From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Following the boiled cabbage in clear broth is the Shandong-style braised fish fillets.

The sauce, made with the kitchen's special tomato sauce, is poured over the crispy, slit-cut fish pieces and served with two stalks of green asparagus.

The seemingly simple combination of red and green has successfully appealed to the taste buds of many foreign guests.

Feng Zhengming and several master chefs worked together to create a tomato sauce that retains the flavor of tomatoes, with a hint of sourness and a sweetness that is not cloying.

This seasoning alone is a flavor that is hard to find outside of tonight's state banquet.

Feng Zhengming knew very well that he couldn't use any fancy tricks at a state banquet.

So he put almost all his effort into the seasoning.

The chefs in the kitchen were also quite amazing.

They never imagined that Feng Zhengming, the national culinary champion, could have such a good grasp of flavor.

Moreover, Feng Zhengming is quite selfless, sharing all the details of the seasoning process.

He even used a small electronic scale to weigh the ingredients when adding seasonings so that everyone could see it.

In Feng Zhengming's words, "I can't stay here, but I hope that my dishes and the flavors I've created can stay here forever and be passed down from generation to generation."

The chefs in the kitchen also took careful notes.

They also indicated that they would definitely pass the position on to their successors after their retirement.

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Thank you."

One dish after another was prepared and sent out.

It can be said that every dish was enjoyed by the guests.

Each dish may not seem to have a strong flavor, but it still makes you feel like you're really enjoying it.

With its stunning presentation, it truly ensures that all guests enjoy their meal.

To truly enjoy the finest cuisine.

After all the dishes were served, some staple foods were prepared, including bread specially baked in the kitchen, as well as specially stir-fried noodle soup and fried rice, and some unique noodle and fruit snacks.

One dough ball was shaped like a cabbage, another like a chili pepper, and two others were shaped like walnuts.

The moment these snacks were served, all the guests at tonight's banquet gasped in amazement.

No one expected that pastries made from dough could be so beautiful.

Some foreign guests were even reluctant to eat it.

Some foreign guests said they definitely wanted to take these pasta fruits back with them.

The foreign guests wanted to take the beautiful pasta back with them, which left everyone feeling helpless.

Finally, a leader came to the kitchen and instructed Feng Zhengming and his team to prepare some pasta, package it, and give it to the foreign guests who wanted to take it back with them.

Feng Zhengming was also surprised that it was possible to pack food at a state banquet.

The experienced masters, on the other hand, were clearly skilled.

"This kind of thing happens almost every time there are foreign guests. In the early days, some foreign guests even asked to pack up roast duck to take back with them, and we always packed it up for them."

"Yes, but we usually remind people to eat it as soon as possible after they get back."

"In fact, most of the foreign visitors who took the package back in the past did so to take photos as souvenirs."

"Yes, they usually take photos and then slowly enjoy the food."

"Some foreign guests prefer to go back home alone and enjoy their meals at their leisure."

As the banquet was nearing its end, a moment of immense excitement ensued for many.

There will be a special meeting at the Great Hall of the People to meet with all the staff who worked tonight.

Upon receiving the notification, Feng Zhengming and his team immediately tidied their clothes and lined up to wait for the audience in the Great Hall of the People's restaurant.

This time, Feng Zhengming, along with his two senior brothers, disciples, and apprentices, met people they usually only saw on television news.

When they shook hands with Feng Zhengming, they were all expressing their appreciation for this young top scholar.

"Xiao Feng is very young. We were fortunate to have you as the head chef this time, and you certainly did not disappoint us."

"Many of your dishes are very innovative and taste very good."

"It received unanimous praise from the foreign guests who were invited to the dinner; it was truly wonderful."

"Xiao Feng, you need to work hard. I heard that your restaurant in Shanghai is doing very well and has become the benchmark for the best restaurants in China in the eyes of many people. Don't be proud, keep up the good work."

"And your branches, you must also do a good job. You must ensure that the craftsmanship is passed down well and that the taste is good."

Feng Zhengming was quite moved by the encouragement he received from several people.

"Thank you, leaders. I will definitely do my job as a chef well, and I will definitely make Chinese cuisine better and pass it on, so that more people can understand and enjoy our delicious food."

The leaders were very satisfied with Feng Zhengming's answer and encouraged him to continue to do a good job.

At the end of the meeting, Feng Zhengming and the others took a group photo together.

This is something that must be preserved in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People every year.

Every year during the National Day banquet, generations of chefs would take a group photo.

Feng Zhengming later inquired whether he, his senior brother, apprentice, and student were able to obtain the photos.

The photographer said he would send everything to them at the address they provided.

Feng Zhengming nodded and then left the address of Huiquanlou.

After the dinner party ended, Feng Zhengming and the others cleaned up the kitchen together.

Then we returned to the dormitory with everyone in the kitchen.

After washing up in the evening, Feng Zhengming stood on the balcony, unable to fall asleep.

The two senior brothers were also too excited to sleep, so they went to Feng Zhengming's room to chat.

Yang Bin: "Zhengming, you have really brought honor to our sect by allowing us to attend such an important state banquet. I am so excited that I really can't sleep tonight."

Cao Zhiguo agreed: "Yes, I really want to have a good drink to celebrate right now."

Feng Zhengming: "Drinking is definitely not an option tonight. Tomorrow is National Day, so let's find a good restaurant in Beijing and have a good drink together."

Cao Zhiguo thought for a moment and then cautiously asked, "Zhengming, how about we go to that private restaurant again? I think if we go again this time, the owner will definitely feel embarrassed to charge us."

Upon hearing this, Feng Zhengming and his third senior brother stared at their fifth senior brother.

Then the two of them laughed together.

Cao Zhiguo knew what his fellow disciples were laughing about, so he laughed along with them.

Feng Zhengming waved his hand: "Let's not go to that private restaurant. I'm afraid that if we eat there during the National Day holiday, we might run into some important person, and it would be very awkward for everyone."

Cao Zhiguo thought to himself, "That makes sense. I bet they'll be hosting a lot of people during the National Day holiday."

Yang Bin: "Now I want to go back and show everyone this chef's uniform."

Cao Zhiguo quickly asked, "Can we take our chef's uniforms back with us?"

Feng Zhengming: "Yes, I asked a few master chefs, and they said that our chef uniforms can be taken back as a kind of proof that we participated in the state banquet."

Cao Zhiguo: "That's great! I'll take it back and wash it clean and keep it safe."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Don't you all have one already?" Yang Bin: "Yes, we each have one. That one was from the handover banquet, and it even has the handover logo printed on it. That one feels more meaningful."

Feng Zhengming: "Let's find an opportunity to wear them together and take a group photo sometime in the future."

The two senior brothers immediately agreed: "Okay, okay, we'll invite the other brothers along then."

When Feng Zhengming mentioned his fellow disciples, he couldn't help but think of his fourth senior brother.

"I wonder how Fourth Senior Brother is doing abroad?"

These words also stirred up the memories of the third and fifth senior brothers about their fourth senior brother in the sect.

"The fourth brother is really something, he doesn't even keep in touch with us often."

"Yeah, I wonder how he's doing over there?"

Feng Zhengming: "Perhaps they're doing well, otherwise why wouldn't they have time to contact us? They're probably quite busy."

Yang Bin: "Where is the fourth brother now? Is it Australia?"

Cao Zhiguo: "Yes, it's in Australia. There are quite a few Chinese restaurants there now."

The bond between the apprentices was forged in the kitchen of Yanxi Restaurant.

Yang Bin and Cao Zhiguo felt that without their junior brother Feng Zhengming, they would have gone their separate ways after Yanxilou closed down.

While the fellow disciples won't necessarily lose contact in the future, they certainly won't be as closely connected as they are now.

Because of Feng Zhengming, the bond between the fellow disciples became even stronger.

It was also because of Feng Zhengming that the reputation of his sect became even greater.

It was because of Feng Zhengming that his fellow students had the opportunity to participate in the state banquet.

Therefore, for Yang Bin and Cao Zhiguo, their junior brother was truly a benefactor to their entire sect.

Several senior students had mentioned this during a chat when they got together before.

Now I finally understand why Master took Feng Zhengming into his fold in the end, and why he taught his junior brother all sorts of skills so diligently.

It turns out that the master had already seen that it would be the junior brother who would carry on the family name and promote their lineage.

Now everything seems to have come true, and the junior apprentice has become the most outstanding chef in the entire sect.

This top-notch quality isn't just about craftsmanship; it's top-notch in every aspect.

Yang Bin couldn't help but sigh, "Without Zhengming, we senior brothers would probably be working somewhere right now, let alone have the opportunity to participate in a state banquet."

Cao Zhiguo agreed: "Yes, it's all thanks to you, Zhengming, that we have this opportunity."

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Third Brother, Fifth Brother, you don't need to be so polite with me. Actually, I wouldn't be where I am today without the teachings you gave me back then. If it weren't for what you taught me and the skills that Master passed on to me, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today. There's no need for formalities between us brothers."

Yang Bin and Cao Zhiguo exchanged a glance, and couldn't help but admire their junior brother's humility, no matter what.

They knew very well that although they were all taught by the same master, there was not much difference in their skills.

But in terms of ability, they are far behind their junior brother.

Often, his junior colleague's forward-thinking designs always put him in an invincible position.

This is not just a matter of skill, but more of a matter of perspective.

Without Feng Zhengming's guidance, his fellow students would probably only ever focus on what they could see right in front of them.

They might all have become good chefs, but none of them could have achieved what they have today.

Yang Bin and Cao Zhiguo now feel that the gap in their perspectives is widening, and the difference between them and their junior brother is growing.

The current junior apprentice could easily become the head chef of state banquets.

His few restaurants in Shanghai alone have already surpassed most chefs.

The menu designs in his restaurants are simply perfect works of art; they are truly the art of cooking.

But those weren't just flashy but impractical things.

Feng Zhengming combines traditional techniques with some new modern elements.

For example, Shandong cuisine rarely uses chili peppers for seasoning.

Feng Zhengming absorbed the flavors of chili peppers and used them to enhance the seasoning of Shandong cuisine.

For example, we can use various techniques from Shandong cuisine to cook ingredients unique to other cuisines.

These diverse arrangements and combinations truly allow Feng Zhengming to come up with countless creative ideas.

Feng Zhengming listened to the praise he received from his two senior brothers.

He couldn't help but laugh: "Actually, I've only been trying out many things. I think as chefs, we should be brave enough to try. You only know if something will work by trying it repeatedly."

For example, I've been researching recently whether we can apply some of the flavor profiles of Sichuan cuisine to other cuisines.

Upon hearing this, the two senior brothers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Seeing the expressions on his fellow apprentices' faces, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Sichuan cuisine is quite famous for its flavor profile these days, and it's a flavor profile that many people like. I think we can try incorporating it into other cuisines."

Yang Bin: "So, after the fusion, what kind of cuisine would it be?"

Cao Zhiguo: "Yes, after the fusion, it will definitely be considered Sichuan cuisine by Sichuan chefs."

Feng Zhengming: "Actually, what does it matter what kind of cuisine it is? The key to cooking is that it tastes good and customers like it. There's no need to be particular about what kind of cuisine it is."

Just like knife skills, is it only Shandong cuisine that requires knife skills? Other cuisines also require knife skills.

In terms of seasoning, Shandong cuisine has its own unique seasonings, while other cuisines also have similar flavor profiles.

Finally, regarding cooking techniques, there are far too many similar cooking techniques across the country.

So I think they're all Chinese food, and it's not necessary to distinguish which cuisine they belong to.

Hearing Feng Zhengming say this, the two senior brothers looked at each other in bewilderment.

Then Yang Bin spoke first: "If you say it that way, I'm afraid chefs from all over the country won't agree."

Cao Zhiguo nodded: "Yes, chefs from all over the country have stuck to their own cuisines over the years. If you were to say that we should stop distinguishing between cuisines, they would definitely find it hard to agree."

Feng Zhengming was also somewhat helpless, as he understood that what his two senior brothers were saying was the reality.

Although the cuisines of many places may have different flavors even within the same province, from east to west and north to south.

But in order to promote a single cuisine, they insisted on using regional characteristics to group everyone together.

Feng Zhengming, the national culinary champion, is also regarded by others as a Shandong cuisine chef, and not as a chef of other cuisines.

In reality, the dishes that Feng Zhengming made in the old-style restaurant went beyond the scope of any particular cuisine.

His unique designs are basically a combination of cuisines from various regions.

However, others still named his dishes "New Shandong Cuisine".

Feng Zhengming tried to correct it several times, but that was everyone's impression, and no matter how he tried to correct it, he couldn't change anything.

Thinking about all this, Feng Zhengming felt that he was indeed somewhat powerless.

"Okay, let's not think about this anymore. We're resting tomorrow. Let's think about where to go for fun?"

Seeing their junior brother change the subject, the two senior brothers naturally followed suit. (End of Chapter)