Free Web NovelChapter 531: Chapter 443: Another Expert? This Is Child’s Play
When you successfully wrap a complete dumpling, the subsequent steps become simpler.
In just a few minutes, six guests had five dumplings each in front of them, wrapped by their own hands. The visible progress made them swell with pride.
There wasn’t much feeling when wrapping individually, but when the five dumplings were placed together, the progress in their technique was clearly noticeable.
Especially the fifth dumpling, where the folds were almost perfectly aligned with the opposite edge, and the distances between them were nearly identical, looking just slightly different from the ones the chef next to them made.
"If you’ve finished wrapping, please add some marks to distinguish your dumplings so they don’t mix up when cooked later."
Nicole placed two small bowls on the table, filled with colorful small vegetable pieces.
Carrots, scallions, corn, beets, celery, radish with a red heart.
Seeing these colorful vegetables, the guests quickly caught on and each chose a colored vegetable piece, dipped it in water, and embedded it at a suitable angle in their dumplings.
Lin Chen had already laid out half a pan of dumplings in advance; while the guests were marking their dumplings, he started heating them.
Once all six colors of dumplings were arranged in the pan, the canola oil at the bottom began to bubble, emitting a weak sizzling sound.
Since the vegetable markers were only attached to the dumpling surface with water, they might fall off during frying. Lin Chen specially placed these dumplings five at a time, leaving small gaps between them and using the ugliest one as the dividing line.
This way, even if a few dumpling markers fell during frying, one could identify whose dumplings were whose through general color and shape zones.
After the first batch of fried dumplings was in the pan, Zhao Shun soon welcomed his second batch of guests.
It takes about six to seven minutes for the dumplings to cook, just enough time to let the subsequent guests wrap their own while passing the time.
When they were learning how to wrap dumplings, the queueing guests watching at the side would also become curious and focus their attention, unconsciously ignoring the wait for cooked dumplings.
This method was clearly much better than the previous one where guests simply queued to buy. It allowed guests to experience a new culinary culture while reducing some of the workload, thus achieving a win-win situation.
As the dumpling-wrapping experience was grandly opened outside the restaurant, inside the kitchen, two head chefs silently helped wrap dumplings.
Besides the basic crescent dumplings, they also learned how to make willow leaf dumplings.
The technique for wrapping this shape was relatively more complex but didn’t increase the overall difficulty much.
Both of them grasped the technique immediately after watching Lin Chen wrap them once.
Since they were making three flavors of dumplings today, and the color difference in the fillings wasn’t obvious, they would have to rely on shapes to distinguish the different flavors.
Neither of them showed any intention of chatting and focused on their work, showing respect for kitchen responsibilities.
After becoming proficient, both head chefs, with their rich experience, could complete dumplings even without looking.
Gradually, Marchello felt bored and turned his attention to Jonathan, who was busy opposite him.
Jonathan’s hands froze almost instantly.
Although his actions quickly returned to normal, only he knew how panicked he felt inside.
Before working here, he had worked under Chef Marchello, and his lazy nature meant he spent half his time under Marchello or the sous chef’s watch, forcing him to be diligent.
He never expected Chef Marchello to stay in the kitchen to help Lin Chen today, and coupled with Sakura Chef occasionally glancing over, his back was already drenched.
Before, at least other team members were there to share the pressure, but now he was alone in the kitchen.
The suffocating pressure and urgency made him extremely stressed, hesitating for a long time before each step, worrying about mistakes that might lead to severe rebukes from Chef Marchello.
"Jonathan."
In the silent kitchen, Marchello’s deep voice suddenly rang, causing Jonathan’s hand to tremble.
"What’s up, chef?"
Marchello stared at him in confusion, "Where are the others on your team? Don’t tell me it’s just you."
"For now... it’s just me," as soon as he spoke, Jonathan hastily added, "but applicants will come in the afternoon!"
"What??"
Marchello’s voice suddenly rose, "The restaurant has been open how long, and your team hasn’t recruited a single chef??"
"If I remember correctly, there don’t seem to be any new faces among the wait staff either, right?"
"Heh, isn’t it because I can handle it myself? Helena’s side isn’t particularly busy either, just clearing tables and replenishing dishes, occasionally throwing tableware into the dishwasher."
"Damn it!"
Marchello barely resisted the urge to throw a dumpling at Jonathan’s face, snarling, "Do you think you’re so amazing? Can you run the whole kitchen by yourself?"
Seeing Chef Marchello with a face like he’s about to eat someone, Jonathan was stunned for a moment, a bit unclear about where he went wrong again, and hurriedly lowered his head obediently.
"An individual’s power is limited, and so is their thinking. The fewer people in the kitchen team, the greater the limitations on the menu!"
Marchello shook his head repeatedly, frustrated: "When it’s just you alone, the vast majority of dishes with more preparation steps you simply cannot make."
"To save time and get dishes out on time, you’ll even subconsciously choose those dishes that are convenient and quick to make."
"Not to say those dishes are bad, but as the head chef of a high-end restaurant, your job is not simply to fill the guests’ stomachs, but to provide them with a sense of enjoyment, understand?"
While Marchello was lecturing, Nagishiro Sho also nodded alongside him. These principles are essentially truths that every head chef understands and are things a chef must grasp on their journey to growth.
"Look at what you’ve made for lunch this week! A barbecue buffet? Oh my gosh."
As he said this, Marchello shook his head repeatedly, speechless.
"Have you ever seen a high-end buffet that serves a barbecue buffet? It’s food meant for laborers who love a bargain and have big appetites."
"If you only make two or three kinds to change things up, it’s not a big deal, but all the dishes for lunch are just barbecue, barbecue, barbecue! So I ask, what’s the difference between this place and the Brasil Barbecue Buffet Restaurant?"
Taking advantage of Marchello’s pause to drink water, Jonathan quietly looked up and mumbled softly.
"The price is cheaper than the Brasil Barbecue Buffet Restaurant."
"What did you just say?!"
"I said that once the new recruits come in, I’ll definitely improve the quality of the dishes!!"
"Hmph! That’s more like it."
Marchello couldn’t remember how many times he’d shaken his head in just two or three minutes, only feeling so angry that his liver ached.
Rolling his eyes a few more times, he couldn’t be bothered to teach this lazy fellow any further and continued to focus on making dumplings.
Look at Lin, who manages to come up with something new every week, with dishes constantly changing. Although it doesn’t quite align with the restaurant buffet concept, as long as the guests are satisfied, all other systems can be freely altered.
This is the courage and innovation a head chef should have!
Thinking back to when he first came to the restaurant, Lin’s team only had four people. Now it has grown to eight, and the two chefs from Great Xia in the back kitchen were recruited from the other side of the world.
What does this signify?
It indicates that Lin had plans to expand long ago, and the two recruits each have their areas of expertise!
Now look at Jonathan, whose mind is filled only with laziness, laziness, and more laziness!
Marchello sighed inwardly, feeling that there’s no need to give this guy any more chances, as he might just be inherently unsuitable to be a leader.
He considered observing for a few more days to see what kind of employees Jonathan could recruit.
If that doesn’t work, he might have to discuss with Wang about handing the restaurant over to Lin entirely.
Initially, when the two of them decided on the idea of using two teams, it was to inspire each chef with the hope of sparking some different kind of creativity.
Unexpectedly, not only did creativity spark, it even ignited a blazing fire, causing the other side to completely lose its motivation.
While Jonathan was getting reprimanded, exclamations erupted from the crowd queuing by the food cart.
The white guy who had previously claimed he could learn by watching for a couple of seconds was the second batch of guests to try the food. As he approached the table, before the others could take their positions, he had already picked up a dumpling wrap and started working.
Filling, wrapping, and pleating all in one go.
Although his movements weren’t as smooth as Zhao Shun’s, there wasn’t a single error throughout the process, and his first dumpling’s appearance was even more standard than the last ones made by the previous batch of guests.
When he proudly displayed the dumpling in his palm, the six guests who had just finished their experience left quietly, blushing, not daring to watch any longer, only wanting to find a place to start eating their share of dumplings quickly.
The other five guests were also stunned, staring blankly at the beautifully shaped dumpling in his hand, eyes filled with disbelief.
Did you really learn just by looking from over a meter away?
"He must have known how to make dumplings beforehand!"
"Even if he didn’t, he’s surely not an ordinary person; he might even be a chef!"
"Right, besides a chef, how could an ordinary person learn something just by glancing from over a meter away? It’s unbelievable."
Zhao Shun was also a bit surprised, squinting his eyes to examine the dumpling in the guy’s hand and mentally replaying his earlier dumpling-making actions.
From the perspective of a professional pastry chef, this guy definitely has relevant experience; otherwise, the kneading and handling of the dough wouldn’t have been so smooth.
