Chapter 34 Test
As the department leader, Zhou Feng was always gentle and polite, but every time Pei Song was alone with him, he would feel inexplicable pressure.
"Mr. Zhou." Pei Song forced a smile and sat down opposite Zhou Feng.
Liu Yan happened to be walking over with a tray of food in his hand. When he saw this scene, a hint of jealousy flashed across his eyes.
He hesitated for a moment, but still sat down next to Zhou Feng.
"It's just right that you're all here." Zhou Feng put down his chopsticks and glanced at the two of them. "I plan to take Pei Song to meet someone this afternoon, the boss lady Zhao of Jin Shangxuan."
The expression on Liu Yan's face froze.
Jin Shangxuan is the most famous local time-honored brand, and gaining recognition from boss lady Zhao is crucial to the brand upgrade.
"Mr. Zhou," Liu Yan said quickly, "I have been following up on this project before..."
"But we need someone who really understands food to supervise it." Zhou Feng looked at Pei Song, "You have run a Michelin-rated restaurant in Country D, so you should be familiar with the standards of high-end dining."
Pei Song put down his chopsticks: "I'll do my best."
"You are too modest." Zhou Feng's eyes stayed on his face for a while, "I have seen your works on Instagram, very professional."
Liu Yan's expression became more and more ugly. Ever since Pei Song came to the company, Zhou Feng paid more attention to him than others.
"Mr. Zhou," Liu Yan couldn't help but say, "I think this project still needs someone with experience..."
"Experience does not mean ability." Zhou Feng interrupted him calmly, "Although Pei Song came late, his vision and professionalism are very suitable for this project."
Liu Yan wanted to say something, but Zhou Feng turned to Pei Song and said, "I'll wait for you in the office at 2 pm."
Looking at Zhou Feng's back as he left, Liu Yan sneered: "It seems that some people are lucky to be in charge of such an important project right after they arrived."
"I'm just trying my best to do my job." Pei Song said calmly.
"It's my job," Liu Yan sneered, "Don't think I don't know why Mr. Zhou takes such good care of you."
Pei Song frowned: "What do you mean by that?"
"Everyone knows that you had a crush on him before..." Liu Yan moved closer and lowered his voice, "Now you take this opportunity to get close to him, don't you just want to..."
"That's enough!" Pei Song stood up suddenly, and the chair made a harsh sound on the ground. "Try to say it again."
The colleagues around him all looked over. Liu Yan shut his mouth awkwardly, but his eyes were still full of sarcasm.
Pei Song took a deep breath, turned around and left the restaurant.
He needed to calm down and not let this nonsense affect his judgment.
At two o'clock in the afternoon, Pei Song arrived at Zhou Feng's office on time.
"I'll give you a brief introduction on the way." Zhou Feng said as he drove, "Boss Zhao is over 70 years old and has great prestige in the catering industry. This brand remodeling must get her approval."
Pei Song nodded: "I have heard of her. Jin Shangxuan's current reputation is inseparable from her persistence."
"You know a lot." Zhou Feng glanced at him, "But she is very stubborn and attaches great importance to traditional crafts. I wonder if she can accept our innovative plan this time."
The car stopped in front of an antique building, and the three big characters "Jin Shangxuan" shone brightly in the sun.
Pushing open the carved wooden door, the rich smell of spices hits you in the face.
An old lady in cheongsam was sitting in the tea room sipping tea. When she saw Zhou Feng, she smiled kindly.
"Xiao Zhou is here." Mrs. Zhao put down her teacup, "This is the young man you mentioned."
"Yes, Aunt Zhao." Zhou Feng introduced, "This is Pei Song, who ran his own restaurant when he was studying in Country D and won a Michelin star."
Mrs. Zhao looked at Pei Song carefully and said, "It's really good that you can achieve this level at such a young age. However," she changed the subject, "young people nowadays always want to innovate, but ignore the essence of tradition."
Pei Song said respectfully: "The reason why the old brand has been passed down for so long is that it adheres to traditional craftsmanship, but while maintaining tradition, appropriate innovation is also important."
"Oh," Mrs. Zhao said, becoming interested. "Tell me about it."
"For example, Jin Shang Xuan's signature dish Dongpo Pork," Pei Song said, "I noticed that you used traditional Zhejiang ginger and special cooking wine. In recent years, many restaurants have switched to ordinary ginger slices and cooking wine to save time, but the taste is much worse."
Mrs. Zhao's eyes lit up: "You tasted it"
"Yes." Pei Song continued, "But I think we can make some changes in the presentation. Young people nowadays pay much attention to visual effects. If we can make the presentation more refined while maintaining the traditional taste..."
"Young man," Mrs. Zhao interrupted him, "go to the kitchen and take a look."
Pei Song was stunned for a moment, but still followed her into the kitchen.
In the kitchen, several chefs are busy.
Mrs. Zhao pointed to a large iron pot on the stove and said, "This pot has been used for more than 40 years. It is kept in good condition with lard every day. No matter how expensive the stainless steel pots are now, they cannot compare to this pot."
She pointed to the various tools hanging on the wall and said, "These are all old items. Many restaurants now find them troublesome and use machines instead. But there are some things that machines can never replace."
Pei Song thought for a moment: "So what you mean is that innovation cannot lose sight of the main point."
"Smart." Mrs. Zhao smiled. "I am not against innovation, but it must be based on respect and understanding of tradition. What do you want Jin Shang Xuan to be like?"
Pei Song took out a tablet from his bag and opened the business plan: "We hope to let more young people understand the charm of traditional food. On the basis of maintaining the core dishes, we will add some new side dishes and improve the packaging and environment..."
Mrs. Zhao listened carefully and pondered for a moment: "I have an idea, but it's useless to just talk about it. Come and cook a dish for me."
Pei Song didn't expect such a test, but he nodded: "Okay."
He looked around the kitchen and quickly found the ingredients he needed.
The old masters all stopped their work and looked at the young man curiously.
Pei Song decided to make an improved version of braised lion head.
This is one of Jin Shangxuan's signature dishes. He intends to make some innovations in the appearance while maintaining the traditional taste.
He first used an old-fashioned stone mortar to pound the meat. Although this process was time-consuming, it made the meat more delicate.
Then it is seasoned according to traditional techniques, and finally the shape is slightly changed to make each lion head appear in the shape of a lifelike lotus.
"Not bad." Mrs. Zhao took a bite and showed approval in her eyes, "You know how to use the old method and innovate without affecting the taste. You are really good at it."
Zhou Feng breathed a sigh of relief. He knew how difficult it was to gain approval from Boss Lady Zhao.
"For this project," Mrs. Zhao looked at Zhou Feng, "let this kid take charge. I believe he can handle the relationship between tradition and innovation."
When leaving, Mrs. Zhao specifically reminded Pei Song: "You can change it, but we must keep the 'soul' of our Jin Shangxuan's signature dishes."
"Don't worry." Pei Song said seriously.