Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

In the spacious and bright kitchen of Wang's All-Inclusive Restaurant, a lively discussion is going on. The chefs are sitting together, looking focused and a little anxious, discussing how to meet the special requirements of customers.

The young chef Xiao Li frowned and complained, "This customer asked for the dish to be light but also distinctive, which is a bit difficult. I don't know where to start." His words revealed a hint of helplessness and confusion.

Experienced chef Lao Zhang nodded slightly, looked at everyone with a firm gaze, and encouraged: "Xiao Li, don't be so dejected. This is indeed a challenge, but it is also an opportunity for us to improve ourselves. Everyone should think more and try more, and we will definitely be able to meet the requirements of customers. We can start with the combination of ingredients and cooking methods to create dishes that are both light and distinctive."

The chef Xiao Wang beside him also nodded in agreement: "Lao Zhang is right. We should not be intimidated by difficulties. Think about it, we have encountered many difficulties in the past, and we have overcome them one by one. We will definitely be able to do it this time too."

The chefs began to discuss actively and everyone put forward their ideas.

"We can use some fresh vegetables, such as broccoli and asparagus, which have a light taste. If paired with some seafood, it should be very good," said a chef.

“But how do you deal with the fishy smell of seafood? If it’s not handled properly, it will affect the taste of the entire dish.” Another chef raised the question.

"We can use the steaming method, which can not only maintain the freshness of the seafood, but also remove the fishy smell. Moreover, the steaming cooking method is also lighter, which meets the requirements of customers." Lao Zhang said.

"What about seasoning? If the seasoning is not used properly, it will ruin the light taste of the dish." Xiao Li asked.

"We can use some natural seasonings, such as lemon juice and olive oil, which can enhance the flavor of the dishes without being too strong," Xiao Wang replied.

After a lively discussion, the chefs decided to try using fresh vegetables and seafood, steaming them, and adding some unique seasonings to create this light and distinctive dish.

The chefs immediately took action. They went to the food warehouse and selected the freshest vegetables and seafood. Broccoli, asparagus, fresh shrimp, scallops and other ingredients were selected one by one and neatly placed on the operating table.

"These vegetables look really fresh and the colors are bright." Xiao Li said as he picked vegetables.

"The seafood is also very good and very fresh." Xiao Wang also said.

After selecting the ingredients, the chefs began to clean and process them, carefully cutting the vegetables into appropriate sizes and cleaning the seafood to remove impurities.

"Be careful when handling seafood so as not to destroy their shape and taste," Lao Zhang reminded.

"Got it, Lao Zhang. We will be careful." Xiao Li replied.

After preparing the ingredients, the chefs began to cook. They placed the vegetables and seafood in the steamer, added the appropriate amount of water, covered it with a lid, and began to steam.

"The steaming time is critical. It cannot be too long or too short. If the time is too long, the ingredients will become old and the taste will be bad; if the time is too short, the ingredients may not be fully cooked." Lao Zhang said as he looked at the steamer.

"Then how long do we need to steam it?" asked Xiao Li.

"Based on the characteristics of these ingredients, they will only need to be steamed for about ten minutes," Lao Zhang replied.

While waiting, the chefs were not idle. They began to prepare seasonings. Lemon juice, olive oil, minced garlic, salt, pepper and other seasonings were placed on the workbench one by one.

"The proportion of seasoning is also very important. We need to adjust it according to the customers' tastes." Xiao Wang said.

"That's right, we can use less seasoning first, and then make adjustments based on the customers' feedback after they taste it," said Lao Zhang.

Ten minutes later, the steamer was filled with fragrance. The chefs opened the steamer and a fresh smell came to their noses. The colors of the vegetables and seafood were still bright and looked very tempting.

"Wow, it looks great." Xiao Li said.

"Don't be too happy too soon. We don't know how it tastes yet," said Lao Zhang.

The chefs put the steamed vegetables and seafood on the plate and then poured the prepared seasoning on it. A light and distinctive dish is ready.

"This dish uses fresh vegetables and seafood and is steamed, which makes it light while retaining the original flavor of the ingredients. Adding some unique seasonings increases the characteristics of the dish," Lao Zhang introduced.

In order to ensure the quality of the dishes, the chefs decided to taste them themselves first. They picked up a piece of vegetable and a shrimp with chopsticks, put them in their mouths, and tasted them carefully.

"Well, it tastes good. The vegetables are crisp, the seafood is fresh, and the seasoning is just right." Xiao Wang said.

"But I think it can be improved a little. For example, you can add some coriander to the seasoning to increase the aroma," said another chef.

"Good idea, we can try it again." said Lao Zhang.

The chefs made some more adjustments and improvements until they were satisfied with the dish.

Next, it is time for the customer to taste this customized dish. The waiter brings the dish to the customer and introduces it with a smile: "This is a dish we specially made for you. I hope you like it."

The customer looked at the dish with anticipation. He picked up a piece of vegetable and a shrimp with chopsticks, put them in his mouth, and tasted them carefully. After a while, the customer showed a satisfied smile.

"Very good, this is exactly what I want. The service of Wang's All-in-One Restaurant is really thoughtful." The customer praised. Hearing the customer's praise, the chefs and waiters were relieved and smiled with satisfaction on their faces.

This successful attempt gave the chefs a boost of confidence. They began to devote themselves more actively to the creation of customized dishes. Every time they received a special request from a customer, they would discuss it carefully and create it meticulously, striving to provide the most satisfactory dishes for the customers.

In the following days, the chefs created many customized dishes of different styles. Once, a customer asked for a dish with strong local characteristics. After research, the chefs decided to use local specialty ingredients and traditional cooking methods to create this dish.

They selected local pork, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and other ingredients, and used the braising method to create a dish that is both delicious and fragrant.

"This dish uses our local specialty ingredients. The local pork is tender, and the bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms are also delicious. The braising cooking method makes this dish more flavorful and has a strong local flavor," Lao Zhang introduced.

After tasting it, the customer praised the dish highly: "This dish reminds me of the taste of my childhood, it's great."

Another time, a customer asked for a dish suitable for the elderly and children. After thinking about it, the chefs decided to create this dish with some nutritious and soft ingredients.

They used pumpkin, tofu, shrimp and other ingredients to make a pumpkin, tofu and shrimp soup. This soup has a delicate taste and rich nutrition, which is very suitable for the elderly and children.

"This pumpkin, tofu and shrimp soup uses ingredients such as pumpkin, tofu and shrimp. Pumpkin is rich in vitamins and fiber, tofu is rich in protein, and shrimp is rich in calcium. This soup is not only nutritious, but also has a soft taste, which is very suitable for the elderly and children." Xiao Wang introduced.

After tasting the soup, the customer was very satisfied: "This soup is really good. My family's elderly and children will definitely like it."

Thanks to the efforts of the chefs, the customized catering services of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel have become more and more mature and have won high praise from customers. More and more customers are beginning to choose the customized services of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel, hoping to enjoy a unique dining experience here.

As customized services continue to be promoted, chefs are facing more and more challenges. Once, a customer made a very special request. He hoped that the dishes could reflect his personal experience and story.

This requirement makes chefs feel troubled. They don't know how to incorporate customers' personal experiences and stories into the dishes.

At the kitchen discussion, the chefs sat together again to discuss how to meet this customer's special request.

“This is a really difficult request. How can we incorporate customers’ personal experiences and stories into the dishes?” said Xiao Li.

Lao Zhang pondered for a moment and said, "We can first communicate with the customer to understand his personal experience and story, and then find inspiration from his story to create a dish that meets his requirements."

Everyone thought that Lao Zhang's suggestion made sense, so they decided to communicate with the customer first. The waiter contacted the customer and invited him to the restaurant to discuss the creation of the dish with the chefs.

After the customer came to the restaurant, he shared his personal experience and stories with the chefs. It turned out that the customer was a travel enthusiast who had been to many places and tasted a variety of different cuisines. He hoped that this dish could reflect his travel experience and love for food.

The chefs listened carefully to the customers' stories and asked questions from time to time. They found a lot of inspiration from the customers' stories.

"We can use special ingredients from different places to create this dish, such as Italian olive oil, French cheese, Japanese soy sauce, etc., to reflect the customer's travel experience." said a chef.

"You can also use some special cooking methods, such as roasting, frying, deep-frying and other different methods to process ingredients, increase the layering of dishes and reflect the customers' love for food." said another chef.

After some discussion, the chefs decided to use special ingredients and special cooking methods from different places to create this dish. They began to prepare ingredients and seasonings and cook carefully.

After several hours of hard work, a creative dish was finally completed. This dish uses special ingredients such as Italian olive oil, French cheese, and Japanese soy sauce, and adopts different cooking methods such as baking, frying, and deep-frying to create a delicious dish with good color, aroma, and taste.

"This dish uses special ingredients from different places and special cooking methods, reflecting your travel experience and love of food. I hope you like it." Lao Zhang introduced.

The customer looked at the dish with surprise in his eyes. He picked up a piece of food with chopsticks, put it in his mouth, and savored it carefully. After a while, the customer was moved to tears.

"This dish is perfect. Not only does it taste good, it also reminds me of my travel experiences and my love for food. The service at Wang's All-in-One Hotel is really thoughtful." The customer praised.

This successful creation made the chefs more deeply aware of the charm and significance of customized catering services. They know that each customized dish is not only a delicacy, but also an expression of emotion and a carrier of memories.

In the early 1990s, which was full of challenges and opportunities, the chefs of Wang's full-line restaurants used their wisdom and creativity to bring customers a feast of delicious food. They constantly challenged themselves, improved their cooking skills and innovation ability, and made great contributions to the development of the restaurant.

As time goes by, the customized catering services of Wang's full range of hotels are also constantly developing and improving. The chefs are not only more meticulous in the creation of dishes, but also more attentive to the details of the service. They will provide customers with personalized tableware, table settings, music and other services according to the special requirements of customers, so that customers can feel meticulous care while enjoying the food.

Once, a customer booked a customized catering service from Wang's All-inclusive Hotel to celebrate his birthday. The chefs not only created a delicious birthday cake for him, but also prepared a special gift for him. The waiter sang a birthday blessing song for him while he was dining, making the customer spend an unforgettable birthday.

"This is the most meaningful birthday I've ever had. The service at all Wang's hotels is so thoughtful." said the customer with emotion.

Under the influence of Wang's All-inclusive Hotel, other hotels have followed suit and launched their own customized catering services. However, Wang's All-inclusive Hotel has always maintained its leading position, constantly innovating and improving, and providing customers with better services and food.

In this competitive era, chefs of Wang's full-line restaurants know that they cannot be satisfied with the status quo and must continue to learn and improve. They began to pay attention to domestic and foreign catering trends, learn new cooking techniques and concepts, and constantly enrich their knowledge and skills.

Once, Lao Zhang attended an international catering seminar. At the seminar, he learned a lot of new cooking techniques and concepts, such as molecular cooking and low-temperature cooking. After he came back, he immediately shared his learning results with the chefs and decided to apply these new techniques and concepts to the creation of customized dishes.

"These new technologies and concepts can make our dishes more unique and innovative. We must dare to try and constantly break through ourselves," said Lao Zhang. (End of this chapter)