Because of Hang Tian's information and compliments, Yuan Zhou exchanged a few more words with Hang Tian before starting a new round of knife skills exchange.
As they exchanged more and more dishes, Hang Tian's evaluation of Yuan Zhou in his heart became higher and higher. That was because every dish Yuan Zhou cut was just right and the strength was even.
Moreover, Hang Tian could see that Yuan Zhou knew every ingredient like the back of his hand. From where he started to cut to where he stopped, every cut was just right, not one bit more or one bit less. It was very appropriate.
"Old Zhu really lost out. He should have come to meet Head Chef Yuan earlier," Hang Tian lamented as he looked at Yuan Zhou who was holding the knife.
It wasn't that Hang Tian thought too highly of Yuan Zhou's knife skills, but because knife skills were one of the basic skills of a chef.
And the importance of this basic knife skill was beyond imagination. First of all, a dish required exquisite knife skills. The size of the cut had to be the same. That way, when stir-frying, every leaf or piece of vegetable could be heated evenly. That way, when they were taken out of the wok, they would be cooked at the same time.
But now, Yuan Zhou's knife skills had surpassed this simple point. It was already at the level of art.
Every cut vegetable was very beautiful and complete, no matter if it was taken out individually or combined together. Even the texture of the cut vegetables was taken into consideration.
To use a common saying on the internet, it was hard to imagine how terrifying this person was.
When all the vegetables in the bamboo basket were cut, Hang Tian couldn't help but ask, "Yuan, are you interested in participating in the selection for the state banquet this year?"
"Huh?" Yuan Zhou looked at Hang Tian in puzzlement.
"Didn't Chairman Zhou tell you?" Hang Tian asked.
"No," Yuan Zhou shook his head.
Hang Tian didn't expect that Yuan Zhou didn't know about it, but he didn't think too much about it. He just said, "Every year, China holds several state banquets. Some are to receive foreign ambassadors, while some are for high-level leaders of our country and foreign countries. Since it's a banquet, there will naturally be delicious food. This is a state banquet."
"These state banquets have to be prepared, right? As for who, most of them are prepared by the chefs in the state banquet hotels. But now, some outstanding chefs will also be invited. I've only been there twice," Hang Tian said.
"But I remember that chefs in state banquets have to sign a labor contract, which usually starts at five years," Yuan Zhou said.
"Yes. But as long as they pass the background check, have a clean background, and have a good understanding of various cuisines and customs, they can go. It can also be considered a kind of experience," Hang Tian said.
"Moreover, the state banquet requires a total of 160 chefs, and some places can be recommended. I can recommend you, Head Chef Yuan," Hang Tian said very seriously.
At first, Hang Tian was a little impulsive when he asked that. Because he saw Yuan Zhou's knife skills, he asked out of love. But the more he said, the more he felt that such an opportunity should be left to a young man with outstanding skills like Yuan Zhou. Therefore, he became more and more sincere.
Yuan Zhou was a little moved, but he didn't answer immediately. Instead, he thought about it seriously and then said solemnly.
"Thank you, but this state banquet is mainly Huaiyang cuisine. Now, after several generations of chefs, it has been organized, improved, and refined. As far as I know, the Sichuan cuisine is less numb, spicy, and greasy. Various cuisines have been improved on the original basis. Generally, the recipes are light and meat and vegetables are important. I'm still not qualified to cook Huaiyang cuisine." Yuan Zhou shook his head and refused, "I don't know how to cook Huaiyang cuisine now. I'm still far from it."
"In that case, it's not suitable for you. Then let's forget about the recommendation." Hang Tian wasn't annoyed at being rejected. Instead, he nodded after thinking carefully again and agreed with Yuan Zhou's words.
"Thank you, Master Hang," Yuan Zhou thanked him again.
"You're welcome. Opportunities belong to young people like you," Hang Tian said.
"Then I'll go make lunch first. Please wait for a moment," Yuan Zhou said with a gentle smile and then changed the topic.
"Okay, I'll wait to eat," Hang Tian said.
"Please wait for a moment," Yuan Zhou nodded.
Hang Tian nodded at Yuan Zhou. Then, Yuan Zhou took the ingredients they had cut and went to the restaurant's kitchen.
Hang Tian watched Yuan Zhou walk away and then sighed with emotion. Not to mention ordinary chefs, 99% of the chefs would try their best to attend the state banquet even if they weren't suitable. However, Yuan Zhou clearly knew that he wasn't suitable.
"He's hardworking, talented, has an objective evaluation of himself, and has a good temperament. If such a person doesn't succeed, what kind of person would succeed?" Hang Tian now understood why Zhou Shijie and Zhang Yan treated Yuan Zhou like a treasure. A young man like him must be protected.
Hang Tian took out his phone. This call was naturally to Master Zhu Yun, who had the same idea as him but didn't have the time to attend the state banquet.
After all, Hang Tian and he were good friends. Both of them had participated in the state banquet and were top-notch chefs. Naturally, they had a good relationship.
The phone rang for a while before it was connected. Zhu Yun's voice came from the other end.
"Old Hang, what's up? Why are you looking for me at this time? "Zhu Yun said energetically.
"I'm in Chengdu," Hang Tian didn't beat around the bush and said directly.
"You went to look for Head Chef Yuan?" Zhu Yun instantly understood what Hang Tian meant and asked in surprise.
"Yes. I even asked for a cup of tea. It's the day after tomorrow," Hang Tian said.
"Are you talking about the tea party hosted by Head Chef Yuan?" Even if Zhu Yun was far away in Guangdong Province, he obviously knew about the tea party hosted by Yuan Zhou.
It was clear that he had paid special attention to it. This was also because Yuan Zhou had a high reputation among not only the customers but also among the chefs.
"Yeah. I heard there's good tea, so I shamelessly asked for a cup," Hang Tian nodded.
"Then you are really shameless, old man. You actually asked for something from a junior," Zhu Yun said with envy and jealousy.
"What junior? That Head Chef Yuan is from the same generation as us. Of course, I'm not talking about age but cooking skills," Hang Tian said.
On the other end of the phone, Zhu Yun stayed silent for a minute or two before speaking again, "You've already talked with Head Chef Yuan?"
"Yeah, I just finished talking with him about my knife skills," Hang Tian nodded.
"How was it?" Zhu Yun asked.
"Surpassing Chu Xiao." Hang Tian also answered with only four words.
"Hiss." Zhu Yun couldn't help hissing at the other end of the phone. Then, he said, "Truly, every generation has its own talents."
When Chu Xiao returned to the country, he had swept away all the young chefs in the country. He was regarded by the older generation as a peerless genius in the culinary world, just like how Wu Hai was to the art world. However, they had never expected that there would be a chef that was younger and better than Chu Xiao.
After all, it was hard to imagine that there was an artist that was more talented than Wu Hai.
"Yeah," Hang Tian agreed. After a while, he said, "Old Zhu, don't you think we are getting old?"
"Why? Is it such a big blow? "Zhu Yun teased.
"It's not a blow. It's just that Head Chef Yuan isn't even 30 this year," Hang Tian said.
"Haha, young people nowadays are already amazing. It's not strange for them to surpass us. Don't think too much about it. Our old ginger is still useful," Zhu Yun comforted.
"That's true. We can still teach our disciples and contribute to the culinary world," Hang Tian said. Obviously, he didn't know that Engineer Cheng was Yuan Zhou's disciple.
With Hang Tian's and Zhu Yun's identities, even if they wanted to ask about Yuan Zhou, they would only ask about Yuan Zhou's culinary skills openly. As for his personal matters, they would try their best to avoid it. Naturally, they didn't know about this.
"You're right," Zhu Yun nodded in agreement. Then, he continued, "Looks like I have to make a trip to Chengdu as soon as possible."
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