Si Jing's face darkened the moment he saw his apprentice on the show, and he immediately began calling his acquaintances.
However, all the bigwigs he knew were already seated at the judges' panel.
The host had just announced the start of the show. With cameras pointed at them, these people had preemptively silenced their phones.
There were 400 contestants, and this round would eliminate 1/4 of them, leaving 300.
This competition format was undeniably brutal.
Everyone was on high alert, their senses heightened to 200%.
These culinary masters had gathered here.
Surprisingly, the pop-up store had specially constructed a culinary arena.
For this event, the pop-up store, usually raking in money hand over fist, had halted its regular business to focus on this reality show.
Before arriving, they thought it was just another TV program. But faced with the live broadcast and the growing number of participants,
Combined with the frequent interactions in the comment section, they felt a sense of responsibility well up inside them.
This time, they truly intended to identify some promising talents.
The first challenge required them to prepare their signature dishes.
They had to report their ingredients in advance.
Starry Sky Kindergarten would handle all the purchasing. Now, it was time to marinate what needed marinating and prepare what needed preparing.
Many of the master chefs present were pioneers of fusion cuisine. Some opportunistic contestants aimed to recreate these signature dishes.
Others chose to make representative dishes from various regional cuisines.
Some even decided to prepare their masters' signature dishes.
Just by looking at their chosen dish, one could often guess whose apprentice they were.
The culinary world was that small; even if they hadn't met, they vaguely knew of each other.
The only outlier among them was Jiang Xun. He had chosen to prepare iron plate beef tendon.
In fact, his master's specialty was pan-seared beef.
Chefs who made a name for themselves indeed had skills, searing the beef to perfection.
The milky aroma fully released, that bite of pan-seared beef was a fond memory for many.
Anyone who had tasted it felt that other beef dishes, whether stir-fried, deep-fried, or stewed, were somewhat lacking.
Jiang Xun could recreate this pan-seared beef dish so perfectly that even his master's wife couldn't tell the difference.
The pan-seared beef had reached its pinnacle.
It was this culinary skill that had brought countless job opportunities knocking at his door.
But Jiang Xun hadn't taken any of them.
Later, after that incident,
Making pan-seared beef seemed like evidence of his betrayal of his master.
So in this culinary competition, he abandoned this dish.
Instead, he chose another dish he rarely made before: iron plate beef tendon. This was a dish he selected after learning about Starry Sky Kindergarten.
The chef judges were different from other judges; they moved around.
When the first judge discovered that Jiang Xun was making iron plate beef tendon, he cast a thoughtful glance at Liu Chef.
This dish was Liu Chef's specialty.
At one point, iron plate beef tendon was Starry Sky Kindergarten's most popular menu item.
It was said that Liu Chef had grown tired of making this dish.
But people hadn't grown tired of eating it; it always appeared on the must-eat list during every major review.
When others made it, it always seemed to lack something!
If Jiang Xun could make this dish exceptionally well, Liu Chef would surely be pleasantly surprised.
Liu Chef wasn't just a culinary world bigwig; he was also the deputy principal of Starry Sky Kindergarten. His opinion carried significant weight!
Others assumed Jiang Xun was just trying to curry favor, but in reality, it was a display of his skills.
He had his own pride.
This was the elimination round for 1/4 of the contestants, with 400 people in total. This format alone could eliminate 300 people.
Everyone else was preparing their best and most skilled dishes.
He, however, chose one he was least skilled at.
If he was eliminated, it would prove his skills were lacking, and he would have no complaints about leaving for distant lands in the future.
If he succeeded, it would mark the beginning of another glorious chapter in his life.
Countless cameras were focused on them; he had no time for melancholy reflections.
All he could do was give his best effort to this dish.
True experts reveal themselves at first glance.
Jiang Xun's handling of this dish was incredibly deft.
Everything needed to be prepared by himself. The cameramen swept past quickly, spending no more than three seconds on each person among so many.
But in those three seconds, Si Jing, watching from the screen, noticed something.
Jiang Xun was actually making iron plate beef tendon; it seemed he wanted to sever ties completely. This realization darkened Si Jing's expression.
The other disciples present, seeing their master's displeasure, didn't dare to breathe loudly.
Meanwhile, the live stream viewers were busily engaged.
Some were watching the handsome young men, others the capable young women.
Some were focusing on which dishes interested them, their eyes darting all over the place.
People who work diligently are the most charming!
Soon, the chefs were ready to start cooking their dishes.
Some were steaming, others frying, and the aromas began to burst forth almost simultaneously.
With so many people cooking at once, even the individual aromas blended together.
This chaotic mixture of smells might cause discomfort to those unfamiliar with kitchen environments.
But at that moment, an unexpected aroma suddenly wafted through the air.
The camera happened to pan across the ten online judge seats.
All ten girls simultaneously turned their heads in one direction, their eyes filled with anticipation.
The online viewers' hot comments:
"They look like my cat waiting to be fed."
"The girls are so cute, their eyes are sparkling."
"I want to feed them too."
Some viewers began to get frustrated: "What dish is attracting them?"
More viewers started to feel hungry.
"Damn, why haven't they invented cameras that can transmit smells? I suggested this to scientists ten years ago. Did they ignore my request?"
"Exactly, if we can't eat it, at least let us smell it!"
Soon, everything was finished.
The camera panned over each dish; they all looked appetizing.
But when it swept over the iron plate beef tendon, both the on-site audience and online viewers erupted in excitement.
"Iron plate beef tendon, isn't this the dish I've been dreaming of?"
Since Liu Chef started focusing on his culinary garden, he rarely made this dish: "I want to eat it so badly. I had it once at the pop-up store, and I can't forget it."
"This person can make iron plate beef tendon? Could he be Liu Chef's apprentice?"
The judges used chopsticks to taste each dish one by one, immediately scoring after tasting.
The process was very fast.
After they finished, the remaining dishes were brought to the online judges' table.
Everyone could choose the ones they were interested in to taste.
As it turned out, everyone unanimously chose the iron plate beef tendon.
At first bite it was crispy, then soft and tender when chewed, with a unique sweetness.
This was where Jiang Xun differed from Liu Chef.
Jiang Xun liked to use sugar to enhance flavors.
But Liu Chef preferred to use a rich stock for seasoning.
However, this slightly sweet taste made the iron plate beef tendon more appealing to younger palates.
Among the multiple dishes, the young ladies managed to finish the entire plate of iron plate beef tendon.
Seeing how much they enjoyed it, the camera gave them several close-up shots. This made the audience at home salivate uncontrollably.
"This person will definitely advance to the next round, no doubt about it!" viewers confidently declared.
"His dish was completely cleared from the plate."
Some viewers commented sourly: "This just shows that sometimes choice matters more than effort. If he hadn't chosen iron plate beef tendon, he might not have attracted so much attention."
"That's not quite right. It's precisely because more people have tasted the iron plate beef tendon that the evaluation will be even more stringent!"
As everyone discussed animatedly, the on-site judges announced the names of those advancing. Out of 300 people selected, Jiang Xun was indeed among them.
