The Spirit of Gourmet

Chapter 341 The Chef of the Sea Feast
"ladies and gentlemen!"

On a makeshift platform, a host with a microphone spoke in an enthusiastic voice, attracting the attention of passing tourists.

"The showdown between the city's most popular restaurants, 'Sea Feast' and 'Fish Flavor,' is about to begin. We'll find out today which restaurant can cook the most delicious fish dishes!"

"To ensure the fairness of this competition, we have invited many guests from various industries to serve as judges!"

"Please welcome Mr. Su Chang, editor-in-chief of Yuehu Cuisine magazine!"

"Please welcome..."

As the host introduced them, guests with high credibility in the food industry were invited to the stage and take their seats in the guest area.

The tourists who had stopped to watch were already drawn in by the host's words, and now that they saw these guests, they couldn't help but squeeze towards the stands.

"Finally, we have also invited a distinguished guest, Mr. Zheng Chuan, a first-level food recommender from the Yuling Chef Association of Yuehu City!"

As the host finished speaking, a tall, thin, bespectacled, and very refined-looking middle-aged man slowly walked onto the stage, nodded slightly to the crowd, and then sat in the center of the judges' panel.

They even invited a food critic!
The tourists in the stands cheered excitedly.

“The people from ‘Hai Sheng Yan’ are really high-profile.” Cao Dongdong clicked his tongue in a corner below the platform. “And they even invited Mr. Zheng Chuan as a judge.”

Food recommender Zheng Chuan is the one among the eight food recommenders in Yuehu City who specializes in evaluating fish dishes. Inviting him can be said to have completely ensured the fairness of this competition, and has also attracted the attention of countless people.

"In this situation, losing the challenge will definitely cause a sharp drop in popularity, and the lost popularity will be absorbed by the winner." Qin Lang frowned, and the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger.

According to Chef Wen Tao, his culinary skills far surpass those of the chefs at "Hai Sheng Yan" restaurant, and the theme of "Fish Flavor" restaurant also gives it an advantage. No matter how you look at it, "Hai Sheng Yan" restaurant has no chance of winning.

So what gives "Hai Sheng Yan" the confidence to take such a big gamble and even challenge the law in public?

Did they bribe the judges?

However, these judges are all prominent figures in the culinary world, and some of them are even food recommenders, so there is no possibility of them being bribed.

Or perhaps they have a highly skilled chef hidden away?

Even so, winning over the signature dishes of "Fish Flavor," which has been operating for so many years and has undergone numerous improvements, is not an easy task.

"Mr. Xu Zhe is here!" Zhao Qian suddenly exclaimed.

Everyone looked in the direction Zhao Qian pointed out, and saw Xu Zhe, dressed in a suit and tie, striding towards them.

Behind him stood Chef Wentao, whom he had met yesterday. The two of them carried the prepared ingredients and quickly walked onto the stage.

"Haha, Mr. Xu, you've arrived just in time." Liu Tong strode onto the stage. "All the judges are here."

"This showdown can begin at any time."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhe glanced at the guests in the audience.

As a veteran in the catering industry, he naturally recognized the people in front of him, and he breathed a sigh of relief.

These judges are absolutely impossible for Liu Tong to bribe.

Currently, it seems that their "Fish Flavor" restaurant has a very high chance of winning!
"Let's begin now!" Xu Zhe said in a deep voice, "Who is the chef that 'Hai Sheng Yan' is sending?"

"So mysterious, why haven't they shown themselves yet?"

As he spoke, a hint of caution flashed in Xu Zhe's eyes.

Having agreed to the challenge yesterday, he carefully considered the basis for "Sea Feast's" confidence in challenging their "Flavor of Fish." Ultimately, his considerations boiled down to two possibilities: bribing the judges or finding a highly skilled chef.

If he had tried to bribe the judges, he had already prepared countermeasures. But now it seems he won't need to.

Therefore, the confidence of "Sea Feast" likely lies in its chefs.

The fish dishes at "Fish Flavor" are unmatched in the entire Yuehu City catering industry. He wanted to see who "Haishengyan" had invited!
"The chef we sent?" Liu Tong laughed and pointed behind Xu Zhe. "He's already standing on the stage."

"What?!" Xu Zhe's pupils shrank, and he turned his head sharply to look behind him. He saw Wen Tao carrying the ingredients in his hand, walking step by step towards Liu Tong, and finally standing behind Liu Tong.

"Wentao!!!"

Xu Zhe's eyes were filled with disbelief. He never expected that the other party's trump card would be his own head chef.

"what do you mean?"

"Over the years, has 'Fish Flavor' treated you unfairly?"

“I’m sorry, Mr. Xu.” Wen Tao said calmly, “A wise bird chooses a good tree to perch on. If I win this match, I will be the owner of the ‘Haishengyan’ branch.”

“Chef Wen is a smart man,” Liu Tong laughed. “No matter how well a chef does, he’s still just working for someone else. How can that compare to being a boss!”

"You...you all..." Xu Zhe's face was extremely gloomy, his eyes instantly turned red, and his body swayed as if he were about to collapse.

In that instant, he understood everything.

No wonder Wentao stood up and persuaded me to accept the challenge when I was still hesitating yesterday!
They had already conspired together!
“Boss Liu…” Xu Zhe said through gritted teeth, “What a brilliant scheme.”

"You flatter me!" Liu Tong said with a bright smile. "The 'Fish Flavor' restaurant would like to send a chef to compete."

"I think this match will be very exciting."

Their conversation was overheard by the crowd, and various discussions arose immediately.

On the judging panel, Zheng Chuan's expression darkened slightly. "What's going on?"

“I’m afraid the owner of ‘Fish Flavor’ has been tricked.” Su Chang, the magazine editor sitting next to Zheng Chuan, shook his head slightly. “I’ve long heard that ‘Sea Feast’ has a variety of business tactics.”

"Unexpectedly, they poached the opponent's head chef on the day of the showdown."

"This is really not a very ethical thing to do."

“Yes, this approach is too much…” Another guest shook his head, feeling some sympathy for the “Fish Flavor” restaurant, but then sighed, “It seems that the outcome of this battle is already decided.”

"The owner of 'Fish Flavor' restaurant, Mr. Xu, could not possibly find a chef who could match his own head chef in a short period of time."

“We were invited here to be judges; these messy things are none of our business.” The third guest shook his head. “We only look at the final cooking result and give a fair choice.”

These words drew agreement from the other guests, and even Zheng Chuan, who was sitting in the main seat, nodded slightly, but his expression was still not very pleasant.

The way "Sea Feast" did things made him feel like he was being used.

After this, he will definitely blacklist this restaurant!

only…

Zheng Chuan glanced at the dejected Xu Zhe and sighed inwardly.

Pity.

(End of this chapter)