The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 284: Chapter 283: Truly a Strong Woman

By the time Zhang Qun arrived, it was already close to ten o’clock.

Fu Yu took him to Lao Liu’s Barbecue in a side street.

After they sat down, Fu Yu picked a few of the shop’s specialties.

He also let Zhang Qun choose a few of his favorite dishes before going over and grabbing two bottles of chilled beer.

The two hadn’t contacted each other for several years, but ever since they first reconnected to this dinner, both felt particularly relaxed and at ease.

Fu Yu clinked glasses with Zhang Qun and took a gulp of cold beer, feeling refreshed all over.

Fu Yu asked, ”Did you just get off work?”

Zhang Qun put down his glass: ”Exactly! We’ve been working overtime these past few days. With the Sanjiang Tourism Festival coming up, there’s a lot to prepare for. Our publicity department has been working overtime every day. Even so, we haven’t had a moment’s rest. Every day, the higher-ups accuse us of slacking off and dereliction of duty!”

Zhang Qun vented a bit, then mentioned the main business: ”Today, our boss handed out information on the evaluation panel. I thought you might find it useful, so I made a copy for you. You should take a look at it later. The judges invited to this competition have quite prestigious backgrounds!”

Zhang Qun took the materials from his bag and handed them to Fu Yu.

Fu Yu took it. The materials were quite detailed, including not only the resumes of all the judges but also information about the organizers of the event.

”Among them, two have quite high status and great influence in the chef industry. The city went through a lot to invite them. They’ll definitely be the main judges during the competition.”

”The other two, although not as famous, are said to possess exceptional culinary skills and are considered powerhouses. They are quite famous within their respective provinces.”

”And the last one is also quite impressive! Do you know Lady Liu?”

Zhang Qun looked at Fu Yu with a gossiping expression.

Fu Yu was stunned: ”Lady Liu? One of the top ten famous chefs in ancient times?”

He had learned about this during his culinary school theory classes.

Zhang Qun slapped his thigh in surprise: ”So, you know!”

Fu Yu laughed, ”Isn’t she the female chef in Emperor Gaozong of Song’s palace, in charge of the imperial meals?”

Zhang Qun nodded, ”Exactly! Let me tell you, one of the judges on this panel is a descendant of Lady Liu!”

Fu Yu was surprised: ”Really? What do they look like? Are there any photos? I need to take a good look!”

Fu Yu lowered his head to browse through the materials.

Dai Jinghe, someone Fu Yu had actually followed before.

The old man was really remarkable, a true powerhouse. The photo in the materials was from a previous culinary promotion event he had attended.

Li Chongfu, Fu Yu wasn’t familiar with this famous provincial TV host.

Mostly because he rarely watched the news, spending his spare time calling home or playing a couple of games to while away the time.

However, Li Chongfu’s photo showed a kind and amicable demeanor, suggesting a gentle temperament.

Moving on, there was a local cuisine master from the city, Chen Xinwei.

Fu Yu frowned, having never heard of this master before.

In this era, anyone with a bit of fame could be respectfully called a master.

Previously, Zhao Meng had mentioned that many in the circle referred to Yao Shi as a master.

Next was Zhang Zhiyuan, with a long and thin face, a serious expression, and a somewhat fierce look.

His resume described him as one of the country’s top ten news legal figures, a renowned culinary master.

Is this a cross-industry career?

Fu Yu glanced at Zhang Zhiyuan’s photo and skipped directly to the last page.

Liu Yunong, wearing a chef’s uniform in a two-inch work photo used in the materials.

Appearance-wise, not bad, but not the exquisite and delicate kind of beauty.

Conversely, she sported a neat ponytail, revealing a smooth forehead, with thick eyebrows and large eyes, giving her an air of spiritedness and vigor.

Chongqing native, graduated from Le Cordon Bleu.

Fu Yu blinked.

The school’s name first reminded him of Blue Ribbon beer.

However, when he saw the additional note (Paris Campus),

Fu Yu realized she was a high-achieving graduate from an international school!

But the school’s name sounded quite ordinary, at least not as catchy as the one from his own school.

Yet, she studied cooking abroad for advanced training.

Both are chefs; he had to work in the kitchen every day, while she could travel around earning money!

Truly a case of envy!

After a moment of envy, Fu Yu looked again carefully at Liu Yunong’s photo.

Whether it was because of her particularly dark pupils, the Liu Yunong in the photo appeared especially spirited, and her features very pleasing to the eye, getting more attractive the longer he looked.

Fu Yu couldn’t help but take another look.

But after he saw Liu Yunong’s resume, he expressed amazement.

This descendant of Lady Liu was indeed extraordinary!

The resume stated:

This female chef from Chongqing was not only beautiful but also a talented chef.

She has worked at many famous restaurants.

She won numerous awards and titles in cooking and culinary techniques.

So many competitions were listed below that they filled the entire table.

Fu Yu read through them all: [Hell’s Kitchen], [Olympic World Cuisine Championship], [International Top Chef Invitational]...

Apart from official competitions, Liu Yunong had even been invited to participate in popular international cooking variety shows.

If he himself wasn’t using special techniques, he would think this resume was entirely exaggerated!

Having gone through Liu Yunong’s materials, Fu Yu also carefully reviewed the information of each of the other judges.

Previously, he’d only heard Yao Shi mention how extraordinary the judges were.

Seeing the materials firsthand now, he realized the city placed significant importance on this chef competition.

As Fu Yu was contemplating, the skewers were ready.

Zhang Qun, while eating the skewers, laughed and asked, ”So, can you feel how much the leadership values this chef competition now?”

Fu Yu nodded: ”Indeed! These people are quite exceptional, and the descendant of Lady Liu is amazing! At only thirty-six years old, to have achieved so many honors, her genetic legacy must be truly incredible!”

Zhang Qun laughed, ”Absolutely! I heard that since last year, Liu Yunong established a chain company, Shangshi Private Kitchen. They’ve already opened several branches! She’s got skills. Only back in the country for two years, and her business is already booming. She’s a genuine businesswoman!”

At this point, Zhang Qun suddenly remembered something, ”Oh right, I heard that to hype up this chef competition, our publicity department communicated with a few judges to add a mentorship segment to the event.”

Fu Yu was taken aback: ”What? Mentorship?”