From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

In fact, because there were quite a few people in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, the afternoon was dedicated to the preparations for the banquet, and the tasks were divided among everyone, so there wasn't much work to do.

Just like when you need to grind shrimp, the workload is obviously different when one person grinds shrimp versus ten people grinding shrimp.

Feng Zhengming also truly felt the power of "many hands make light work".

With so many people working together in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, it must seem relatively relaxed.

Unlike the kitchens of Feng Zhengming's own restaurants, where the preparation process is quite arduous with fewer staff, this kitchen is much more challenging.

Moreover, restaurants and eateries often serve dishes that require freshly killed and prepared.

This will undoubtedly increase the workload for the kitchen staff.

At state banquets, more reliable dishes are usually prepared.

Most of the dishes are prepared by stewing, boiling, steaming, or frying.

What these dishes all have in common is that they can almost all be prepared in advance.

This way, when the banquet begins, the final cooking can be completed in batches, and then the dishes can be plated and served directly.

Therefore, the most difficult part of preparing dishes for state banquets is not cooking them, but rather designing the menu in the beginning.

There's also the process of preparing all the ingredients for these dishes in the early stages.

The afternoons are not so busy, and many young chefs in the Great Hall's kitchen will specifically seek out Feng Zhengming for a chat.

From their initiative in striking up conversations, Feng Zhengming could roughly sense that many of them hoped to become his apprentices or, if given the opportunity, work in his shop.

Feng Zhengming understood their meaning and gave them a relatively clear answer.

"I currently only have Xia Hui as my formal apprentice, and five others are temporarily apprentices. I brought three of them with me this time, and two others are at my branch in Hongcheng, Jiangxi Province."

So if you want to become my apprentice, you might have to work even busier and harder than you do in the kitchen here.

Furthermore, I have strict requirements for accepting apprentices; I don't want my reputation to be used arbitrarily.

The young kitchen helpers all expressed their understanding.

"Understood. Scholar Feng, your skills are so excellent, and your status is so special, it's natural that you can't just take on apprentices casually."

"Yes, your apprentice must be someone with exceptional skills."

"I'm not afraid of hard work, as long as I can learn something real, I'm happy to endure the hardship."

"That's right, I'm willing too. I want to learn more in the kitchen here."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Actually, if you all go out, your status will be higher than mine."

These words stunned the young men who went out.

Feng Zhengming: "When you go out, you can say that you are a chef in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, and I am just a temporary head chef."

This remark immediately made everyone laugh.

The facts are exactly as Feng Zhengming said.

He attends state banquets, even though he is now the head chef for National Day banquets and celebration banquets for athletes.

He was indeed only a temporary head chef.

After hosting these two banquets, he would still leave the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

In a way, he couldn't stay in the Great Hall's kitchen forever.

It's not that he doesn't want to, it's that he won't be allowed to.

Unless Feng Zhengming transfers all of his Zhengluxing catering company to someone else.

All the stores were handed over to others to operate, and the ownership was also transferred to others. He couldn't even hold shares or receive dividends.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming was temporarily summoned to become the head chef of the state banquet.

However, they cannot be employed in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

Of course, everyone knows that Feng Zhengming does not need to work in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

He owns so many shops, including top-notch restaurants like Huiquanlou and the Old Western-style House Restaurant, which are even benchmarks in the domestic catering industry.

Attending a state banquet is more of a boost to one's own honor.

Throughout the entire state banquet, Feng Zhengming did not take a single penny of salary.

It was also because he voluntarily responded to the call and was willing to contribute his strength to the country.

That's how he became the temporary head chef for the National Day banquet and the welcome banquet.

Therefore, Feng Zhengming clearly told everyone in the kitchen.

"You can't have your cake and eat it too; no one can gain all the fame and fortune."

Moreover, if I were to gain such a high level of fame as I have, I would also be constrained by that fame, like shackles, forcing me to constantly strive to do better and to avoid any mistakes.

One must not be arrogant in any way, but must maintain the humble heart of a learner and always take cooking seriously.

I also need to keep track of the chefs in all my restaurants and require them to cook the food well.

At this point, Feng Zhengming took the initiative to recount some events that occurred at the Jining branch.

Hearing that Feng Zhengming had fired everyone in the entire store.

Everyone in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People was stunned.

No one expected Feng Zhengming to be so ruthless.

But on second thought, it seems that he should do it.

Who told him to be the national culinary champion?

He is a representative chef of Shandong cuisine and the current president of the Shandong Cuisine Chefs Association.

Therefore, his store cannot afford to have any problems.

Even if the customer may not have noticed the problem, you should still take timely action if they do.

Everyone deeply understood that the reputation Feng Zhengming spoke of was his shackle.

Some people who had originally hoped to become his apprentices began to reconsider their options.

After all, Feng Zhengming did not promise that becoming his apprentice would make her the head chef of any of his restaurants, nor did he promise to arrange a good future for her.

From this perspective, many people feel that staying in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People is a better option.

Of course, some people were also touched and longed to leave the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People.

After chatting with some people in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, Feng Zhengming also chatted with his two senior fellow apprentices and several master chefs in the kitchen for a while.

"Third Brother and Fifth Brother, have you learned anything from the master chefs here?"

Yang Bin: "I learned a lot and learned about many procedures that I should pay attention to."

Cao Zhiguo: "I feel that after going back, I have a lot of banquet experience that I can use at Huiquanlou. I have really benefited a lot."

The chefs in the Great Hall's kitchen smiled and said it was too kind of them.

"You fellow disciples are too kind. You all have extraordinary status here."

"That's right, Zhengming is the national culinary champion, and your skills are no worse than ours."

"Moreover, in terms of seniority, we are not much higher than you."

"That's right, we also have a lot to learn from you in terms of craftsmanship."

"What Scholar Feng said earlier is right; one should always keep the heart of an apprentice."

"To be honest, young people in the future may not respect their teachers as much as we do, and their reverence for craftsmanship is gradually being lost. Some are also too high-profile."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Gentlemen, I can actually be considered one of the high-profile young chefs you're talking about."

These words surprised the master chefs.

The chef, who had been speaking, was at a loss for words.
In fact, Feng Zhengming is indeed a young chef in terms of age. "Zhengming, I'm not talking about you. Although you are young and a bit high-profile, you still respect the craft. I've also heard that you have great respect for your master, which is what a traditional chef should be like."

The other master chefs nodded in agreement.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Thank you for your praise. I really feel that my master's advice was right. I must always remain humble and not be too high-profile. I must know how to keep a low profile."

These words were agreed upon by the master chefs, including his two senior apprentices, Feng Zhengming.

Just like the trouble Feng Zhengming caused in Shanghai.

Although he was framed by others, he later turned himself in and even helped to catch the group of people involved in organized crime.

However, if some people seize upon this and fabricate stories, they can still claim that he has a history of colluding with people involved in organized crime.

This is also why he was subject to strict scrutiny when he came to participate in the state banquet.

This time, Feng Zhengming finally understood what it meant to be low-key.

He has already made up his mind that he will try to keep a low profile from now on.

They will no longer engage in excessive self-promotion.

Instead, they focused on doing a good job with all the stores they owned.

To cultivate more good chefs so that all my restaurants can maintain a good reputation.

Of course, another point is that Feng Zhengming needs to upgrade some stores.

As for the shops managed by Gu Zhicheng and his team, he felt that they should listen to Jiang Chengzhe's advice and upgrade those branches to mid-range restaurants, giving Gu Zhicheng and his team more opportunities to showcase their skills.

Even after such an upgrade, Feng Zhengming might need to spend more time and effort, and conduct more rigorous reviews of those restaurants.

But it's just like when he came to the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People and took on the role of temporary head chef there.

There are some things that must be done.

Who told him to be the national culinary champion?

Who told him to be the boss of Zhengluxing?

Then he has to shoulder those responsibilities.

Feng Zhengming was also making preparations in his mind to try to improve the Zhengluxing chef training program.

It's not just about passing on skills, but also about teaching chefs principles of life and cooking.

We need to ensure that Zhengluxing's chefs have better character and reputation.

Yang Bin and Cao Zhiguo both had their own ideas for this trip.

Yang Bin: "Participating in the state banquet this time made me realize that we may not be teaching many things well. We should make young chefs understand that they are responsible for every customer."

Cao Zhiguo: "We also need to teach them to be humble, and not to become arrogant just because you are right."

Feng Zhengming: "Haha, my two senior brothers and I have the same idea. Next, we need to get them to settle down and focus their energy on their craft, instead of just thinking about how proud they are to work in my shop."

The master chefs all laughed when they heard this.

"It just proves your status and reputation."

"Yes, people do feel proud to be able to enter your store."

"It's fine for them to feel proud, but we need to help them turn that pride into motivation."

"Yes, turn it into motivation and encourage them to master the craft."

"We should also pay attention to certain requirements regarding character."

"To cook well, you must first be a good person."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Thank you for your advice, masters. I will remember it well. When I get back, I will set an example and make sure that everyone in the shop, from chefs to apprentices, understands these principles."

Now Feng Zhengming feels that the chefs in the Great Hall of the People's kitchen are more worthy of respect.

They have remained steadfast in their posts for decades.

In fact, based on their experience, many of them could probably get better treatment outside the Great Hall of the People's kitchen.

Or to put it more bluntly, they can get higher salaries outside of here.

But they still stayed at their posts.

And for decades, he has diligently fulfilled his duties without ever slacking off.

When Feng Zhengming came to serve as head chef, the other master chefs cooperated very well with him.

No master chef would think that Feng Zhengming was too young to be in charge of them in the kitchen.

These qualities earned Feng Zhengming's deepest admiration.

"You made me realize my past shallowness. Many times, skills don't necessarily have to be measured by fame and fortune. Being able to learn the skills well and cook good dishes is a chef's duty."

Hearing Feng Zhengming say this, the master chefs all exchanged smiles.

Their carefree attitude made Feng Zhengming even more impressed.

When it was time to stop talking, Feng Zhengming and the others quickly got up, straightened their chef uniforms, put on their chef hats, and returned to their respective posts.

In the time that followed, everyone returned to their previous focused state.

In the kitchen, everything was being prepared for tonight's banquet.

Waiting for the banquet to begin.

Time passed by, and finally at 8 p.m., the banquet began on time.

Feng Zhengming and his team had already prepared the appetizers and cold dishes in advance.

After everything is neatly arranged, hand it over to the service staff waiting outside.

After the first dish was served, Feng Zhengming and his team immediately began preparing the second dish.

The second dish was braised cabbage and prawns, prepared in the style of Shandong cuisine, specifically in the form of braised prawns in oil.

The king prawns are peeled and braised in oil beforehand, and the Chinese cabbage is simmered thoroughly in the prawn oil broth.

Then roll the cabbage up like noodles and place it on a plate, then arrange the large shrimp next to it.

After drizzling with shrimp oil broth, the dish is ready to be served.

While we waited, the Cantonese chefs in the kitchen had already stuffed the stir-fried shark fin and stir-fried "Treading Snow Dragon" into the crispy fried shells and arranged them on a plate.

This dish is served in a crispy little bowl for easy enjoyment by guests.

In this way, guests can enjoy a variety of flavors.

The next dish was Sichuan-style boiled cabbage in clear broth.

The reason I put boiled cabbage in clear broth here is because the first two dishes are quite fresh and also quite dry.

At this point, adding a dish of boiled cabbage in clear broth, with the small cabbage hearts in the broth, can help the guests relax.

At this moment, in the banquet hall, the guests are enjoying the dishes for the evening.

Many overseas guests have given it rave reviews.

They found the dishes served tonight to be quite unexpected.

Each dish looks bland, but when you eat them, they are all very flavorful.

The thin, crispy little bowl, paired with the stir-fried shark fin and the "Searching for the Dragon in the Snow" dish, is especially popular with many foreign guests.

They even carefully ate the crumbs that spilled onto the plate.

The leaders who hosted the National Day banquet were naturally quite satisfied with the state banquet.

They were amazed by the creativity of some of Feng Zhengming's dishes.

It's very likely that you'll never see such a stunning dish in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, one that's both visually and tastingly amazing. (End of Chapter)