National Tide 1980.

Chapter 757 On the shoulders of giants
Only by standing on the shoulders of giants can we see more scenery.

This sentence is applicable to all chefs in Maxim's kitchen.

In fact, no matter China or foreign countries, everyone is the same.

It's just that what Chinese people see is a fresh and interesting Western landscape, while what foreigners see is the magnificent Qingming Riverside Picture.

So despite the appearance, the culinary skill assessment between Xiao Cha and Dai Hong was just an insignificant internal test in Maxim's kitchen.

It is just a preliminary exchange of cooking skills between Chinese food and Western food, and a simple exploration in Western food.

But the follow-up impact is really significant.

Even all the personal participants in it have never thought of it.

This incident not only changed everything in Maxim's kitchen.

It is even a milestone in the development history of the global catering industry, and it can be called the beginning of the modern fusion of Chinese food and Western food.

Among other things, after this, the biggest change in Maxim's kitchen is that the relationship between Chinese and foreign chefs has increased significantly.

After seeing the superb culinary skills of the altar chefs, Maxim's three French chefs are no longer arrogant, but regard the five altar chefs as peers who can exchange skills on an equal footing.

For this reason, their arrogance and arrogance in their work have decreased a lot, and their patience and tolerance have increased accordingly.

Instructing the five members of Tangong to master French cooking skills better and faster has also begun to be done as a very serious and responsible thing.

Soon, Yang Feng got his wish and entered the oil pan charcoal grilling group, and began to concentrate on learning the Western food grilling method he longed for.

Often get personal guidance from the executive chef "Bai Maoer".

And Xu Chunyan also got the attention of "pull the list" and was transferred to the bakery.

Under his guidance, he began to specialize in the production of Western-style pastries and baking techniques of bread.

Even the former chefs of Maxim's kitchen began to feel that their working environment, which was like hell in the past, was gradually undergoing subtle changes.

Yes, although the work intensity is still very high, every time you open a meal, you still need to race against time.

But since the three French chefs are no longer serious and dead, they can occasionally make jokes at work, the working atmosphere of the back chef has obviously become more relaxed and happy.

Especially those old employees who went to France for the first batch of surprise training felt that the three funny chefs they saw in Paris, France, seemed to be back again.

In private, the French chefs expressed more kindness to the five chefs at the Altar Palace.

Any Frenchman who catches up with his rest day will almost always invite the altar chef who is off on the same day to eat at home.

This often turns into a less formal but very effective opportunity for a culinary exchange between China and the West.

The chefs of Tangong will have a better understanding of the aesthetics of Western food.

The French chefs will also get more culinary inspiration from the questions and different opinions raised by the altar chefs.

At the same time, the contact and exchange of different lifestyles between China and the West is also conducive to the elimination of barriers and will make it easier for each other to understand each other.

The most obvious effect is that Yang Feng started to learn French seriously.

His mastery of common kitchen terms is as rapid as his cooking skills.

And "Le Ge Pi" also became interested in Chinese, and initially mastered some Mandarin for daily greetings.

Then this kid is like a myna who loves to learn, bluffing "Hello", "Dude", and "Have you eaten" in the kitchen every day.

Chinese people all pay attention to courtesy and reciprocity, and they know the truth of being short-mouthed and short-handed.

Soon, the five people from Tangong decided to invite three Frenchmen to Tangong Restaurant one by one to try authentic Chinese food.

Fortunately, the French do not have a preference for Yan Bao Chi Ginseng, thanks to the altar palace also has internal consumption coupons.

The five of them can still afford to be hosts once in a while.

Unexpectedly, such a reply shocked the French even more.

Because even though the chefs of the altar palace invited them to dinner, they only ordered some ordinary dishes and noodle snacks, and the most expensive dish would be a roast duck or a roasted deer tail.

It is not a real expensive dish in the altar palace.

However, the authentic taste and rich and varied cooking techniques of Tangong Restaurant have greatly shocked the French chefs.

It's like when the five members of Altar Palace came to Maxim's restaurant for the first time, they were dazzled by the colorful stained glass there.

The three French chefs were also overwhelmed by the pure court dishes and the style of royal meals.

Here, they not only truly experienced the culture of the ancient oriental capital, but also seemed to re-acquaint themselves with food, as if they saw the door of the culinary paradise open for them.

Even if you are still standing outside the door with two feet, you can only roughly look inside the door.

They have already felt that there are countless treasures shining with light, which are deeply tempting to them.

As a result, Tangong Restaurant has three more foreign diners who must come once a week.

Yang Feng's roasted pork belly and Xu Chunyan's peach mousse also became the chef's recommended dishes, and they were on the recommended menu of Maxim's restaurant.

In addition, the three French chefs, together with Xiaocha and Dai Hong, made more appropriate improvements and applications to the radish soup, sugar flower basket, and vegetable eggs, and finally added them to the new menu.

And it is extremely gratifying that these dishes have been tested by the market and have all achieved great success.

As long as the French resident in Beijing have tasted these dishes, they are very pleasantly surprised.

Their praises formed a good word of mouth, and spread quickly, attracting countless guests.

Not only has the turnover of Maxim's Restaurant been effectively improved, but also the operating conditions have been greatly improved.

Moreover, Marlet, who was the French ambassador to China at the time, came here to taste it.

I am also full of praise for these new dishes that combine Chinese and Western styles.

It is even said that his strong admiration for roasted pork belly and peach mousse was transmitted back to France and attracted the attention of the Michelin guide, who seemed to intend to send someone to China to see what happened.

Ever since, Ning Weimin's whim arrangement not only gained Song Huagui's attention.

It also made him inattentive, and was pushed into a bit of a dilemma again.

Dare to Love Song Huagui means to add burden to Ning Weimin.

Who told him to run Tangong Restaurant so well?
Even a chef exchange event can effectively increase Maxim's turnover, create many popular new dishes, and start the restaurant's reputation.

Song Huagui would naturally hope that Ning Weimin would work harder, so he might as well take care of Maxim's restaurant and liberate himself.

In addition, the French chefs also put forward their suggestions and requests, which required Ning Weimin to coordinate and cooperate.

One is that people expressed their willingness to make this kind of communication activities for chef internships a regular practice.

But I hope that I can also send chefs from Paris to learn Chinese food at Tangong Restaurant, so as to promote the improvement of the cooking level of the main restaurant of Maxim Restaurant.

In order to keep the honor of Michelin three-star restaurant for a long time.

Second, Executive Chef Dominique increasingly thinks that Yang Feng is a good talent, and hopes to keep Yang Feng to work at Maxim's Restaurant.

And for this reason, it is proposed to add a Chinese executive sous chef position and hire Yang Feng to take it.

The third is that the French chef hopes that in addition to flowers, he can also regularly purchase off-season fresh vegetables from the greenhouses in Tiantan Park, especially the unique asparagus in the Temple of Heaven.

Fourth, the French chefs at Maxim's restaurant also want the consumption coupons of the altar palace, which is of the same level as them, and think that this should also be a benefit they can enjoy.

Look, it doesn't mean that you can't lose money by stealing chickens.

Ning Weimin originally wanted to let his own people learn other people's skills.

In the end, I didn't expect it to be too brilliant. In this way, it made people think about it.

And the foreign devils are really ruthless, not only to learn skills, but also to be human.

Although the companies under the same company should not be so clearly distinguished, it is said that this is something that is beneficial to both parties.

But the problem is that Ning Weimin is the descendant of the dragon after all.

National sentiment makes him naturally have a sense of repulsion and wariness towards foreigners learning Chinese food.

So at the beginning, Ning Weimin didn't agree in a long way, but went back and tried his best to figure out how to refuse reasonably.

Let's be narrow-minded. It's a bit of a disadvantage to think about this matter. You can't just give foreign devils whatever they like.

If the Chinese food of the French surpasses ours one day, then the disciples of the church will starve the master to death.

But after Kang Shude said a few words, he didn't think so.

The old man saw that he had something on his mind, and when he asked about the situation, he laughed at him for being stingy.

"Let me ask you, do you believe that your French cuisine in Tangong can surpass the French? Even if it is Xiao Yang, who is the favorite of the French, he is going to Paris to cook French cuisine. Do you think he can surpass other French chefs? Take the top spot in the catering industry?"

"Of course it won't work. Anyway, when it comes to French cuisine, the French themselves have an advantage. Although we can have more changes and new tastes, there may be a few dishes that surpass the French. But after all, cultural There are gaps in race and ethnicity, it's hard to really..."

"That's the end of it. The reverse is also the same. One side nourishes the other side, and food actually needs to be nourished by culture and living environment. So when it comes to Chinese food, of course it will always be the most authentic made by us Chinese. So, fuck you This kind of heart is simply superfluous. Even if you teach it to foreign devils, they will always be our good apprentices. Unless he also changes himself into yellow skin and black eyes."

"Hey, by the way, don't you always want to promote Chinese food overseas. Then you are even more stupid to think so. Why don't you pull these foreigners to do it together. After teaching them, you are the master. For example, you want to Go to France, and they will be willing to be the vanguard for you, shouting slogans. This is the way to do business, you have to find an ally."

"If you want me to say, you really need to be careful. In fact, there are only little devils and second devils. Their faces are the same as ours. The culture is also the same as ours. You have to relax your vigilance and give them too many opportunities. Then maybe you can Misleading, deceiving the master and destroying the ancestors..."

Not to mention, what the old man said is reasonable, and Ning Weimin deeply agrees with it.

He really forgot that the inheritance and development of knowledge and skills also requires an appropriate environment.

In business, you must learn to find helpers, where can you make enemies everywhere?

However, for the sake of caution, Ning Weimin then went to ask "Zhang Dashao" for advice, and as a result, Master Zhang's opinion reassured him even more.

"Chinese food is difficult, Western food is easy, Chinese food focuses on skills, and Western food focuses on form. Do you think the technique is easy to practice? Or is the form easy to learn? So don't worry, let's learn from them when it comes to cooking. If you want to imagine so It will take at least two or three years. If they want to learn from us, if they really work hard, it will take at least 20 years."

"What your master said is right. The cooking thing is not the same in a different environment. Even I dare not say that making stir-fried lumps is better than the cook in that wild restaurant. We don't have the right taste The ability to spray balsamic vinegar, and I don’t have the green garlic that I can eat at will. Let alone foreigners learn from us.”

"Besides, don't forget that you are engaged in court cuisine. What is the main purpose of court cuisine? In addition to the high-quality raw materials, exquisite cooking skills and matching methods, and the pursuit of pure and strong taste. The more important thing is 'Elite and Eclectic' is on. Right?"

"The range of palace cuisine recipes is unmatched by any cuisine. It is a collection of culinary products from all over the world, a collection of the essence of national cooking techniques. In the past, the royal family used tributes from all over the world. Now, the world It’s bigger, and we should pick and include the products of foreigners, inclusive, and create new dishes, so that we can develop. Otherwise, if you cherish your broom and refuse to move forward, wouldn’t you be living on your laurels?”

"Let's put it this way, I have the same opinion as your master. This matter will do you more good than harm. It will not only help you improve the quality of your dishes, but also make your restaurant famous overseas. If you want to refuse, you will be stupid. As for people Well, don't hold on to it. Can you hold on to people's hearts by force? It will only lead to renunciation."

In short, Ning Weimin was ashamed of the generosity and wisdom of the two old men, and he was really ashamed.

But it also solved his doubts in time and let him know what is the right choice.

So Ning Weimin had a private conversation with the five chefs of the altar palace, and quickly replied to Song Huagui.

He promised to help Song Huagui manage Maxim's Restaurant, and in principle agreed to the requests of several French chefs.

In this way, at the beginning of February, when the Spring Festival was approaching, not only Ning Weimin took the title of deputy general manager of Maxim Restaurant.

Yang Feng is also happy to be the first Chinese executive sous chef of Maxim Restaurant.

And Tan Gong Restaurant did not suffer, because the combination of Chinese food and Western food has the same promotion effect on both sides.

Like the sauce that is the core of French cuisine, it is the concentrated "Haut gout".

After Dai Hong mastered the preparation method of Béchamel Sauce, she found that it is perfect for cold dishes.

In this way, cold dishes made with one of the five major French sauces appeared on the menu of Tangong Restaurant, which also refreshed the taste buds of domestic diners.

There is also a dish called "asparagus with fragrant sauce" in French cuisine. The sauce used is also Hollandaise Sauce, one of the top five sauces in French cuisine.

Under Jiang Dachun's suggestion, Ning Weimin asked Tangong Restaurant to replace it with asparagus. As a result, "Asparagus with Fragrant Sauce" was launched in winter when there were not many fresh vegetables, which was very popular with the people of the country.

Therefore, the asparagus in Tangong is expensive in Luoyang, and the sales are very hot.

This even made Ning Weimin discover a secret, that is how the precious ingredients come from.

It not only needs rare things to be more expensive, but also requires fame and publicity to allow the public to reach a consensus.

For example, Tangong Restaurant and Maxim's Restaurant jointly promoted Asparagus Vegetables, and within a short period of time, this thing became famous and its style soared.

Whether it's Tangong Restaurant or Maxim's, when regular customers call to locate a restaurant, they will often first ask if there is any asparagus.

Even the Sichuan Restaurant and the Capital Restaurant called to make friends, asking where they got the goods from.

Isn't this the basis for the price increase?

(End of this chapter)