From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

During the National Day holiday, Feng Zhengming and his team only rested for two days before being picked up again on the third day.

This time, they officially began preparing a welcome banquet for the athletes.

Several nutrition experts from the national sports team were also present.

Together with Feng Zhengming and his team, they conducted a more detailed selection of dishes.

In particular, nutrition experts have been very meticulous in selecting various raw materials.

There were even inspection experts present to test pesticide residues in various vegetables and fruits.

Finally, a batch of ingredients that met the requirements were selected, and the athletes could eat them with peace of mind.

Feng Zhengming witnessed the screening process firsthand and suddenly realized that some vegetables and fruits in China might have excessive pesticide residues.

He immediately consulted some experts and inquired about methods for growing crops without using pesticides.

The experts also provided a very detailed explanation of Feng Zhengming's response.

According to experts, it is actually very difficult to completely eliminate the use of pesticides and fertilizers.

When encountering pests and diseases during the planting process, pesticides are indeed the most effective.

Chemical fertilizers are essential for ensuring yields.

Of course, experts have also offered some solutions, some of which are still in the experimental stage.

It's safe to say that it's not advisable to promote it on a large scale for the time being, because no one can guarantee the output.

Feng Zhengming naturally had some ideas in mind, such as whether it was possible to conduct a pilot program in some parts of Shandong.
Of course, for this kind of pilot project, he still needs to personally contact a suitable location first.

The key is to ensure that the surrounding area is not affected during the pilot program.

After all, a simple trial on a small plot of land is still subject to various influences, and the surrounding environment can cause the data from the pilot plot to be inaccurate.

For the first time, Feng Zhengming realized that many things cannot be accomplished overnight and require extensive preliminary preparation.

After selecting the ingredients, Feng Zhengming and his team began making preparations for the welcome banquet for the athletes.

Some athletes have already returned to China, and most of the remaining athletes will also return home soon for the Chinese New Year.

After the athletes return, they will go to Beijing to receive commendation.

The welcome banquet for Feng Zhengming and his team was held after the commendation ceremony.

Back in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People, Feng Zhengming continued his daily interactions with the master chefs.

During the conversation, Feng Zhengming revealed his plan to open a branch of his dry rice shop in Beijing.

The master chefs were very supportive.

“That’s great, Zhengming’s business model for dry rice shops is excellent.”

“Yes, yes, in the past, when people mentioned Ganfanpu, they definitely thought of it as a place to eat braised pork, but you turned Ganfanpu into a chain of Chinese fast food, which is really great.”

"Your dry rice shop model has enabled Chinese food to also have its own fast food format."

Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Thank you for the compliments. Actually, the reason why Chinese fast food is difficult to make is mainly because the chef's skills are hard to control. I am also trying my best to figure it out."

A master chef asked, "You now have branches all over Shandong Province, and it seems you have four branches in Shanghai? You also have a branch in Hongcheng, Jiangxi Province, right?"

Feng Zhengming nodded: "That's right."

Master Hu smiled and said, "I'm from Jiangxi Province. I heard from people in my hometown that your restaurant is very popular in Hongcheng. Many locals say that your restaurant is the authentic Jiangxi cuisine."

These words surprised the other master chefs.

"Has Zhengming's restaurant become the representative of Jiangxi cuisine?"

"Wait a minute? Doesn't Zhengming's rice shop serve Shandong cuisine?"

"yes?"

Master Hu did not answer, but looked at Feng Zhengming.

Feng Zhengming explained with a smile, "I hired a chef specializing in Jiangxi cuisine over there, so the Jiangxi dishes I make are quite authentic."

A master chef from Shanghai nodded in agreement: "I've heard some chefs in Shanghai say that Zhengming, you also serve some local Shanghainese dishes in your restaurants there."

Feng Zhengming nodded: "Yes, my branches will incorporate local specialties from different regions."

Hearing this, the master chefs looked at each other, wondering what special Beijing dishes Feng Zhengming would add to his branch in Beijing.
Feng Zhengming roughly guessed what the master chefs were thinking, and he stated his plans very frankly.

"I will add roast duck and some duck products for a whole duck feast to the restaurant in Beijing."

Feng Zhengming's words naturally surprised all the master chefs.

After a long pause, Master Hu smiled and said, "Zhengming, are you trying to compete with the roast duck restaurants in Beijing?"

Feng Zhengming: "It's not that serious. My roast duck is definitely not as meticulous as those roast duck restaurants in Beijing. My shop is a fast food restaurant after all, so I might learn from the roast duck restaurants in Nanjing."

Another master chef, who was born in Beijing, spoke up: "Zhengming's idea is very good. Roast duck from Nanjing and roast goose from Cantonese are sold hanging in shop windows. Zhengming's shop uses that format very well."

Master Hu: "I'm afraid the roast duck restaurants in Beijing wouldn't think that way."

These words made the master chefs laugh.

Having lived in Beijing for many years, they were still very familiar with the situation of several roast duck restaurants in the city.

They've been arguing for years about whose roast duck is the most authentic.

Add to that all sorts of open and covert struggles, and it's truly a chaotic mess.

Now that Feng Zhengming's rice shop has opened in Beijing and he's adding roast duck to the menu, it's likely that several roast duck restaurants in Beijing will start to feel dissatisfied with him.

However, the oldest of the master chefs suddenly spoke up with a smile.

“I think Zhengming did the right thing. Just like his branches in Shanghai and Hongcheng, he has incorporated local dishes into his restaurants very well. This approach shows respect for the local cuisine.”

He opened the shop in Kyoto, so he must have incorporated some of Kyoto's unique characteristics.

The most distinctive feature of Beijing is undoubtedly its roast duck. Who doesn't know about roast duck in Beijing? Even foreigners know about it.

Therefore, it proves that his approach was correct; more people should be able to easily enjoy roast duck.

With the master chef's support, Feng Zhengming smiled and said, "Thank you all for your support. When my shop in Beijing opens, if possible, please come and visit and give me your feedback."

The master chefs all smiled and nodded in agreement.

At the same time, Feng Zhengming also asked several master chefs to recommend some skilled young chefs from Beijing.

"In my shop, I always hire young chefs. As long as they have good skills, I don't have any prejudice against them and will treat them equally and give them good treatment."

The master chefs believed Feng Zhengming's words.

This is something that Feng Zhengming has long been known for.

It's safe to say that anyone with a certain standing in the culinary industry knows this.

All of Feng Zhengming's restaurants employ a large number of young chefs.

In many cases, even if a master chef comes to his home, he might not know how to use it.

Feng Zhengming is someone who truly gives young chefs more opportunities.

The master chefs then recommended some of their apprentices and junior disciples to Feng Zhengming. Of course, they all indicated that Feng Zhengming should still conduct the assessments and not worry about saving face for them.

"We're too old to care about those things anymore. Whether young people have the ability to get into your store is their own business, and we won't interfere."

"That's right, we don't interfere with your selection process, we just make recommendations."

"If it's okay, it's okay; if it's not okay, it's not okay. Don't give us face; you have to stay even if it's not feasible."

“Zhengming, you’ve never been the kind of person who would let someone get in through connections when you’re with us.”

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Hahaha, don't worry, everyone. We will still do the same selection process as before. When the time comes, I will have my fifth senior brother come and oversee my branch in Beijing. I believe there won't be any problems."

I was deeply impressed by Cao Zhiguo and several other chefs in the Great Hall of the People's kitchen.

Perhaps he doesn't have as many ingenious ideas as Feng Zhengming.

But his culinary skills are indeed excellent. After spending these days together in the kitchen, everyone knows that Feng Zhengming and his two senior brothers are very capable.

"Alright, with your fifth senior brother here, there shouldn't be any problem."

"Zhengming, if you need a roast duck chef, I can introduce you to a few to try."

"Yes, I have a junior apprentice who learned in the kitchen of Quanjude."

"Then let him try Zhengming's place."

When Feng Zhengming heard that the master chefs had recommended a roast duck chef to him, he immediately perked up.

"Really? He learned in the kitchen of Quanjude? That's great. Let him try it out at my place. We don't need to really surpass Quanjude. As long as he has a good grasp of the basics of Peking duck, that's fine. After all, our fast food needs to be affordable."

Upon hearing Feng Zhengming's words, the master chef gave Feng Zhengming his nephew's contact information.

This made Feng Zhengming realize that he had made the right decision to come to the state banquet; the chefs in the Great Hall of the People's kitchen were indeed helpful to him.

The reason why the master chefs were willing to help Feng Zhengming was mainly because they all thought highly of him.

The master chefs were well aware of some of the chaotic phenomena in the city.

Various restaurants claiming to serve imperial private cuisine are passing off inferior dishes as authentic ones, and even time-honored establishments are gradually losing their original character.

Therefore, the master chefs were hoping that Feng Zhengming's arrival in Beijing would turn the situation around.

This can be seen from the current situation in Shanghai.

The master chefs believed that Feng Zhengming could do it.

Just like the street food recommendation guide he created in Shanghai, and the restaurant recommendation guide he launched last year.

This recommendation guide truly breaks the complacency and self-imposed limitations of some long-established restaurants.

It can be said that this forced those time-honored brands to make changes.

Moreover, one must improve oneself in order to keep up with the new era led by Feng Zhengming, the top scorer.

If Feng Zhengming were to arrive in Beijing, he would naturally change the city's political landscape.

We need to make all those old, chaotic brands in Beijing come to their senses and face reality.

In any case, as long as it can change the landscape of Beijing's catering industry.

The chefs in the Great Hall of the People's kitchen will definitely support this.

Feng Zhengming understood that the master chefs supported his ideas, and he also offered some of his own thoughts.

"To be honest, I really just want to restore food to its original form."

Just because your restaurant has a long-established brand name doesn't mean you can run it however you want, or that your chefs can cheat and not cook the dishes the old way.

We can make some improvements to make our dishes more contemporary, but the most basic requirement is that they taste good.

The master chefs all nodded in agreement, agreeing with Feng Zhengming's idea.

"Zhengming, do your best and be bold. We will definitely support you."

"That's right. Although there are many times when it's inconvenient for us to show up, we can help you find the right people."

"Haha, right, right, I'll find you some mentors to help you then."

“Some of my fellow apprentices are out there, and they should all be willing to cooperate with you.”

“Zhengming, you are already a chef for state banquets, so you don’t need to be afraid of those reckless guys.”

Feng Zhengming laughed: "Hahaha, I just want to keep a low profile, otherwise it will seem like I'm going to make enemies of the local area wherever I open a shop."

These words really amused the master chefs.

Upon closer examination, the master chefs couldn't help but find that it actually made some sense.

But why does Feng Zhengming seem to be at odds with the local chefs wherever he opens a shop?
Isn't it just some local chefs trying to gain fame and fortune?
If you can preserve your local craftsmanship, why would you need Feng Zhengming's restaurant to help you preserve authentic local dishes?
So all of this was predetermined.

The master chefs seemed to sense that the reason they arranged for Feng Zhengming to be the temporary head chef of the state banquet was that they hoped this young man would break the old ways.

Having served as the head chef for state banquets, Feng Zhengming already possesses the highest prestige and honor in the domestic culinary industry.

He thus gained authoritative authority, and could then rectify some of the disorder.

If your time-honored brand cannot uphold its original craftsmanship?
Then let Feng Zhengming's shop destroy you and rebuild.

Thinking about this made the chefs in the kitchen begin to look forward to what would happen after Feng Zhengming opened his shop in Beijing.

The matter of opening the shop needs to be put on hold for now; Feng Zhengming and his team still need to prepare the food for the athletes.

After several more days of waiting, the day of the athletes' commendation ceremony finally arrived.

Feng Zhengming and his team were also busy in the kitchen of the Great Hall of the People from the morning.

Amidst their busy schedules, everyone looked on with anticipation.

I look forward to meeting those athletes who have won glory for our country.

I hope to shake hands and take a photo with the Olympic champions.

I'm even more excited to see them enjoy the dishes they made themselves.

Being able to cook a meal for Olympic athletes is truly an honor for many chefs.

What Feng Zhengming most hoped to see was his childhood goddess, the real diving queen.

So he put in a lot of effort, preparing some dishes from the hometown of the diving queen that he had heard about.

This welcome banquet was not like the standard National Day banquet of the past.

The main purpose is to prepare some good food for all the athletes.

In particular, it is important to prepare some hometown dishes for athletes from different regions.

Many of these athletes left their hometowns to participate in training at a very young age.

Perhaps the taste of their hometown cuisine has become blurred for them.

So this banquet should remind them of the taste of home.

This can also be considered a congratulatory gift from Feng Zhengming and every chef in the Great Hall's kitchen. (End of Chapter)