The Northern Stories of Chef Lao Tan

Chapter 66 Wuhan
Wuhan, referred to as "Han" or "Jiangcheng", is the capital of Hubei Province.Located in the eastern part of the Jianghan Plain, in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, the Yangtze River and its tributary, the Han River, meet in the city. The city is known as the “thoroughfare of nine provinces” because of its intertwined rivers and lakes and ports.Wuhan is a national historical and cultural city and an important birthplace of Chu culture. Since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period, it has been an important military and commercial center in southern China.

Due to the good geographical environment, criss-cross rivers, numerous mountains, and a wide range of ingredients, the snacks are quite famous and there are many delicacies.

The restaurants visited this time include: Fatty Liu’s Home Cooking, Chuzaowang Hotel, Taste Hall, Sunny Hotel, Lihua Garden, Simple Tea and Light Rice, Grandma’s House, Sanzhen Minsheng Dessert Restaurant and many other famous restaurants in the local area and even in the country .

On the first day, the delegation inspected Fatty Liu's home-cooked dishes, Taste Hall, Simple Tea and Light Rice, and Sanzhen Minsheng Sweet Food Restaurant.

Founded in 2003, Fatty Liu's Home Cooking Cuisine mainly serves Hubei cuisine. It is a pure common people's restaurant with large portions and moderate prices. It is a bit like Linjiangxuan in the provincial capital, very suitable for family and friends gatherings.

Weiweitang is a catering brand under the small bonsai Catering Management Co., Ltd., founded in 2002, is the main brand of small bonsai.Taking cooking quality catering as our responsibility, we will do our best to create "exquisite home-cooked dishes".With the concept of delicacy, according to the modern eating habits, the internal excavation of ordinary ingredients is carried out to reinterpret the traditional Chinese food.

What inspires Lao Tan the most is that his family runs through the concept of "exquisiteness in shape and essence in heart" to every link of the origin, selection and processing of ingredients, forming exquisite cold dishes, delicious dishes, exquisite home-cooked dishes, and dry pot dishes. dishes, special clay pot and exquisite home-cooked seafood and other dishes.This made Lao Tan feel a lot. He felt that his understanding and research on the dishes were not enough, and he needed to learn from others.

Weiweitang's "Taste Fish Head" and "Yongzheng Mutton Pot" are selling very well, and they are similar to Lao Tan's "Iron Pot Fish Head" and "Nourishing Mutton Pot".Lao Tan tasted these two dishes, the workmanship is rigorous, the heat is in place, and the taste is unique.According to eating habits, it is suitable for local people to eat. If it is brought to the north intact, it will not be as popular as "iron pot fish head" and "nourishing mutton pot".

Cu Cha Daan Fan focuses on Hubei cuisine, and there are many branches in other places besides Wuhan. No matter where you go, the taste of Cu Cha Light Rice is the same, and there will not be too much deviation, so you can also eat familiar tastes in other places.

The concept of simple tea and light rice is to eat healthy, use a small amount of monosodium glutamate in the cooking process, do not use chicken essence, highlight the original flavor of the dishes, and let the guests taste healthy.This coincides with Lao Tan. A few years ago, Lao Tan canceled the monosodium glutamate, and the kitchen must use the old soup to stimulate the original taste of the raw materials, so that the dishes can return to their original taste.

When communicating with the chef, Lao Tan asked a lot about the food management of the chain store, learned a lot, and laid the foundation for the future opening of the dumpling restaurant.

Sanzhen Minsheng Dessert Restaurant was founded in 1957. It was once famous in the three towns of Jiangcheng for its northern dumplings, noodles and other products. It is a time-honored catering enterprise in Wuhan and has many branches.

Special snacks are bean curd, fried buns, rice wine and so on.

Wuhan is famous for its snacks. All kinds of snacks are spread all over the streets and alleys, and there are all kinds of flavors. There are more than 20 kinds of snacks in Minsheng Sweet Food Restaurant in Sanzhen, which can be eaten all day long. The per capita consumption is not high, [-] yuan.

The three of them gained a lot on the first day.

What Lao Tan gained was the understanding and research and development of dishes, as well as the management of chain stores.What Yanhua and Yanzi achieved was an eye-opener. They never thought that the catering industry would be so prosperous and restaurants could achieve this level.Especially after listening to the on-site sharing by the boss, I realized that I am just a primary school student in front of catering, and I have a lot to learn.I can't help thinking of my own dumpling restaurant. To be honest, without Lao Tan's dumpling restaurant, it may not be able to open, and it will not have such good benefits.

The two of them felt that it was worthwhile to come out to study and study this time. When Lao Tan asked them to sign up, they thought it was unnecessary, but now they are convinced.

People should continue to invest in the parts above their necks, and don't let their heads go empty.A good-looking dress does not necessarily increase the social status, nor can it be recognized by others, let alone create wealth.

But having a wise head and a big pattern is different. Not only can you create wealth, but you can also live a better life.

In the evening, Lao Tan asked the head chef of Weiwei Tang and Fatty Liu’s home cooking to have a drink together. Together with him were some old friends who went to inspect when they were working in Binhai Qinghua Pavilion. This time they also came to Wuhan for inspection .Everyone sits together and chats about the hotel, communicates and learns from each other.

Although Lao Tan is only the person in charge of a small shop with an area of ​​[-] square meters, which is insignificant compared with them, it does not affect communication, and they did not look down on Lao Tan. I respect him very much and call him Teacher Tan.The reason is simple. Lao Tan once gave them an impressive sharing session.

A family of cooks all over the world.No one is guaranteed to work in a restaurant for a lifetime, or in one city all the time. It is normal for cooks from Wuhan to go to the provincial capital, and it is normal for cooks from the provincial city to come to Wuhan.If one day I get off the job and find someone to live in another place, it will be a happy thing to think that I have friends here.

Multiple friends have multiple roads.

The head chef of Taste Hall is surnamed Hou, and he is quite talkative. After knowing that Lao Tan runs a dumpling restaurant, he said: "Master Tan, your Northeast dumplings are very famous, and you can definitely make them in Wuhan. We Wuhan people also love dumplings."

Lao Tan said: "If you have the opportunity, you must go to Wuhan to open a dumpling restaurant."

"Your Northeast cuisine is very famous for stewed chicken with mushrooms, pot-packed meat, and blood sausage with sauerkraut and white meat. I have been to Changchun once, and the food there is very good." Waiting chef said.

"If you have time to go to the provincial capital, I will invite you to taste the authentic Northeast cuisine." Old Tan said.

Fatty Liu's home cooking chef is from Hunan, surnamed Zhang, as fat as Lao Tan, he doesn't like to talk, and belongs to the kind of person who is affordable and kind.He has a lot of alcohol, which is comparable to that of Lao Tan.

He said to Lao Tan: "Master Tan, when you come to Wuhan, you will call your brother, and he promises to treat you well."

Old Tan said: "There will be no trouble in the future."

"I cook Hubei cuisine now, and Hunan cuisine is also very good. In the future, if Master Tan needs a Hunan cuisine cook, I will find a good one for you even if I don't go." Chef Zhang said.

"Thank you in advance, brother." Old Tan said.

Speaking of looking for a cook, the back cook thought of something and said to Lao Tan: "Master Tan, my friend wants to find a cook from the Northeast, you can introduce one."

"Okay, what's the price?" Old Tan asked.

"Six thousand, the handle must be good." Waiting chef said, and then added: "My friend's store is two thousand square meters, and they have always served Northeast dishes, but the cooking is average. I told me about looking for a cook. I know Northeast dishes. There are few cooks, this time it’s alright, you help your brother find one, don’t worry about the salary, it’s open every month, the salary is good, there are three days off every month, the cook has a separate dormitory, and the conditions are good.”

Old Tan agreed.

While Lao Tan and the others were drinking and chatting, Yanhua and Yanzi ate at a restaurant called "Xiaoqiu Dumplings" next to the hotel where they were staying.Lao Tan didn't take the two of them with him when he went out. They were a little hungry and wanted to try the dumplings in Wuhan.

I ordered two local dishes and two plates of dumplings, and chatted while eating.

Yanhua swallowed a dumpling stuffed with celery, took a sip of beer, and said, "The dumpling tastes good, but not as good as ours."

Swallow said: "You see, his house is still serving customers at eight o'clock. If our family opens a shop here, it will definitely be fine."

Yanhua said, "Okay, I haven't figured it out yet in the provincial capital, but you've got a big heart when you come to Wuhan."

Swallow laughed and said, "I didn't hear what the boss said today, the stage is as big as the heart."

Yanhua thought for a while and said: "The Harbin owner who was chatting with us today is also a dumpling restaurant. He has been doing it for more than ten years. Now there are 30 restaurants with an annual turnover of nearly [-] million, which is amazing. We can't compare with others."

"Are you talking about the one who is about the same age as us?" Swallow asked.

"Yes, my surname is Wu. You gave me my business card. My name is Wu Huijuan." Yanhua said.

"I didn't listen to her very much. I asked me first. I said that I opened a dumpling restaurant, and then asked me how much I sell a year. I said that it was just opened for half a year, and it was more than [-] a month. It seems that people don't look down on them at all. , After hearing what I said, I chatted with you, maybe I didn’t know that we are a family.” Yanzi said, with a little emotion.

Yanhua said: "They are indeed better than us. Besides, they have been doing it for more than ten years. They are better than us. Don't worry, we can do the same for ten years."

"Go back and discuss with Lao Tan about opening a branch during the Chinese New Year." Yanzi said.

"You, don't be in a hurry, be safe. I chatted with that boss Wu, and she said that the branch of her family only opened in the fifth year, and it has always been a store before."

"Hey, I don't know if I don't come out, but I'm shocked when I come out. At home, I think our family is very good, but when I come out, it's nothing to compare with others. We have to learn." Swallow said with emotion.

When they were at home, they both had the same idea. It doesn’t matter whether they open a branch or not. Old Tan has the final say, but in his heart he prefers not to open a branch.What if it's too much?What if you lose money?

Both of them are housewives, so it's normal to have this kind of thinking. The original idea was to start a small restaurant and earn a few thousand yuan a month.The dumpling restaurant was established with the advice of Lao Tan and the support of their respective husbands. Before opening, I was very timid.

Unexpectedly, not only did they not lose money, but they were also very popular. Now the two of them felt relieved and even a little proud.

After the opening, the two want to have this dumpling restaurant. It's good to earn 300,000 each in a year, so what are you going to do?Not better than going to work?If you can raise your head and talk in front of your sisters, you can say that you are also a boss.

When I came out, I realized that my small boss was not worth mentioning in front of those big bosses, and was insignificant.My own family is full of dozens of boxes and sells more than two million yuan a year to survive. Others often cost tens of millions, or even hundreds of millions. Compared with others, they are nothing compared to others.

Everyone is self-motivated, regardless of man or woman, or age.

Yanhua and Yanzi are envious and jealous when they see how well their restaurant is doing so much every year. Although they can't compare with others, they gain confidence after listening to their sharing.They all started from small shops little by little. Many people have lost money, and even started a few times. Few of them succeeded in doing it for the first time like the two of them.

In addition, there are many female bosses who are similar in age to the two of them in the inspection group. Listening to the chatting and chatting of others touched them a lot. While envious and admiring, they also have ideas. They feel that they are no different from them. Go back and manage your own business The dumpling restaurant also opened branches, and in a few years it will also be the boss of the catering company.

I feel that I came out right this time, opened my eyes, learned something, and found my direction.

Although this direction is very vague and not very well-formed, I have a vague sense of what should be done - step out of the role of a housewife and become a real boss.

(End of this chapter)