Chapter 944 - Advantages of a Deadpan Face (2/2)

Head Chef Tian looked at Zhang Yan and Zhou Shijie before saying, “I have long heard of Master Yuan’s name. I have always wanted to pay you a visit.”

“I’m just a normal chef, not a master. Master Tian’s Duck’s Blood and Beef Tripe in Spicy Soup is a masterpiece. I have long heard about that,” Yuan Zhou quickly replied.

“His Duck’s Blood and Beef Tripe in Spicy Soup is indeed good. There is one particular ingredient that until now, I still can’t figure out what it is,” Lee Yanyi suddenly said. “Lit… Head Chef Yuan, you have better taste buds than me. If you get the chance, you need to give it a try.”

Lee Yanyi was afraid that Yuan Zhou would be disinterested and he added, “I brought Chu Xiao there in the past and he failed to figure out what that ingredient is as well.”

Now, Yuan Zhou’s interest was truly piqued. Lee Yanyi was a famed food critic. Yet he failed to figure out what that ingredient was, and even the incredibly talented Chu Xiao failed as well. What kind of Duck’s Blood and Beef Tripe in Spicy Soup was this exactly?

“Haha, I don’t deserve that much praise,” Head Chef Tian waved his hand. But the next sentence of Lee Yanyi caused him to feel awkward.

“But he’s not doing well in terms of disciples. He has three disciples under him yet none have inherited his skills. The food they make is very unpalatable,” said Lee Yanyi, living up to his reputation of having a harsh mouth.

“Erm…” Head Chef Tian was stuck.

At times, Yuan Zhou wondered how people like Wu Hai and Lee Yanyi survived in this world without being beaten to death.

“Master Tian, hopefully, I will have a chance to learn from you,” said Yuan Zhou, breaking the awkward silence.

“Not a problem. Not a problem,” Head Chef Tian laughed in a somewhat awkward manner. To ease the awkwardness, he brought up a new topic, “This year’s award ceremony is much grander than the past.”

But returning to the previous topic, escorted by Zhou, Zhang, and Lee, the three braggers, all the chefs that came to offer their greetings were educated on how amazing Yuan Zhou was.

After about half an hour, the ceremony started. First, Zhang Yan went up the stage to give a talk on Sichuan Cuisine’s history and the reason for the Exemplary Restaurant Event.

Below the stage, when Yuan Zhou saw how formal the ceremony was, he started getting nervous. Initially, Yuan Zhou thought that with so many reporters here, he could take this chance to gain more fame like what happened during the Sino-Japanese exchange.

But nervousness was infectious. When he heard that not only the secretary-general had come, even other government officials had arrived as well, he got even more nervous. The sight of all the other chefs being completely solemn did not help either. Fortunately, Yuan Zhou had a deadpan face so he could continue hiding his nervousness.

“The progress of Sichuan Cuisine is inseparable from outstanding chefs and restaurants. For this year’s Sichuan Cuisine Exemplary Restaurant, I would like to welcome Mr. Li Wei to confer the award,” said Zhang Yan as he invited a middle-aged man about 40 years old onto the stage.

Li Wei was a key government official, yet when being invited to the stage, he was addressed as Mr. instead of his official position. That was quite interesting.

“Sichuan Cuisine is a unique part of Sichuan province and has always been the promoter of Sichuan culture.” Li Wei started reading out a large amount of data, looking very professional. It was worth noting that Sichuan Cuisine was not only popular in Sichuan province. It was also quite popular in the surrounding provinces as well.

But the fame was understandable as it was one of the eight famous regional cuisines.

To summarize what Li Wei speech, he mentioned the importance of Sichuan Cuisine to Sichuan province, also mentioning that the Exemplary restaurant and other nominated restaurants have to work hard on expanding their fame in order to propel Sichuan Cuisine’s popularity.

“This year’s Exemplary Restaurant is the Master Chef Restaurant. Let us welcome Head Chef Yuan Zhou from Master Chef Restaurant,” Li Wei invited.

That final sentence of Li Wei caused all gazes to congregate on Yuan Zhou, including the many cameras and reporters.

This was a big scene, and the atmosphere was very solemn…