From selling box lunches to becoming a famous Chinese chef

Chapter 199 Sixth Senior Brother Gets Inspiration

With the help of his third uncle Feng Jiandong, Feng Zhengming began to plan to register a trademark and create a brand.

His sixth senior brother Zhang Minghai has returned to Donglai with three apprentices.

Donglai is adjacent to the seaside, so the food here is different from other places in the province.

Most of the dishes here are sourced from the seaside, so naturally most of the dishes here are based on seafood.

Of course, the taste is influenced by Shandong cuisine, and it will be different from the seafood in southern Cantonese cuisine.

Zhang Minghai took three apprentices to Quancheng on this trip. After participating in the cooking exchange, he saw the skills of many chefs in Quancheng, which gave him a lot of inspiration.

Especially some of the dishes prepared by his junior brother gave Zhang Minghai a big shock.

The most shocking dish among them is naturally the one that many people will never forget, the fried conch slices in vinegar and pepper fish soup.

Before Zhang Minghai came back this time, he specifically asked his master and junior brother for advice.

After his master's guidance and his junior brother's inspiration, he came up with some new ideas based on his junior brother's dish.

Returning to the restaurant where Donglai worked, Zhang Minghai immediately began to experiment in the kitchen.

Hu Feng, the owner of Donglai Hotel where Zhang Minghai worked, saw him come back and went into the kitchen without saying a word.

This situation makes Hu Feng very strange?

Hu Feng first asked the disciples who accompanied Zhang Minghai to Quancheng.

"Who did your master meet during his trip to Quancheng? Why did he go into the kitchen as soon as he came back? He didn't even say anything to me. Did he encounter something unpleasant?"

The three apprentices looked at each other, and for a moment they didn't know what to say.

Seeing that they were silent, Hu Feng remembered that Zhang Minghai called him when he was in Quancheng and asked him to help get fresh conches.

"By the way, when your master was in Quancheng, he called back and asked me to help get fresh conches. Have those conchs been used?"

This time Zhang Minghai's eldest apprentice said: "Use it. Thanks to the fresh conch you got, boss, our little uncle has become famous in Quancheng's cooking exchange."

"Oh, just use it."

Hu Feng thought about it again and felt that something was wrong, "Conch made your junior uncle famous in one fell swoop?"

The second apprentice quickly explained.

The three apprentices told the story together.

The owner of Donglai Hotel was really surprised after hearing this.

"So that's it? Your junior uncle actually thought of making conch like that? Was your master inspired when he came back? Are you planning to make a new dish?"

Just as he was talking, a burst of excited laughter suddenly sounded in the kitchen.

Then Zhang Minghai came out with a plate.

Seeing the boss Hu Feng and his three apprentices, he said, "Come here and have a try."

The three apprentices, Hu Feng and Zhang Minghai, looked at each other, but still came forward together.

Then he saw on the plate in Zhang Minghai's hand, in the milky white soup, snails like flowers were looming, like hibiscus about to emerge from the water.

This dish is truly amazing.

He felt that Zhang Minghai's aesthetics had improved a lot after a trip to Quancheng.

Seeing that the boss was stunned, Zhang Minghai urged again: "Boss, come and try it. This dish is a dish I specially developed after consulting my junior brother in Quancheng. How does it taste? If the boss thinks it is good, then add it to the dish." menu."

After finishing speaking, Zhang Minghai said to his apprentice: "Go and get some bowls and spoons."

As soon as the apprentice heard this, he immediately ran to get it.

When the apprentice got it back, Zhang Minghai personally filled a bowl for the boss. He put the conch slices into the bowl and scooped out some soup, just enough to submerge the conch slices and expose them a little.

"Come on, boss, have a try."

Hu Feng looked at the soup and conch slices in the bowl and smelled the spicy acetic acid, pepper and fish soup that penetrated his nose.

He scooped up the soup with a spoon and put it into his mouth to taste.

When the soup enters your mouth, the sourness, spiciness, and freshness instantly make you jump for joy on your tongue.

Hu Feng looked down at the bowl in disbelief.

I didn't expect this taste to be so special.

He scooped up the conch slices and put them into his mouth together with the soup.

This is another flavor. Paired with the tender and crispy conch slices, it really has a unique flavor.

Hu Feng was no longer reserved and ate the soup and conch slices in the small bowl in a few mouthfuls.

At this time, Zhang Minghai's three apprentices also had a bowl each.

"Master, please make me taste like my little uncle."

"It tastes exactly the same."

"Master's craftsmanship is even better than that of my junior uncle."

Zhang Minghai heard his apprentices say that his craftsmanship was better than that of his younger brother. He smiled and said, "Don't be so exaggerated. I can't say that my craftsmanship is better than your younger brother's. If it weren't for him, I might not have thought of this." practice."

Hu Feng savored the taste and smacked his mouth for a long time.

"Minghai, it seems that you have gained a lot from your trip to Quancheng. This plate of conch slices alone, I think, can be used as a special dish in our hotel in the future. It is guaranteed to make those big bosses unforgettable."

Hearing what the boss said, Zhang Minghai nodded and said, "This trip was indeed not in vain. I learned a lot. The key is to get some inspiration."

Hu Feng noticed something immediately: "Minghai, do you have other dishes?"

Zhang Minghai said: "Yes, I talked a lot with my junior brother. He gave me a lot of inspiration. We are close to the seaside. There are indeed many things we can try. The same seafood can also be made with different flavors. , if our hotel wants to attract more guests, we must make our own unique flavor."

After listening to Zhang Minghai's words, Hu Feng felt that it was very reasonable.

In fact, during this time, Hu Feng, the owner of Donglai Hotel, was also worried.

Nowadays, there are more and more restaurants in Dongnai.

The smaller ones have the kind of stir-fry stalls found in night markets.

The slightly larger ones are various small seafood restaurants near the seaside.

There are also seafood restaurants specializing in fresh seafood.

The competition that Donglai Hotel faces now can be said to be very high.

Before Zhang Minghai went to Quancheng, he had already had many discussions with his boss, studying how to position their Donglai Hotel? What style of dishes are you going to make to attract customers?

The two people's opinions were not unanimous before.

Zhang Minghai insists on making his own flavor and cannot follow the trend of some restaurants on the market.

Hu Feng started from reality and thought that he should follow up on some popular methods on the market. He could add some street seafood stir-fries or other cheap dishes from restaurants.

We can't say who is right or wrong about the two people's ideas. It's just that the two people have different directions.

Zhang Minghai's insistence is that he hopes that Donglai Hotel can create a unique flavor. Only with a unique flavor can more guests remember it and think of Donglai Hotel when making a choice.

Based on reality, Hu Feng hopes that Donglai Hotel can better adapt to the trend.

Zhang Minghai couldn't agree with his boss, so he simply chose to go to Quancheng.

Originally, Zhang Minghai thought that when he went to Quancheng to see his master, he could ask him for advice. Zhang Minghai even thought about inviting his master to Donglai so that he could give him some guidance. But in the end, I was inspired by seeing Feng Zhengming’s cooking.

After Zhang Minghai consulted his master again, he felt that he did not need to ask his master to come forward. He could use his skills to get his boss to agree to his approach.

Sure enough, when this dish of fried conch slices in vinegar and pepper fish soup was brought out, the boss was instantly conquered by the taste of this dish.

Next, Zhang Minghai used his junior brother to inspire him and mentioned some of his own words to his master.

Zhang Minghai also came up with several different ways to make conch slices and some new ways to cook seafood.

For example, Zhang Minghai thought of a method of frying conch slices in oil that his junior brother had told him.

Zhang Minghai added some cabbage to the fried conch slices.

The two ingredients are fried together in oil and seasoned with vinegar.

The cooked conch slices are mixed with the cabbage. The cabbage tastes crisp and the conch slices are smooth and crispy. The two are combined together and cooked with balsamic vinegar. It is a good dish that goes well with both wine and rice.

The fried conch slices with cabbage oil also received high praise from the boss.

In addition to conch slices, Zhang Minghai also made unique methods for some marine fish.

For example, he used hairtail and Chinese cabbage cabbage hearts together, and then used his own seasoning to make a dish of hairtail fish and cabbage heart.

This dish can be said to be rich in soy sauce flavor.

In the words of the boss, hairtail gives the taste of grilled meat strips.

After several studies, Zhang Minghai successfully developed his own menu at Donglai Hotel.

In order to test Zhang Minghai's research results, Hu Feng specially invited some guests to come and taste them.

Invited guests come to taste on the same day.

When a customer looked through the new menu of Donglai Hotel, he was surprised when he saw the fried conch slices in vinegar and pepper fish soup on the menu.

"I didn't expect our restaurant in Donglai to have this dish?"

Some people who don’t know much about it don’t quite understand what’s so special about this dish?

"What's wrong with this dish?"

"Hahaha, haven't you read newspapers and TV? There was a cooking exchange in Quancheng some time ago. At that time, a young chef made such a dish and won several awards from the Culinary Association and several senior chefs on the spot. It received unanimous praise. When I read the report, I was thinking, if we in Donglai are on the seaside, do we have this dish?"

While talking about the guests, he looked at the menu carefully and saw a line of words next to the name of the dish.

"Oh? It is indeed the dish of the young chef in Quancheng. Look at the label here."

The menu was circulated, and all the guests invited by Hu Feng saw this dish marked on it.

Creator: Feng Zhengming of Fengjiagan Restaurant.

"Feng Family Gourmet Shop? How can someone from a Feng Family Gourmet Shop cook such high-end dishes?"

Looking at the photos of the dishes on the menu, several guests were even more surprised.

Just at this time, Hu Feng walked in.

"Big bosses, I invite you here today to taste some of the dishes on our chef's new menu. Please give us your advice. If you point out any shortcomings, our chef will make improvements."

The customer who discovered the fried conch slices in vinegar pepper fish soup asked: "Boss Hu, why do you have this dish here? Did you learn it specially?"

Hu Feng stretched his head to look at the menu, then smiled and said: "The chef who created this dish is our chef's junior brother."

Hearing this, the guests present were suddenly enlightened.

"It turns out that we are senior brothers. No wonder they can cook this dish. Then your chef must also cook it authentically."

"It looks very beautiful. I'm really looking forward to the taste of this dish."

"Boss Hu, you are very attentive. I see that there are many new dishes on the menu. They are all seafood, but they are different from those seafood restaurants. I am looking forward to your new dishes."

Seeing that the invited guests were looking forward to it, Hu Feng felt that there should be no problem this time.

Instead of asking the guests to order, Zhang Minghai served them a set meal.

Basically, he was inspired by Feng Zhengming and cooked seafood in a very Shandong cuisine way.

Of course, as a flavor match, some meat dishes are also served.

The dishes were served one after another, making the eyes of the guests invited to taste today, especially some of the big bosses, brighten.

Through this meal, Zhang Minghai and Donglai Hotel successfully established their position in Donglai catering industry.

Dongnai local newspapers also reported on them.

After Zhang Minghai succeeded, he immediately called his master to report the good news, and then also called his junior brother to express his gratitude.

"Zhengming, thank you very much for giving me a lot of inspiration, so that I can adjust the dishes that belong to our own style at Dongnai Hotel."

"You're welcome, senior brother. Your success is the result of your years of accumulation. I just gave you some ideas."

"Things are the key. Without the ideas you gave me, it might be difficult for senior brother to think of it."

"Hahaha, ideas are indeed very important. Senior brother can also go out more in the future, such as going to the beach food stalls. Maybe you can also gain some new ideas."

Zhang Minghai was stunned when he heard Feng Zhengming's words on the phone.

He had never thought about going to the beach food stalls.

It turns out that Zhang Minghai somewhat looked down on food stalls.

However, when I was reminded by my junior brother, I thought that my junior brother was just running a dry rice shop in Quancheng, but he could also come up with such good dish ideas.

Zhang Minghai suddenly felt that his junior brother was right.

I shouldn't look down on those food stalls.

As my junior brother said, food stalls also have their own unique styles. Go take a look, walk around, and taste them, and you may be able to get inspiration from them.

Zhang Minghai wanted to understand this and said seriously to his junior brother: "You are right, you should go out and see more. There is no high or low craftsmanship. As long as it is delicious and liked by everyone, then it must be right. It’s a place worth seeing and learning from.”

Feng Zhengming said: "Yes, senior brother has an advantage, we should make good use of it."

Zhang Minghai laughed on the phone: "Whenever you are free, come over and I will take you to eat the fresh seafood here. I guarantee it will be different from what you can buy in Quancheng."

Feng Zhengming agreed: "Okay, I will definitely visit my senior brother sometime."

After some attempts by Zhang Minghai and improvements in the dishes.

The Dongnai Hotel where he works has gradually become one of the more famous hotels in Dongnai.

Many bosses who go to Donglai from other places gradually choose Donglai Hotel to treat guests.

Master Yan, who was in the vocational school, learned that the sixth apprentice was doing a good job and recommended some students from the vocational school to help the sixth apprentice expand the kitchen team.

Of course, Master Yan is still looking forward to when his young apprentice will make a big move?

In mid-August, the Feng Zhengming brand trademark registration was finally approved.

With the help of his third uncle Feng Jiandong, Feng Zhengming's "Zhengluxing" catering company was officially established.

(End of this chapter)