Siheyuan: Starting as a Chef Apprentice

"We are not going to give up the characteristics of Xuzhou," Wang Jianye tapped his fingers on the table, "but to find a balance between the flavors of Xuzhou and Tangshan.

Master Li, what do you think?

Li Gang touched the stubble on his chin and said, "I think we can give it a try.

I've observed in the kitchen that Tangshan guests add extra soy sauce to almost every dish.

Maybe we can start by adjusting the sauce.”

Early the next morning, Wang Jianye took Li Gang and Xiao Liu to start a "food inspection".

Their first stop was "Bohai Fisherman's House" in the old city, a 30-year-old seafood restaurant.

The store was bustling with people, and the air was filled with the fresh aroma of seafood and rich flavors of sauces.

Wang Jianye ordered several signature dishes: braised mixed fish, stir-fried octopus with soybean sauce, and steamed mantis shrimp.

“This sauce is really rich in aroma.”

Li Gang picked up a piece of fish and tasted it carefully. "They didn't use ordinary soy sauce, it should be a special seafood sauce."

Wang Jianye nodded and noticed that there were several small plates on each table, containing different kinds of dipping sauces.

"You see, they also dip steamed seafood into sauce, which is completely different from our Xuzhou habit of eating it plain."

As he was speaking, a gray-haired master came out from the kitchen and inspected the hall.

Wang Jianye's eyes lit up and he immediately stood up to greet him.

"Hello, Master. I am the person in charge of 'Xuzhou Family' and I admire your craftsmanship very much.

Can I ask you a few questions? "

The old master looked him over and said with a smile, "You're from out of town, right? Do you want to learn how to cook seafood in Tangshan?"

“You have a good eye.”

Wang Jianye said sincerely, "We want to keep the characteristics of Xuzhou while also meeting the tastes of Tangshan people."

Perhaps Wang Jianye’s sincerity touched the master chef, so he actually sat down and explained in detail the cooking tips of Tangshan seafood: “The key lies in the heat and the sauce.

Tangshan is close to the sea, and seafood must be fresh, so steaming must be quick and stewing must be well-seasoned.

Before leaving, the master chef said mysteriously: "Come to the seafood market at five o'clock tomorrow morning and find me. I will take you to experience the real taste of Tangshan."

Early the next morning, before daybreak, Wang Jianye and Li Gang arrived at the bustling seafood wholesale market.

The master chef was already waiting for them, holding the freshly selected lively seafood in his hands.

"See? Material selection comes first."

The old chef looked at a live fish expertly, "Whose seafood do you use in your restaurant?"

Wang Jianye and Li Gang looked at each other.

Only then did they realize that not only did the cooking method need to be adjusted, but even the source of the ingredients might be problematic.

In the next few days, Wang Jianye and his team visited almost all the famous restaurants in Tangshan, from high-end restaurants to street-side eateries, and recorded the characteristics of each popular dish in detail.

When they returned to the store at night, they closed the door and conducted repeated experiments.

"Try adding more soy sauce to the pork belly."

Wang Jianye stood in the kitchen with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows, personally participating in preparing the sauce.

Li Gang wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "This is the fifth time we've adjusted it. If it's any saltier, it will cover up the aroma of the meat."

"Then add a little rock sugar to balance it out."

Wang Jianye pondered, "Tangshan people like salty taste with a sweet aftertaste."

After dozens of trials, the new version of "Tangshan Sauce-flavored Baozirou" was finally finalized - based on the traditional Xuzhou method, Tangshan's specialty bean paste and seafood soy sauce were added, making it salty and fresh, while retaining the layered texture of five spices.

The improvement of seafood dishes is more complicated.

Li Gang insisted that Xuzhou’s characteristics should not be completely abandoned: “If all dishes are steamed or boiled, what is the difference between them and local restaurants?”

Finally, they decided to take a compromise: retain the cooking methods of Xuzhou, but move closer to the Tangshan flavor in seasoning.

For example, the “steamed seafood with vermicelli and garlic sauce” is marinated with Xuzhou’s unique spices, but is steamed in the Tangshan way that people in Tangshan prefer; the “braised mixed fish with sauce” combines the stewing techniques of Xuzhou’s earthen pot and the sauce recipe of Tangshan.

On the first day of launching the new menu, Wang Jianye paced back and forth in the store nervously.

At noon, the first table of customers who ordered new dishes finally arrived - a young couple.

"This pork belly is really different," the girl said pleasantly after taking a bite. "It's more flavorful than before, but not too salty."

The boy praised the improved seafood: "This steamed fish is unique, fresh and tasty. It is different from what my mom makes, but it tastes good!"

Wang Jianye finally felt relieved.

But the good times didn’t last long, and new challenges arose on the third day.

A local food critic brought his friends to the restaurant and after trying a few dishes, he criticized it bluntly: "It's nothing like the original Xuzhou cuisine, nor is it authentic Tangshan cuisine."

This kind of fusion food is the most embarrassing. ”

This sentence was like a bucket of cold water poured on Wang Jianye's head.

After closing at night, he sat alone in the empty restaurant, falling into deep self-doubt.

"Have we really taken the wrong path?" He stared at the remaining dishes on the table in a daze. "Should we stick to our characteristics or cater to the market? How should we strike the right balance?"

Just when he was about to give up, a turning point appeared.

One day at noon, a white-haired old man came to have lunch with his whole family.

Wang Jianye noticed that they ordered a full set of new dishes, so he went forward to serve them personally.

"How does it taste, old man?"

The old man wiped his mouth slowly and said, “Young man, your dish is interesting.

It has the traditional Tangshan flavor, but also has something new. ”

He pointed at the plate of braised pork and said, "I went to Xuzhou when I was young, and I remember that the braised pork there was not like this.

You have made a good improvement. It is not only accustomed to the food, but also gives us a taste of the local flavor."

The old man's son added: "My dad is an old member of the Tangshan Catering Association. He is very picky about food. It's not easy to get him to say good things about it."

Wang Jianye's eyes lit up and he immediately asked humbly.

The old man enthusiastically talked about the changes in Tangshan's food culture and how foreign cuisines gained a foothold in Tangshan.

"The key is to 'when in Rome, do as the Romans do', but not to 'follow the crowd'."

The old man said meaningfully, "Keep your characteristics, but respect the local people's eating habits."

These words made Wang Jianye suddenly enlightened.

He called together the chef team overnight to readjust the dishes, and this time the goal was clearer - not simply to cater to the public, but to integrate in a principled manner.

A month later, when food blogger "Tangshan Foodie Squad" accidentally visited the store and published a recommendation article, the store's popularity finally began to steadily increase.

Wang Jianye stood at the door, looking at the packed hall, listening to the constant conversations and laughter, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Boss Wang, have we succeeded?" Li Gang came over, holding a plate of braised pork belly that the customer had ordered. Wang Jianye shook his head: "It's not success, it's just that we have just found the right direction.

We have to continue on this path.”

He looked at the street scene of Tangshan outside the window and had already started planning the next improvement plan in his mind.

This time, he was no longer anxious, but full of confidence - as long as he felt and integrated with his heart, he would definitely find the most suitable "taste key".

Cost breakthrough: the business wisdom of Tangshan branch

The spring of 1995 came particularly slowly in Tangshan.

Wang Jianye stood in front of the office window on the second floor of the branch, looking at the drizzle falling outside, his fingers unconsciously tapping on the window frame.

The series of shocking figures on the financial statements spread out on the table made his temples throb - for three consecutive months, the profit column was a glaring red.

"Mr. Wang, this is last month's purchase list."

Purchasing manager Lao Zhao pushed the door open, the beads of sweat on his forehead standing out in the early spring chill. "Pork prices have risen by another 15%, and seafood prices are even more outrageous."

Wang Jianye took the list and looked at the rising numbers.

The prices in Tangshan are like a runaway horse, especially the prices of food ingredients, which are breaking records almost every week.

What worries him even more is that in order to gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive catering market, they dare not significantly increase the prices of dishes.

"Old Zhao, how much gross profit margin do we have now?" Wang Jianye put down the list and rubbed his swollen temples.

Lao Zhao rubbed his hands and lowered his voice a few notches: “Less than 30%, Mr. Wang.

If you include rent and labor."

He hadn't finished speaking, but his meaning was clear.

Wang Jianye walked to the window and looked at the pedestrians hurrying by downstairs.

Many of them were carrying vegetable baskets, and their faces showed worries about rising prices.

This city, once famous for its steel, is experiencing the pain of economic transformation, and his restaurant is just a speck of dust in this great era.

"Ding-ling-ling--" The shrill ring of the telephone broke the silence in the office.

……

Wang Jianye picked up the phone, and the landlord Lao Zhou's rough voice immediately burst out from the receiver: "Boss Wang, the rent will increase by 20% next quarter. This is the current market situation."

Wang Jianye tightened his grip on the phone, his knuckles turning white: "Uncle Zhou, our contract hasn't expired yet, isn't this against the rules?"

"Rules?" A sneer came from the other end of the phone. "Now the streets are full of people who want to rent houses to do business. If you think it's not suitable, just move out when the lease expires!"

After hanging up the phone, Wang Jianye slammed his fist on the desk, causing the water in the teacup to splash out.

Old Zhao was so frightened that he took a step back. He had never seen the gentle and polite Mr. Wang lose his composure like this.

"Mr. Wang, look at this."

"Call everyone and have a meeting at 2pm."

Wang Jianye took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down. "We have to find a way. If we continue like this, we won't last more than three months."

The conference room was filled with smoke in the afternoon. A dozen managers were crowded together and the atmosphere was so heavy that water could be squeezed out of it.

Wang Jianye projected the financial statements onto the wall, and the red numbers stung everyone's eyes.

"Everyone, you have seen the situation."

Wang Jianye looked around at everyone and said, “Now prices are soaring, and our cost pressure is increasing.

The reason why we called everyone here today is to pool our wisdom and see how to overcome this difficulty.”

After a moment of silence, Chef Li Gang was the first to speak: "The waste in the kitchen is indeed not small.

Especially for seafood, if we stock too much every day, we can’t sell it all, and if we stock too little, it’s not enough, and in the end it’s all lost in losses.”

“There is also a problem with the purchase price.”

Financial director Xiao Liu pushed up his glasses and said, "I've compared the market prices. The prices offered by our suppliers are generally on the high side."

Wang Li, the front office manager, hesitated and said, "The staff scheduling is not very reasonable. Sometimes there are few customers but more waiters than customers."

The discussion became more and more heated, and Wang Jianye carefully recorded every problem point.

When the meeting ended, it was already dark outside the window, but a light had lit up in his heart - at least, they had found the direction of the problem.

At four o'clock in the morning of the next day, when the city was still asleep, Wang Jianye had already driven to Tangshan's largest agricultural and sideline products wholesale market.

It was chilly in spring, and he wrapped himself tightly in his cotton coat. The white breath he exhaled was particularly noticeable under the dim street lights.

"Wow, Boss Wang is here to inspect in person?" A familiar voice came from behind.

Wang Jianye turned around and saw the seafood stall owner, Lao Ma, grinning at him. His smile with a missing front tooth was particularly eye-catching in the morning light.

"Brother Ma, what's the price of hairtail today?" Wang Jianye squatted down and skillfully looked at the hairtail swimming in the water tank.

"As usual, I'll charge you eight dollars and a half per pound."

Lao Ma handed over a cigarette.

Wang Jianye didn't answer it, but pointed to the stall next door: "The price over there is only seven dollars and eighty dollars."

Lao Ma's smile froze. "The hairtail from that store is all from offshore. How can it be as good as the ones from Bohai Bay?"

"Really?" Wang Jianye stood up and walked straight to the next stall. "Then I have to compare."

For the entire morning, Wang Jianye went from stall to stall, bargaining and comparing quality.

He found that what Lao Ma said was right. There were indeed differences in seafood from different origins, but the price difference was by no means that big.

What surprised him even more was that when he revealed his identity as the purchasing manager of "Xuzhou Home", many stall owners expressed their willingness to give more favorable wholesale prices.

"Boss Wang, if you can guarantee to take more than 100 kilograms of hairtail from me every day, I will give you 7.2 yuan!" A thin young stall owner promised, patting his chest.

When Wang Jianye returned to the store at noon, he immediately called Lao Zhao and said, "Starting tomorrow, you will go to the market with me every day, and we will re-screen suppliers."

Lao Zhao's expression changed: "Boss Wang, I have been working with Lao Ma for many years."

“It’s because we’ve been working together for too long.”

Wang Jianye said meaningfully, "It's been so long that he has forgotten how to give us the best price."

For the next week, Wang Jianye spent almost every day in the wholesale market.

Not only did he renegotiate the seafood supply contract, he also found room for improvement in the purchase of vegetables and meat.

A vegetable farmer named Lao Zhang from the suburbs caught his attention - this simple middle-aged man brought his own vegetables to the market at two o'clock in the morning every day, and the price was nearly 20% lower than that of the middlemen.

"Master Zhang, how about you sell these vegetables directly to our restaurant?" Wang Jianye squatted in front of Lao Zhang's stall and picked up a cabbage covered with dew, "Save you from spending the whole morning here."

Old Zhang smiled naively: "That's great! But the roads in our village are not easy to walk on, so you have to pull it yourself."

“No problem!” Wang Jianye’s eyes lit up. This would not only reduce costs, but also ensure that the ingredients were fresher.

He immediately decided to personally visit Lao Zhang's vegetable field every week. (End of this chapter)