The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

The prepared dipping sauce was placed in an exquisite small bowl and, together with the large pot of steamed three delicacies in the style of the local cuisine, was carried away by the food runner.

Amidst the anticipation and unease in the kitchen, Fu Yu suddenly heard an electronic notification sound in his ear:

[Ding! NPC Chef Zhang Zhen’s task: Successfully complete the cooking of a dish of steamed three delicacies in the style of the local cuisine and satisfy the customer, has been successfully completed. Rewards received: 200 RMB, an oil-proof chef’s uniform, Task Experience +100]

[Ding! The steamed three delicacies at the music restaurant aren’t authentic, assist the back kitchen staff in correction. Successfully completed, received rewards: Level +1, Elective Course Schedule, a key to the elective course practical classroom]

The task was accomplished!

Fu Yu felt a surge of joy and excitement in his heart and was just about to examine it closely when the waiter returned.

”Chef Fu! You are really amazing! After tasting the dish, the customer couldn’t stop praising the steamed three delicacies, saying it tasted exactly like the authentic flavor they had years ago!”

Zhang Zhen breathed a sigh of relief, utterly at ease.

Thank goodness!

The kitchen work is like this; you never know what situations you’ll encounter, and you must have strong adaptability!

It’s said that the customer is king, and in the restaurant industry, this phrase is practically the operational motto!

If you can make customers feel satisfied and happy with their meals, then no matter how busy or tired the kitchen staff may be, it feels like their efforts were worthwhile.

However, when faced with situations like today’s, when you’re challenged with dishes you’re not skilled at, it can be incredibly frustrating and leave you feeling helpless.

Thankfully, there’s Fu Yu!

Looking back, it seems like ever since Fu Yu started part-timing at the music restaurant, all the difficulties and problems here have been resolved smoothly.

Fu Yu’s superb culinary skills and his understanding and mastery of various dishes instantly impressed everyone present.

Almost everyone, at this moment, had an inexplicable sense of trust.

It seemed that as long as Fu Yu was around, there was no problem that couldn’t be solved, no dish that couldn’t be made!

At this moment, in everyone’s eyes, Fu Yu appeared enormously grand.

Zhang Zhen especially seemed excited and thrilled!

Fu Yu essentially innovated a new dish for them again!

Once they inform the owner, Yao Shi, the menu for that table can be switched out or slightly adjusted, perhaps even launching a new menu set.

With competition this fierce in the restaurant industry, being able to innovate has become an essential means to retain customers.

As the head chef of the music restaurant, naturally, the better the business, the better he can fare.

Therefore, Zhang Zhen earnestly agreed with the waiter: ”Indeed! We really owe thanks to Chef Fu today; otherwise, this issue wouldn’t have been resolved so smoothly!”

Fu Yu smiled slightly, not saying much.

At this moment, the hall manager sent someone over to inform them that the customer was very satisfied with the menu and had already signed to reserve a full booking for the next week.

Recalling the moments of panic earlier when the customer suddenly requested a dish change, Zhang Zhen still felt a lingering sense of fear...

If not for Fu Yu, today’s customer tasting definitely would have run into problems. If they couldn’t meet the customer’s needs at that time, there’s no telling if they might have canceled the order.

If that happened, the restaurant would have faced significant losses.

Similarly, he wouldn’t have earned his share from this menu set.

Thinking of this, Zhang Zhen couldn’t help but feel more grateful towards Fu Yu.

When there was no one else around, Zhang Zhen sincerely said to Fu Yu: ”Chef Fu, truly thank you for today! If it weren’t for you, whether we could have taken this order would have been questionable! I must thank you on their behalf!”

At the music restaurant, menu set shares have always been distributed with the head chef taking the largest portion, ordinary chefs taking smaller portions, and the head chef earning year-end bonuses.

He genuinely felt grateful to Fu Yu for the back kitchen staff!

Securing this menu set means their chances for earning commissions and bonuses in the future are greater.

Looking at Zhang Zhen, Fu Yu smiled slightly: ”Chef Zhang, there’s no need to be so polite. Although I’m just here part-time, what I do while on duty is what I should do.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen was slightly taken aback, then smiled and said, ”That’s right! We’re colleagues now!”

”However, Chef Fu, it would be great if you could join us officially...”

What Zhang Zhen said carried a bit of sincerity.

Fu Yu’s culinary skills are indeed excellent, and having him in the back kitchen is like adding wings to a tiger.

Moreover, through this period of working together, Zhang Zhen realized something.

Fu Yu doesn’t seem to have much ambition, and he’s really young with not much life experience.

He might be fit to be a top chef, but if you let him be a head chef, he might not manage it.

To hold the head chef’s position securely, it’s not enough to just have exquisite culinary skills; you need to have coordination and management abilities.

There are so many people in the kitchen; they must all be commanded and coordinated effectively!

This also tests a person’s ability significantly!

Zhang Zhen didn’t feel that Fu Yu posed any threat to him.

Initially planning to leave after this table, Zhang Zhen and the others were too hospitable and insisted on inviting Fu Yu to join them for a meal.

It was coincidental; today Chef Lin had the early shift, and since Tian Lei followed Fu Yu once for a home service task last time, his admiration for Fu Yu had grown dramatically.

Upon hearing the invitation for Fu Yu to eat with them, he immediately chimed in: ”Chef Fu, stay! Chef Zhang’s beef hot pot is especially delicious!”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen laughed: ”I was planning to let your master handle it! And here you are trying to arrange me, huh?”

But joking aside, Zhang Zhen genuinely wanted to personally prepare a few dishes, both as a gesture of gratitude and to let Fu Yu assess if there was anything in the cooking methods that needed adjustment.

Acknowledging the fact that his skills were inferior, Zhang Zhen was clear-headed about this.

Since he couldn’t compete, he might as well humbly seek advice, learning from others’ strengths to cover his weaknesses.

After all, the skills you learn yourself are yours to keep.

With no need to bow and scrape, offering a slight show of kindness was just a way to make friends.

After all, Yao Shi did have an eye for talent.

Zhang Zhen truly was a person who could bend and stretch.

With people joining in, others also started following along in the excitement.

In the kitchen, usually, they just gather leftover ingredients to fry some dishes together and make a soup.

Now, wanting to host Fu Yu, they surely couldn’t handle it so casually.

Zhang Zhen called a junior worker to cut some fresh beef, personally prepared the broth base, and because there were many people, decided to set up three pots.

With delicious hot soup, tender and fragrant beef, and a warm and harmonious atmosphere,

everyone ate, drank, talked, and laughed.

In the music restaurant, given that they all pool their commissions, there’s no competition among the staff, so the atmosphere is quite harmonious.

In this regard, Qianlima and the music restaurant are incomparable.

Maybe it’s because others’ food always seems better, but Fu Yu felt a bit overstuffed when he put down his chopsticks.