luo Qing and Tao Mengran returned to the hotel together.

Feng Nuanyou cried for a long time, soaking Luo Qing's clothes, so Luo Qing had to go upstairs to change.

Feng Zhengming and his group took a minibus, which took them to their dormitory first.

It was the same place where Feng Zhengming and his fellow apprentices had previously attended the state banquet.

Returning here again, Feng Zhengming and his two senior brothers felt somewhat familiar with the place.

Xia Hui, Sun Decai, Tang Yong, and Lu Haisheng were very curious.

They looked at the old buildings outside and the greenery in the entire courtyard.

I just think this kind of place is really nice as a dormitory.

This time, Feng Zhengming and his group were not assigned to a separate dormitory building.

They were put up in the guesthouse here.

The guesthouse is furnished with a complete set of antique furniture.

It's clear that it has been used for many years.

The reception staff responsible for welcoming Feng Zhengming and his group also gave an introduction.

"During the first National Culinary Competition, some of the chefs from various regions who came to participate stayed here."

Feng Zhengming laughed when he heard this: "So, we've come to pay our respects to the place where our former masters once fought."

These words amused the staff.

"Haha, Scholar Feng really knows how to talk."

Feng Zhengming told everyone to go back to their rooms and tidy up first.

Then I asked the receptionist about the next steps.

The staff didn't stand on ceremony with Feng Zhengming either.

"Next, you'll need to go to the kitchen. Time is tight. The menu you ordered in advance and all the ingredients have been delivered, but you still need to confirm them and arrange the follow-up work."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Okay, I'll pack up and head over with my people in a bit."

Receptionist: "Thank you for your understanding and support, Mr. Feng."

Feng Zhengming: "When you get here, you don't need to call me Scholar Feng, just call me Chef Feng."

The receptionist nodded: "Chef Feng, please get ready first. Our car will be waiting for you downstairs."

Feng Zhengming: "Thank you, you've worked hard."

Afterwards, Feng Zhengming quickly tidied himself up and changed into the simple and plain chef's uniform prepared by the kitchen staff of the Great Hall of the People.

Feng Zhengming picked up his chef's knife case and left the room.

Just then, the two senior brothers and the others had already changed their clothes and came out.

It's clear that everyone is quite excited.

They went downstairs together and boarded the waiting minibus again.

This time, we're taking Feng Zhengming and his group to the Great Hall of the People.

After a security check, they re-entered the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

Everyone in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People was already waiting here.

Feng Zhengming put on his chef's hat and walked into the kitchen very formally, first bowing to everyone in the kitchen.

"Hello everyone, we will be working together from now on. I hope we can cooperate happily and make the National Day banquet and the welcome banquet for our athletes a success."

I am a young chef from a small town, and I am very apprehensive about being selected as the head chef.

If there's anything I did poorly, please feel free to point it out, and I will humbly accept and learn from it.

Feng Zhengming's words won applause from everyone in the kitchen.

No one had any objection to Feng Zhengming being appointed as the head chef.

It wasn't just because Feng Zhengming participated in the state banquet upon the return of the nation, nor because he was the national culinary champion.

Rather, it was from the moment he arrived here that everyone admired and respected him for his meticulous preparations for the state banquet and welcoming feast.

Many dishes can actually be made by most chefs.

However, there are some details that many chefs may not even notice.

This is also the difference between an average chef and a master chef.

Therefore, the fact that Feng Zhengming was able to gain the approval of everyone in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People is enough to show that he does have his own unique approach, a approach that others may not be able to learn, but which is very important.

Next, Feng Zhengming directly assigned tasks to the kitchen staff.

The chefs who were originally in charge of various kitchen tasks continued to perform their duties.

Feng Zhengming's two senior brothers each led a separate group, working with Feng Zhengming to create some uniquely designed dishes.

Xia Hui, Sun Decai, Tang Yong, and Lu Haisheng were all in a group personally led by Feng Zhengming.

Once everything was assigned, the kitchen in the Great Hall of the People immediately began to bustle with activity.

The work in the kitchen is often no different.

The kitchen of the Great Hall of the People also needs to do some food preparation work.

The difference is that the amount of materials prepared for the Great Hall of the People will be much larger.

Because each banquet held at the Great Hall of the People involves nearly a thousand people, the division of labor in the kitchen is often much clearer.

Everyone is responsible for a specific area and completes their work in a timely manner.

When Feng Zhengming is in charge of command and dispatch, his division of labor is more detailed.

He had discussed the arrangements with the chefs in each group in advance, and each group was responsible for different aspects of the process and for which dishes they would be primarily responsible for.

Then, within each group, the work process will be further divided: who will be in charge of the water station, who will be in charge of cutting and preparing the ingredients, who will be in charge of all the ingredients, who will be in charge of the final cooking, and who will be responsible for plating.

Separating the various processes actually puts even greater demands on the coordination of the kitchen staff.

At the same time, under Feng Zhengming's command and dispatch, if a minor problem occurs in any link, someone will immediately take remedial action.

Although the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People may seem to use a lot of ingredients, waste is not allowed in practice.

It's probably hard to see dozens of people grinding shrimp together at a water tank unless you're in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

It's even harder to see dozens of people peeling cabbages layer by layer together.

There were also scenes of dozens of people cutting meat into cubes and slices together.

If there were cameras recording in the kitchen at this time, it would truly be a spectacular sight.

Chef Feng Zhengming needs to constantly move back and forth in the main kitchen.

Go check the progress of each group of chefs, and pay special attention to whether all the ingredients are used.

Some ingredients that might not be used in large restaurants elsewhere are required here.

We cannot waste even a tiny bit of material.

Therefore, the chicken, duck, and large bones used for making soup in the kitchen may also be used for employee meals later.

The staff meals are not just for the kitchen staff, but also for the many staff and service personnel in the auditorium.

After a period of busy work, the materials are almost ready.

The next step is to rehearse the process to ensure the cooking and serving times are precise.

The cooking time for each dish also needs to be recorded precisely.

The time should be factored into the dinner date as well.

Feng Zhengming carefully recorded the situation of each group, especially making sure to keep track of the time.

Some tasks were completed under tight deadlines, but Feng Zhengming would allow more time for them.

"Try to avoid any mishaps at the time, and don't do it right on time. Remember to do these things a little earlier, and you can put them in the warming cabinet for a short while, as long as it's not too long."

"The timing of the soup is crucial; guests must not be able to detect any unusual taste in it."

“That’s absolutely not acceptable. All the bones must be removed, leaving no residue. After removing the bones, tie it up and reshape it.”

"All the shrimp need to be deveined. Before serving, you can peel off all the shells from the back of the shrimp."

"Only use the cabbage leaves, the stalks can't be used. We can make a stir-fried cabbage with vinegar for the staff meal later."

"If there's not enough water, add more. Remember not to let the pot boil; the water in the pot must never boil."

Feng Zhengming walked back and forth many times, taking full control of almost every detail.

Near the final confirmation, a leader in charge of the banquet came to the kitchen.

Feng Zhengming was called out from the kitchen.

Upon seeing the visiting leaders, Feng Zhengming remained neither humble nor arrogant.

The leader smiled and extended his hand to him.

"You've worked hard, Feng Zhuangyuan. We specially invited you to be in charge of the National Day celebrations and to welcome the athletes because your culinary skills are also the best in the country. So, it's perfect that you cook for our athletes, which will match their good results this time."

Feng Zhengming: "It is my honor. Compared with them, I am only proficient in domestic cooking. Unlike them, I can go abroad to win glory for the country."

"Haha, our top scholar Feng has always been so humble."

Feng Zhengming: "I'm not being modest. I always remember my master's words. I am a chef, and my job is to make good food so that everyone who eats my food can enjoy delicious food."

Hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the leaders present all wore smiles.

This is also why they chose Feng Zhengming.

Although Feng Zhengming's various stores have been very commercialized.

It could even be said that his dry rice shop fast food restaurant is doing very well and has won the favor of many people.

He also bought an old villa and transformed it into a high-end restaurant in his own way.

But whether it's a fast food restaurant or the restaurant in the old villa.

No one would say that Feng Zhengming's cooking is bad.

He and all the chefs under his Zhengluxing Company were extremely meticulous about every dish.

This is something that many of today's most renowned top chefs cannot uphold.

So everyone hopes that he can open a store in the capital.

Ideally, he himself could come to Kyoto to manage the shop here.

Of course, this cannot be forced; it depends on Feng Zhengming's own decision.

I took a walk around the kitchen and saw everyone working busily and meticulously.

The leaders were quite satisfied.

Especially impressive is how quickly Feng Zhengming was able to get up to speed and direct and manage everything in the kitchen so well.

The kitchen staff, with its large number of people, seemed to be nothing compared to Feng Zhengming.

This really made everyone look at him in a different light again.

It's remarkable that the kitchen staff of the Great Hall of the People were able to coordinate and direct operations so effectively in such a short time.

This is definitely not something that can be achieved simply by having good cooking skills.

This also shows that Feng Zhengming is not only a good cook, but also has a good grasp of all the details of cooking, which is why he is able to direct and coordinate people so well.

After the tour, the leaders were very satisfied and gave Feng Zhengming and his team some encouragement.

This can be considered an acknowledgment of Feng Zhengming's various designs and preparations in the kitchen.

Even the sample dishes did not receive any further comments.

“Very good, everything will be done according to your ideas, Chef Feng. These all meet the requirements.”

Feng Zhengming nodded and smiled: "Thank you for your trust, leaders. We guarantee that we will successfully complete this National Day banquet and the welcome dinner for the athletes."

"Okay, very good, we look forward to Chef Feng's performance."

After seeing off the leaders, Feng Zhengming and the kitchen staff breathed a sigh of relief.

The two senior brothers and several master chefs gathered in front of Feng Zhengming.

"It seems we've successfully passed the review this time, and now we just have to wait until National Day."

"It's not that we'll officially wait until National Day; we'll start preparing for the next few nights."

"Yes, we need to prepare every day until National Day."

“You may not be familiar with it, but we’re used to it. We start before National Day every year and stay busy until National Day.”

"Don't worry, you'll get a holiday for National Day."

Feng Zhengming and his two senior brothers exchanged a smile.

He made a joke with the chefs in the Great Hall of the People's kitchen.

"It's actually easier for us now that we're here. Otherwise, our shop would be even busier during the National Day holiday every year."

The two senior brothers nodded in agreement.

This really amused all the chefs in the Great Hall's kitchen. (End of Chapter)