The Gourmet Customizer

Chapter 94: Chapter 74: Preparing a New Breakfast, S Level Tea Eggs

’This is insane, isn’t it?’

’If I’d known Lu Yongliang was a National Banquet Master, I would’ve definitely pulled him aside for a few more photos and asked him to write an inscription for my restaurant.’

’Then I could’ve advertised it as: "The restaurant even a National Banquet Chef loves!"’

’How awesome would that be!’

Su Chen knew full well that he had only narrowly beaten Lu Yongliang with his steamed fish that day by taking advantage of a loophole. Without his system and its practice room, forget winning—he wouldn’t have even been qualified to face off against Lu Yongliang.

Still, earning the approval of a National Banquet Chef made Su Chen feel a little smug.

But it also raised a question: Why had Mr. Lu sent Liu Ahbao to Jingzhou?

’Was it really just to check out the restaurant?’

Su Chen decided to just go out himself. "Didn’t that customer say he wanted to watch me cook? Let him in."

Liu Shengnan and the others were still giggling about Liu Ahbao’s claims of being the "number one in Hubei Cuisine" and knowing a "National Banquet Chef," thinking the guy was pretty amusing.

Bai Xiaobo even made a wild boast, "If that guy is a National Banquet Chef, then isn’t my boss even more incredible? At this rate, he deserves the title of Interstellar Chef!"

That is, until He Shuting fished a picture frame out of a pile of clutter by the entrance and tossed it to Bai Xiaobo. "The boss wants you to hang this by the door. The more conspicuous, the better."

"What’s this? Why hang it up?" Bai Xiaobo asked, munching on sunflower seeds.

He Shuting scoffed, "What do you know? This is our photo with that National Banquet Master. Won’t we look badass hanging it over the entrance?"

"What ’Nat—’ What did you just say?"

"Here!" He Shuting showed everyone the Baidu page she still had open.

Lu Yongliang: Professor at the E Province University of Economics. One of the nation’s ten "Best Chefs," he has been awarded titles such as "Xia Country Culinary Master" and "Senior Culinary Technician." He is also a standing director of the Xia Country Culinary Association, vice president of the E Province Culinary Association, and director of the Hubei Cuisine Research Institute.

The string of titles made their heads spin.

They were so stunned they didn’t even notice Liu Ahbao walk past them.

’Is there something wrong with these people? Why are they making faces like that just staring at a phone?’

Liu Ahbao shot them a glance before excitedly walking into the kitchen.

"Boss Su! I can really watch!"

Su Chen nodded slightly. ’Damn it, why didn’t you just say you were the disciple of a National Banquet Master? If you’d said so sooner, I would’ve let you in ages ago!’

Liu Ahbao pointed to the camera on his head. "Can I record?"

Su Chen gave his usual rule: "Just don’t film my face."

This time, Su Chen was even more focused. He pushed his Max Level Boiling and Stir-frying skills to their absolute limits, and even equipped his "Fast, Fierce, Precise" badge.

The instant he removed the pieces of chicken from the pot, the water inside erupted into a rolling boil.

The sight made Liu Ahbao’s jaw drop.

’What kind of insane temperature control is that? He doesn’t even have a thermometer! Can he really judge it just by looking?’

Then, when Su Chen seasoned the chicken pieces while stir-frying them, Liu Ahbao was once again left speechless.

’The amount of oil was just right. After adding the seasoning, there wasn’t even any excess oil visible at the bottom of the wok. The searing was being done entirely with the thin layer of oil clinging to the surface of the meat... This...’

When Su Chen poured out a portion of the sauce ahead of time, Liu Ahbao could finally no longer hold back.

"Boss Su, wouldn’t the flavor be better if you reduced all the sauce over high heat until it thickened?"

Su Chen explained generously, "This dish is modified to suit local tastes. The reason I save some of the sauce is for adding noodles at the end. We Jingzhou People love noodles."

"I see," Liu Ahbao said, suddenly enlightened.

’How could I not have thought of something so simple?’

Liu Ahbao immediately thought of something.

Although he was a Senior Culinary Technician, proficient in Hubei Cuisine and familiar with both Sichuan and Lu Cuisines, his mastery was more of the "by-the-book" variety.

For instance, if you asked Liu Ahbao to make Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, he could definitely do it better than most Lu Cuisine restaurants.

But if you asked him to make Sichuan-style Nine-Turned Pork Intestines, Liu Ahbao would be completely stumped.

In a way, Su Chen’s ability to casually alter a dish’s flavor and cooking style was just like that—turning a Lu Cuisine dish into something people from the Northwest would love. Damn, that’s creative cooking!

’No wonder Master holds Boss Su in such high regard! There’s a good reason for it!’

’If I could study with a master of this caliber for a while, I would definitely benefit immensely!’

Watching Su Chen finish the dish, Liu Ahbao became even more convinced of this.

This time, he had to find a way to stay, no matter what. He still had to make his short videos, but improving his skills was the absolute top priority. If he could develop a few new styles of Hubei Cuisine, he could truly become his master’s successor.

And what Liu Ahbao wanted to learn wasn’t just technique; he wanted to learn Su Chen’s innovative mindset!

Seeing Su Chen finish the dish, Liu Ahbao immediately broke into a smile. "I’ll take it out!"

"But you’re a guest..."

Before Su Chen could even finish, the pudgy young man was already carrying the dish outside.

"What are those guys doing? Can’t even take the initiative to serve the food. I’m docking their bonuses!"

Su Chen washed his hands and headed for the dining room, ready to whip his slacking employees into shape.

When he got to the dining room, he saw six or seven people not working. Instead, they were all pressed against the frosted glass, peering outside. The only exception was Bai Xiaobo, who was sitting alone at a square table, staring blankly at his phone.

Something was off.

Normally, if there was something interesting happening, Bai Xiaobo would be leading the charge, while Liu Shengnan would be the one uninterested.

Now their roles were reversed. Something was definitely fishy.

"What are you all doing?"