Who gave this heretical practitioner permission to cook?

Chapter 241 Cao Fujun, who didn't make it into the exchange competition, is making juicy shumai and yam vermicelli? (First update)
"In front of the judges' panel"

Xia Ming pushed the food cart quickly toward the judges.

Among the seven plates in total, two small shumai lay quietly inside.

Under the light, they did not shine too brightly, and like ordinary food, they simply emitted their own unique aromas.

Before he could even stand still, the seven judges exchanged glances. They hadn't expected Xia Ming to be able to serve the dish within 20 minutes.

Sensing the fragrance around her, Bai Susu took a sniff, a hint of confusion flashing in her eyes.

"The aroma of pork caul fat is very pronounced, along with the flavors of fresh shrimp and ham."

"The quality is decent, but the overall aroma is very average, and it doesn't have the same impact as the last one."

She admitted that Xia Ming's "chicken soup for the soul" left a deep impression on her.

Aside from some pre-treatment, it is arguably the best competition soup she has tasted in recent years.

But the deliciousness of the soup doesn't reflect her opinion of Xia Ming.

After all, Bai Susu still had a lot of opinions about Xia Ming eating alone in the back of the kitchen.

So, when she found that the dishes in this round were not as amazing as those in the last round, she frowned slightly.

"Could it be that this round was rushed and the overall taste was neglected?"

Cao Fujun shared similar thoughts.
In his opinion, Xia Ming performed well in the previous round.

But this round of judging was a bit too disrespectful to the judges and other contestants.

In just 18 minutes, many contestants presented their dishes without even having fully prepared the basic ingredients, which was far too hasty.

"It seems that what they said online is true; Xia Ming really likes to pull off these so-called underhanded tricks!"

With a cold snort, Cao Fujun's eyes revealed a hint of disdain.

In his view, many of the so-called "dark cuisine" skills that Xia Ming supposedly possesses on the internet only utilize some trivial details.

"Excessive greasiness, flavor suppression, bundled sales, hot and cold product mismatch, and masking of aromas."

The seemingly profound techniques are actually just so-called "targeting" the opponent in advance after discovering their dishes.

"These are all minor paths; none of them are up to par."

Cao Fujun was somewhat dissatisfied with the Chefs Association's high regard for Xia Ming, just as they had previously shown the same level of importance to Wei Yan.

"A bunch of greenhorns, thinking they can represent China in the exchange competition by resorting to petty tricks? They really don't know their own limitations!"

"Xia Ming doesn't think that overseas chefs are fools, like the newcomers in China, who know there's a problem but don't know how to solve it!"

Although this statement might seem to boost others' morale while diminishing one's own, Cao Fujun felt that this was the objective truth.

This has absolutely nothing to do with him not getting a spot in this exchange competition!

Absolutely not!!!

Seeing his expression, Tan Zhifeng could sense his jealousy without even realizing it.

It's worth noting that even Miao Zeyang was exceptionally selected for this year's exchange competition, but Cao Fujun's name was not among the team's chefs.

This was a huge blow to a chef who always considered himself a traditionalist and had extensive knowledge of Chinese cuisine.

The impact is one thing, but the reality is another.

Tan Zhifeng knew very well that Cao Fujun's fate was actually of his own making.

It's worth noting that Cao Fujun participated in a total of 4 exchange matches, including solo battles, team battles, themed battles, free-for-all battles, and bloodbaths, covering various modes and rules, for a total of 19 matches.

A total of 34 dishes were prepared.
My best result is second place.
To be honest, this was only because Tan Zhifeng had been developing his career overseas for a while, which meant there was one less position available, and also because Master Cao Fujun still held considerable influence.

Otherwise, given this approach, it would be a miracle that Cao Fujun was able to participate in four sessions.

"The Chefs Association is, after all, a department managed by people. Wherever there are people, there will be human relationships."

"That Cao Fujun guy mistook his master's favor for his own."

"Now that his master is gone, the culinary association naturally won't give him any face. If you ask me, with his achievements, he wouldn't have needed any special treatment even when he was still around!"

In Tan Zhifeng's view, he holds the title of "Hua Level 7" chef because he has been involved in promotion and creating innovative dishes.

His ability to gain recognition from so many chefs overseas is definitely not just due to publicity.
Because Tan Zhifeng actually has a "Level 7" rating certificate, which means that he is essentially a dual chef.

Not many people know about this. The Chefs Association had planned to promote Tan Zhifeng, but he refused.

What Tan Zhifeng said to those above at the time was...

"Cooking skills have no borders, but chefs do exist."

"My goal is to promote Chinese cuisine and acquire Western culinary techniques and methods, which is essentially to serve Chinese cuisine."

“In this situation, advertising myself as a dual-level chef would affect overseas people’s judgment of the cuisine.”

"Arrogance is an ugliness etched into human genes. For those overseas who are isolated from information, Chinese life and traditions are like looking at flowers through a fog." "Years of propaganda will make them think that their own things are unique. If I were to announce it now, overseas media would definitely use their biased writing style to reverse my chef ranking."

“Such as fabricating statements like, ‘I learned Western cooking first, and then Chinese cooking.’”

"The vast majority of people overseas are unaware of the truth, and in this situation, they will most likely only believe the truth that they themselves accept!"

After careful consideration, the Chefs Association approved his proposal.

Since then, Tan Zhifeng has been active overseas as a "Hua 7 level" (a term referring to a high-ranking official in China).

If this were ancient times, this person would be considered a territorial envoy sent to another country to promote its territory.

Therefore, Tan Zhifeng is highly regarded within the Chefs Association.

As long as his schedule allows, he can serve as a judge for most competitions, especially those related to international events.

This is why his reputation has risen so quickly and his position has remained so stable over the years.

It should be understood that, in terms of pure talent, someone like Sui Wubai, a chosen one, is more suited to be a judge.

Otherwise, if everything is handled by one agent, that agent could probably go and assist the "second-rate" culinary master.

But like many things in China, the full picture of some facts cannot be presented openly.

So even Qiao Ruoning only thought that Tan Zhifeng's agent had connections everywhere, but she didn't know the secrets behind it.

Of course, things are developing even better now, and people's understanding of China has become deeper with each encounter.

There are also so-called "Chinese chefs are a level above" comments from the outside world (not all places overseas agree with this, after all, there are still many places that think Chinese people can't afford tea eggs).

Let's leave aside the internal affairs of the Chefs Association and just talk about Tan Zhifeng himself. Over the years, he has accumulated a large network of contacts and made substantial contributions to the Chefs Association.

However, he has no apprentices. Looking back at Cao Fujun, who is also a "Hua 7 level" student, he has more than 40 apprentices. The difference is obvious.

At this moment, seeing the "combination shumai" placed in front of him, and glancing up at Xia Ming, Tan Zhifeng sighed slightly.

"I originally accepted the invitation from 'One Meal to Fame' because I'm not as busy as before, and I wanted to find an apprentice to mentor."

"But then we ran into Xia Ming."

This was the first time Tan Zhifeng had experienced this in Xia Ming, after working in the industry for so long.

"Like" → "Admire" → "Want to win him over" → "Admire him even more" → "Discover that Xia Ming is almost as good as his own cooking skills." This is an unexpected rollercoaster ride.

It is because of Xia Ming that Qu Yuyu, who was barely acceptable to him, no longer has the intention of taking him as a disciple.

In fact, Tan Zhifeng was well aware that Bai Heng and Zheng Zeqian were both very talented individuals, and it would be good to take them on as apprentices. After all, it is quite normal for an apprentice to have multiple masters in the culinary world.

Moreover, Zheng Zeqian only has one mentor, and his high level of culinary skills are all due to "brushing up" his achievements.
But perhaps it's because he's getting older that he's become more concerned about passing on his mantle.

"If I could nurture a 'Xia Ming' like this in my lifetime, then it would all be worthwhile."

If Sui Wubai knew that Tan Zhifeng was thinking this way, he would definitely laugh at him.

After all, Sui Wubai had been searching for so many years and only managed to find one chef, Wang. To say that he was Xia Ming's shoe-carrier was a bit of an exaggeration, but at most he could only serve as a human clothes rack.

You, Tan Zhifeng, just ask for someone with the same talent as Xia Ming without even considering whether you have the luck.

Taking a deep breath, Tan Zhifeng cleared his mind and looked intently at the dishes presented before him.

He had already sensed the aroma, and when he saw the two shumai that were now presented, he quickly matched them together.

"Looking at the filling on the left, it's clearly a combination of ham and bamboo shoots, with a little bit of scallion. If you ignore the pork caul fat at the bottom, it looks rather ordinary."

"The one on the right is made with 'fresh shrimp' and 'corn,' seasoned with a touch of sea salt, and has a slightly peppery aroma. Overall, it's quite simple and minimalist."

Although he wasn't very hungry, Tan Zhifeng could manage with just a couple of bites.

After waiting a short while, it was discovered that Xia Ming did not use gestures to explain how to eat the shumai, and the judges also understood that there was no specific order for the two shumai.

Thinking of this, Tan Zhifeng didn't hesitate any longer and directly picked up the "Ham-flavored Bamboo Shoot and Pork Fat Shumai" in front of him and threw it into his mouth.

As the shumai enters the mouth, the tip of the tongue experiences a distinct salty and savory flavor.

The diced ham and bamboo shoots, along with the thin, crispy layer of lard on the outside, create distinct layers of texture.

Tan Zhifeng's lips moved slightly, and when he bit into the layer of lard, he understood.

"Oh, so it's 'fried first, then steamed'! This method is probably for better shaping!"

Just as he was thinking about Xia Ming's reasons for doing this, a rich broth suddenly burst out from the middle of the shumai.

The soup wasn't particularly hot, but it was still so hot that Tan Zhifeng jumped.

"It's so hot!"

"Wait, is there some juicy filling in these shumai?"

"Could this taste like freshly made yam vermicelli???"

(End of this chapter)