The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

After sending off the staff from the Municipal Publicity Department, Dong Jun Tian called over Yao Shi and handed him the registration form.

”The competition is the same as in previous years, held at 10 a.m. on October 1st. This is the registration form, the small one is the competition process.”

Yao Shi took it and looked it over carefully. The basic process was almost identical to previous years.

However, when he saw the jury members, Yao Shi was surprised and said, ”Wow! This is impressive! Even Elder Dai has been invited?”

Dai Jinghe is an expert at the National Cuisine Culture Communication Center, chairman of Xinyuan Catering Management Co., Ltd., honorary chairman of the Healthy Diet Association, and winner of many awards including the first-level chef award of the Gourmet Association.

Yao Shi had the fortune of receiving guidance from Dai Jinghe when he participated in the National Culinary Skills Competition years ago.

He felt he benefited immensely at the time.

Yao Shi immediately shared this good news with Fu Yu.

Fu Yu held the registration form, feeling very excited and thrilled.

This was the first time in his life he was participating in a chef competition.

Actually, chef competitions like this are held all over the country every year.

Participants who can win awards through their skills will find this honor serves as proof for future job hunts and even a boost in status.

In fact, apart from daily work and accumulation, participating in skillful competitions is also a very important part of a chef’s career.

In the short competition time, breaking the barriers of ingredients and cuisines to create excellent works worthy of appreciation is a rare professional training and an all-around career enhancement.

Chefs from different places find it a great opportunity for exchange and expansion.

And good competitions are the trend indicators for the future of the dining industry.

In Fu Yu’s existing perception, such competitions that can prove one’s cooking skills and be recognized by others are usually only open to the main chefs or head chefs in the kitchen.

However, he didn’t expect this opportunity to be right in front of him now.

Actually, participating in a chef competition wouldn’t affect his normal work.

The competition is scheduled for the morning of October 1st, and it should be over by noon after a set process.

By then, he could rush back to Qianlima and just in time help with the evening preparations.

During holidays like the National Day, business in the shop tends to be particularly booming.

However, if he participates in the competition, can he still receive the double holiday bonus and festive red envelope for National Day?

Thinking of this, Fu Yu hurriedly asked, ”Chef Yao, if I go to the competition and can’t make it back by noon, delaying a day’s work, can I still get my salary bonus and festive red envelope?”

Yao Shi looked at Fu Yu with a complicated expression.

There was an inexplicable feeling that if he said no, Fu Yu would certainly decide not to participate in the competition.

After all, in Yao Shi’s view, participating in the chef competition is actually an opportunity to exchange culinary skills with peers.

Moreover, such competitions are very challenging and can serve as a diversion from busy work life.

As for whether he could win an award, he personally didn’t care much.

Since such awards are mostly used when job hunting or when opening one’s own shop, as a show-off.

But for Fu Yu.

Yao Shi empathetically considered for a moment.

After all, he had successfully become a regular employee, and whether he won an award didn’t seem to matter much.

Regarding gaining recognition from others, those truly interested in chef competitions are usually people within the industry circle.

Ordinary people might watch for fun, but afterward, they would forget about it.

As long as the cooking skills are truly superb, gaining recognition from colleagues and leaders in one’s own kitchen is enough.

Thinking like this, the award is just something extra, neither essential nor unimportant.

Yao Shi sighed and said helplessly, ”You can! You are representing the shop to compete, it doesn’t count as absenteeism. You just focus on preparing seriously, and perform well when competing. Don’t worry about anything else.”

”However, it’s best that if you have time, surf the internet and look at various plating designs. Looking more will broaden your horizons and naturally bring more ideas and creativity.”

Upon hearing that he could receive the double holiday bonus and festive red envelope for National Day, Fu Yu happily said, ”Okay, Chef Yao, don’t worry, I will definitely compete well!”

However, the chef competition is unique in that it tests the chef’s understanding of raw materials and their appropriate application. So following last year’s format, the competition will have participants selecting ingredients by drawing lots on the spot.

This way, there is no opportunity for advance preparation, ensuring fairness and better assessing participants’ on-the-spot performance abilities.

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Fu Yu returned to the kitchen, and before he could settle down, Sun Qingning took advantage of Zhao Meng stepping out for a smoke to joyfully report, ”Chef Fu, Zhang Jiaxin came over earlier and said he wants to invite you, me, and Jin Yu to dinner tonight.”

Fu Yu was a bit surprised, ”Invite us to dinner?”

Sun Qingning nodded, ”He said the people on Chef Gu’s side had already been invited last night, and tonight he is specifically inviting the three of us.”

Then he whispered, ”Chef Gu has already started officially letting him take charge of cooking, and when the next regularization opportunity comes, he will definitely be the first to get regularized.”

Ever since Yao Shi called out Yao Yihang’s name during a meeting, Chef Gu’s attitude toward Yao Yihang completely changed.

Previously talking infrequently, assigning heavy and tiring jobs to Yao Yihang during order assignments.

Currently, it’s almost all Yao Yihang bearing the burden, while Gu Yunwu takes the opportunity to slack off while teaching Zhang Jiaxin to cook.

At this moment, Yao Yihang found himself back to square one.

The people in the kitchen, even if they didn’t say it, clearly understood that Yao Yihang was completely out of place in the kitchen now.

Having offended the main chef and been rejected by the head chef.

Getting into this situation means staying as a chef, moving up is nearly impossible.

The proverb ”when the wall is about to fall, everyone gives it a push” holds true at any time.

Everyone was waiting to see Yao Yihang make a fool of himself.

Wanting to see how long he can hold on.

Ultimately, whether he would stubbornly stay and wait for a chance to restart, or directly jump ship and start afresh elsewhere.

Sun Qingning smiled and said, ”Zhang Jiaxin said he wanted to quit before, and now suddenly, the opportunity is right in front of him.”

Fu Yu also remembered the time during the regularization assessment when Zhang Jiaxin looked disheartened, and couldn’t help but sigh, ”Indeed! Opportunities always come so suddenly!”

Sun Qingning asked, ”So are we going tonight?”

Fu Yu nodded, ”Yes! Perfect time to celebrate with him!”