Early the next morning, Shen Yunzhao and Cheng Shaoyuan met up with Zhao Kai and went to meet the chef recommended by Zhao Kai, Lin Zhichao.
"Master Lin is from Xingning County. When he was young, he went abroad to learn his craft and later stayed in the provincial capital. Last year, after he resigned, he didn't want to stay in the provincial capital, so he returned to his hometown."
"Chef Lin specializes in Cantonese and Fujian cuisine. When he worked at the provincial capital restaurant, he mostly cooked Cantonese and Fujian dishes."
"Master Lin has a straightforward temper and says whatever he thinks, so his words might offend others. If he says anything later, don't take it to heart. He may be straightforward, but he's not a bad person."
"Chef Lin is particularly fond of studying cooking, almost to the point of obsession. I wouldn't say his level is the best, but in the provincial capital, his level is definitely among the best."
While driving, Zhao Kai introduced Lin Zhichao to the two of them.
Shen Yunzhao asked a question she wanted to ask after she returned yesterday, "Since Master Lin's cooking skills are so good, why didn't he open his own restaurant after he resigned from that restaurant?"
Zhao Kai laughed, "Master Lin did run a restaurant. But a good chef isn't necessarily a good boss. Master Lin ran a restaurant for only six months, and he lost almost half of the retirement savings he'd saved over the years. His children then advised him not to open a restaurant anymore and to just focus on being a chef. So, Master Lin gave up on the idea and never opened a restaurant again."
Cheng Shaoyuan asked curiously, "Is Master Lin's restaurant business not doing well?"
"No, business is good. Chef Lin's cooking skills are very good, his dishes are delicious, and he has many regular customers who like his food. However, his restaurant is losing money. After all, opening a restaurant requires considering many aspects. But being a chef is simple. All you have to worry about is whether the dishes you cook are delicious."
Shen Yunzhao and Cheng Shaoyuan suddenly realized that, indeed, there were too many factors to consider when opening a restaurant, and it was not just about whether the food was delicious.
Zhao Kai didn't just talk about other people's strengths, but he talked about both the advantages and disadvantages.
Shen Yunzhao liked Zhao Kai's straightforward personality, "Then Master Lin is really a person with a strong personality."
"Haha, it is. You will know when you meet later."
Lin Zhichao's hometown is in the countryside, not far from the city, and it only takes half an hour to drive there.
Arriving at Lin Zhichao's hometown, Zhao Kai got out of the car and called out familiarly, "Uncle Lin! Is Uncle Lin home?"
A male voice came from the room, "Here."
Then, a man in his 50s came out.
The man looked very ordinary, no different from an ordinary farmer, and his temperament was also average.
He saw Zhao Kai and smiled, "Xiao Kai, you're here. Come on, come in."
Seeing Shen Yunzhao and Cheng Shaoyuan behind Zhao Kai, his smile faded a little, "You two are Miss Shen and Mr. Cheng, right? Please come in."
Zhao Kai quickly introduced to Shen Yunzhao and Cheng Shaoyuan, “This is Lin Zhichao, Master Lin.”
Lin Zhichao waved his hand and said, "Why call me Master? Just call me Old Lin."
Several people entered the house, Lin Zhichao made tea, and the group sat in the living room and chatted.
After a few pleasantries, Shen Yunzhao told them the purpose of today.
"Master Lin, we are here today to invite you to come out and be the head chef of Tianfu Villa."
Lin Zhichao's attitude towards this was very calm. "Ms. Shen, Xiaokai should have told you that I have very high requirements. Of course, my requirements are not about high salary, but about all the things in the kitchen. I have higher requirements."
"I don't like the way many restaurants are doing things these days. They don't need talented chefs, just chefs who have trained for a year or two, with average cooking skills and low salaries. Because many of their dishes are pre-prepared, the chefs just need to heat them up briefly before serving."
"I really don't like this kind of assembly line cooking method. Besides, I'm quite strict about ingredients. If the ingredients are too bad, I'd rather not cook them."
Lin Zhichao knew that his requirements were high. In the past, such requirements could be said to be the minimum requirements of most high-end restaurants.
But now, this requirement has become the highest requirement.
He knew that most bosses would not like him because he had too many demands.
So I'd better say it out loud to avoid embarrassment for everyone.
Shen Yunzhao nodded. "Master Lin, to be honest, I particularly agree with what you said. In fact, I don't like this kind of assembly line restaurant either. What they make is not delicious food, but food that can fill your stomach."
"If I'm a customer, I go out to eat to enjoy the food, and I don't like to eat pre-prepared meals. But the current situation is that a large part of what we eat in restaurants, especially chain restaurants, is pre-prepared meals. And unfortunately, those restaurants don't tell you that these are pre-prepared meals. It actually annoys me."
"My philosophy is the same as yours, using the best ingredients to make the most delicious food."
Lin Zhichao didn't even frown when he heard this, because he had heard this kind of words many times.
Many bosses had come to him to invite him out of retirement, saying how strictly they purchased ingredients for their restaurants. However, when he arrived at the restaurant, he found that there was a huge gap between what the boss said and what they actually did.
What's more, he felt disgusted when he saw the ingredients he bought and didn't want to use them to cook food at all.
Shen Yunzhao was not surprised by Lin Zhichao's performance and smiled.
"Master Lin, I brought some vegetables here today. I grew them myself, and I plan to supply them to Tianfu Villa in the future. How about my husband and I have lunch here with you, using the dishes I brought?"
Lin Zhichao looked at Shen Yunzhao in surprise. This was the first time someone brought food to his house.
His mind turned, and he quickly understood Shen Yunzhao's intention, and said with a smile, "Okay. You and Xiaokai chat here, I'll go cook now."
"I'll go wash the vegetables..." Cheng Shaoyuan wanted to help, but Lin Zhichao refused, "No, just sit down."
Lin Zhichao went into the kitchen to cook, while Shen Yunzhao and the other two stayed in the living room drinking tea.
Zhao Kai looked at the kitchen, then at Shen Yunzhao, and suddenly felt that Shen Yunzhao would definitely be able to invite Master Lin out of retirement.
Shen Yunzhao's method is very special. First, it can test Master Lin's cooking skills, and second, it can allow Master Lin to see the quality of the ingredients in their restaurant.
He asked with a smile, "Miss Shen, I think this matter is settled!"
Shen Yunzhao smiled, "I hope so!"
Master Lin cooked very quickly. He made a soup, a meat dish, boiled chicken, two vegetable dishes, stir-fried water spinach and stir-fried lettuce, and two half-meat dishes, braised eggplant and braised potatoes, all of which were the most common home-cooked dishes.
Shen Yunzhao brought four kinds of vegetables this time, namely water spinach, lettuce, eggplant and potatoes.
She didn't bring any meat, after all, there were only chickens in the space, and the chickens hadn't grown up yet.
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