Free Web NovelChapter 542: Chapter 454: Arrival of the Massive Applicant Army, Morning Assessment
Lin Chen got up early today, sitting in the small conference room by five o’clock to conduct the interview activity with Dais.
Due to the rough plan that urgently required manpower, the two accelerated the process and quickly completed the online preliminary and secondary interviews, selecting about twenty eligible candidates.
Eight chefs, twelve waiters.
But a final interview and practical assessment were still needed to ultimately determine how many would stay.
They did not limit the number of passes specifically. If these people performed well, keeping them all was not out of the question.
After all, Jonathan also wanted him to take over. If the people that guy recruited weren’t up to par, he wouldn’t let the useless ones stay; those who needed to be kicked out would still be kicked out.
After taking half an hour to briefly interview these candidates who came from all directions, unsurprisingly, no one was eliminated.
He and Dais were both very demanding people. Anyone who passed two rounds of their keen-eyed selections should not have any basic requirement issues.
The rest would depend on their practical operation skills.
"Let’s go, everyone, it’s time to prepare in the back kitchen."
The twenty men and women still had some obvious signs of fatigue on their faces. Being able to appear here at five in the morning for an interview meant they had to set off no later than three-thirty.
As for the men, it was manageable, but the eight women applying for waiter positions really had it tough.
Full makeup, hairstyles, outfits, plus the commute, the entire process took more than two hours in an ideal situation.
The reality was they started getting ready at two in the morning, hardly sleeping at all.
If it weren’t for Radison Hotel’s five-star reputation and its recent hype online, they wouldn’t have stayed up all night traveling so far for an interview.
Who schedules interviews at five in the morning?!
"Rest assured, everyone, today’s internship wages will be paid as long as you don’t mess up."
Dais swept her eyes over the candidates without a hint of nervousness in her tone, which was full of volume and confidence.
"Trust me, choosing Radison will be the best decision of your life!"
Lin Chen was the first to get up and lead the way. The black chef’s uniform with gold edges naturally carried a sense of authority, making the chefs envious.
Due to the large number of people, to save time, they simply took the stairs down to the third floor, then from the outdoor platform to the first floor, using the opportunity to show everyone around the hotel environment.
"Does anyone know why we scheduled the interview at five in the morning?"
Walking on the concrete path beside the beach, Lin Chen turned slightly, smiling at the people behind him.
Several chefs, not surprised, answered simultaneously.
"To test time management skills."
"We come from different cities, with different travel times and methods. Whether we could arrive on time was a test in itself."
In foreign countries, there’s no public transport operating in the middle of the night, and taxis are hard to find; nobody wants to be the unlucky one to get robbed.
In this situation, leaving late at night meant planning ahead.
Those with their own cars had it easier, those without had their travel plans and time management skills tested severely.
In the service industry, especially the culinary industry, time management is most crucial, followed by craftsmanship.
The preparation time for each dish, the waiting time for each table, how to allocate time between different orders, all are essential lessons for every chef.
The same goes for waiters, just that they face tests from different fields.
"Yes, that’s right, it’s great to see everyone passed this small test."
Lin Chen nodded with satisfaction, generously giving compliments and acknowledgment to everyone.
"Besides the basic wages, after lunch is over, in the afternoon, my team and I will personally prepare free food for everyone, as a gesture to thank you for coming from afar."
Free afternoon tea as well???
Their tiny grievances vanished in an instant upon hearing this.
This is a five-star hotel, providing internship wages at the recruiting stage was already quite decent, not to mention the Head Chef personally making food for them.
Just this treatment alone made their trip worthwhile!
Lin Chen led the group to the back entrance of the restaurant, looked up, and saw Zhao Shun there, gesturing enthusiastically, smiling like a fool.
Looking across from him.
Oh dear.
"Lin?"
Lin was racking her brains to decipher what Zhao Shun was trying to express when she suddenly saw Lin Chen appear, her eyes lit up as if seeing a savior.
"Good morning, Chef!!"
She was about to step forward when her smile froze.
One by one, unfamiliar faces emerged from behind Lin Chen, a quick glance showed more than ten.
With her keen intuition, she immediately guessed their identities.
Just like her, they’re here for an interview!
But... coming for an interview before six in the morning, isn’t that a bit too early?
"Morning."
Although he was a bit puzzled as to why Lin was here again today, because he hadn’t told her yesterday that there would be interviews with other people this morning.
The original plan was to let the newcomers test the waters first, and then notify Lin later when to come over for the challenge.
But since she’s here, it’s just as well, saves the trouble of explaining anything further.
"Let me introduce everyone, this is Lin, she’s here for the interview just like you, but her situation is a bit different. She’s relatively inexperienced, worked a day here yesterday, and today she’ll work with you all."
Lin Chen didn’t explain in much detail; after all, he’s the Head Chef, and there’s no need to explain everything to newcomers, especially since they’re not yet employees here.
After speaking, he walked straight toward the kitchen, giving Zhao Shun a push to save him from embarrassing himself in front of everyone.
The chef and server uniforms were already prepared ahead of time.
Once everyone changed into them, the fatigue on their faces was wiped away, and they immediately had the spirit of being ready to work at any moment.
"It’s not our turn to work yet, you can first watch how our chefs operate."
Dais led four men and eight women to wait quietly beside the serving carts, in front of which were two rows of tables already set up.
Without needing much explanation, the eyes of these people were filled with anticipation.
Anyone coming here for an interview would definitely know that Lin Chen’s team focuses on Great Xia cuisine, quite different from a Western kitchen.
Having neither seen nor tasted it, how could they not be eager?
Soon enough.
A group of people in chef uniforms pushed several small carts out of the restaurant, with each cart’s baking tray surface tightly covered with cloth, so you couldn’t see what was inside.
The mystery was soon revealed; they were trays of already fermented snow-white dough!
"Today’s breakfast offering is a traditional dish from northern Great Xia, called ’Chive Pockets,’ which you can think of as large dumplings."
"Chive Pockets are famous for their delicious taste, low cost, and substantial satiety, and decades ago, when the economy of Great Xia wasn’t developed, they saved countless lives."
"Not only do they taste great, but they’re also relatively simple to make. This will be your first assessment, with a low difficulty, to get you warmed up."
Chives are used very little in Western cuisine, if at all.
The eight foreign chefs were now completely lost, in a state of complete confusion.
They’d never heard of this food or its ingredients, and now they were expected to make and sell it right off the bat?
There wasn’t much time for them to psychologically prepare; Zhao Shun was already raring to go, stepping out from the side and grinning as he waved to them.
He casually pulled off a piece of white dough from the plate, deftly kneaded it, then pinched it into smaller dough balls, rolling them out into translucent, palm-sized thin skins.
Then he grabbed a bunch of freshly washed chives, chopped them into little pieces, tossed in pre-cooked scrambled eggs, added some thirteen spice powder, salt, and white pepper for basic seasoning, and drizzled on some thin oil to mix it all evenly.
While he was working, Lin Chen was explaining each step to the newly arrived intern chefs.
Everything was explained clearly, from how to wash and chop the chives, to how to scramble the eggs, and when to season the filling.
The wrapping technique for Chive Pockets was also slightly different from the dumplings made the day before; the dumpling edges needed to be fully aligned first, then twisted bit by bit using a special technique to create a spiral pattern.
For these winners from two rounds of selection, this level of technique was almost no challenge; just watching Zhao Shun demonstrate once and they had it down, eager to start kneading the dough themselves.
In their eyes, the hardest part was rolling the skin; the rest wasn’t difficult at all.
Lin was especially nervous at this moment, worried that a single mistake might ruin everything, causing her to fail the assessment.
The chefs who came for the interview looked very confident, probably having worked in other restaurants.
But she was a complete novice with no experience whatsoever.
This realization made her feel increasingly anxious, and her hand holding the rolling pin was trembling slightly.
Just as she was feeling flustered, she saw someone waving continuously out of the corner of her eye.
Instinctively, she turned her head and saw that it was Daniel grinning broadly at her.
Seeing Daniel’s bright smile was like a shot of confidence to her heart, and the trembling in her hand instantly steadied, while a sense of confidence gradually welled up inside her.
So what if she’s inexperienced, several Head Chefs praised her talent yesterday, have these chefs in front of her ever been praised by a Michelin three-star chef?
Work hard!
Persevere!
If it’s not done well once, do it ten times; if it’s not right ten times, do it a hundred times!
She can definitely do it!
Definitely!
She has to stay!!
