Daddy's Gourmet Shop-Chapter 417 - 407: Gifted Culinary Genius

Delicious Restaurant’s kitchen.

The sound of chopping ingredients, a rhythmic thumping, echoed continuously.

The aroma of brine simmering, overflowed from the large stainless steel pot; the fragrance of steamed dishes like Honeyed Ham, wafted consistently from the steam cabinet.

The room is filled with aroma!

The fire on the stove still burned, the ingredients in the pot were being stir-fried constantly.

Huang Tao, wearing a white chef’s outfit, held the pan with his left hand while flipping with his right, his handsome face gradually reddened from being near the heat source.

That focused look is so captivating.

This scene, a beautiful sight, was captured in Liu Zishan’s camera.

Honestly, last night, she and Yang Luyi were astonished to the point of their jaws nearly dropping when they learned from the waiter Li Chengzhan that Huang Tao was the owner and chef of this restaurant.

The boss seemed so young, like someone who had graduated from university not many years ago!

Yet possessed such skilled culinary abilities...

Truly a rarity!

Initially, they had a tiny bit of honeyed resentment for queuing for several hours.

But after tasting some of the restaurant’s delicacies, that little bit of resentment in their hearts evaporated instantly as the food went in; they felt the wait was well worth it, no wonder the ladies on Zhongxing Road would rather close shop early and skip business just to come here for a meal!

Old Qin listened to Yang Luyi’s remarks and lightly shook the folding fan in his hand, saying with a relaxed and pleased air, "Reporter Yang, you might not know this! Nowadays, young people love to start their own businesses; Boss Huang shouldering everything alone is quite normal!"

Seeing Yang Luyi turn to look at him, Old Qin felt a bit embarrassed about showing off, quickly amending his words: "Of course, with the variety of delicacies in the restaurant, it would take at least ten to twenty years of practice to craft such flavors! Boss Huang is truly impressive..."

Noticing Huang Tao’s attention drawn by his words, Old Qin smiled and gave Huang Tao a thumbs-up gesture, expressing his admiration without reservation.

Huang Tao nodded at them with a smile, and continued his dedication to his magnificent culinary endeavor.

After nearly an hour of bustling around, Huang Tao finally completed all the dishes one by one.

During this time, Liu Zishan, busy photographing, didn’t know how many times she had swallowed her saliva.

Sure enough.

Yang Luyi outside the kitchen was no exception!

Even Old Qin, being a regular customer who basically ate all three meals at Delicious Restaurant, couldn’t help swallowing his saliva numerous times!

Though Liu Zishan was tempted, she didn’t forget to take close-up shots of the delicacies.

With her camera, she began snapping photos of the mouth-watering food all around.

Huang Tao washed his hands, wiped them dry, and walked over, smiling and asking, "Is this alright, reporters? If there’s anything lacking, feel free to mention it."

"It’s perfectly fine!"

Yang Luyi’s lips curved into a delightful arc, her little head nodding continuously; after a hum, she continued, "It’s already very perfect, no flaws at all."

"Is that so!"

He smiled with the corners of his mouth: "Then that’s good."

Yang Luyi’s beautiful eyes revealed her long-standing curiosity and she expressed it to him: "Boss Huang, may I be bold enough to ask where you learned to cook? Did you study at a professional culinary school?"

Liu Zishan couldn’t help but perk up her ears to listen intently.

Indeed!

This was also a question she always wanted to ask but hadn’t managed to ask.

Now, her good partner asked for her, and naturally, she must listen attentively to the answer.

Huang Tao shook his head, chuckling: "No, my college was Lijiang University here."

"Huh?"

Yang Luyi and Liu Zishan simultaneously exclaimed: "Lijiang University?"

By the way~

Lijiang University... does it have a culinary arts department?

In their impressions, it seemed... there isn’t!

Their reactions perhaps were expected by Huang Tao.

He continued with a calm explanation: "Cooking has been a hobby of mine since childhood. When I had free time, I would browse the web for food preparation steps and tutorial videos, and just follow along. Before I knew it, I learned it."

This natural tone left no room for skepticism in Yang Luyi and Yang Zishan’s minds.

It was as if it really was just that simple.

Henceforth...

The two accepted the "genius" setting.

As for Old Qin!

He somewhat questioned Huang Tao’s claim of being "self-taught online."

Learning online could create such delicious and varied delicacies?

Isn’t it a joke!

Whether others believed it, he didn’t know, but he wasn’t quite convinced.

He also watched online culinary tutorial videos, but many steps in those videos were simplified, ingredients even replaced, making it impossible to learn the essence of the cuisine.

Nevertheless, Boss Huang’s culinary skills were undeniable, the taste of his creations was indeed impeccable, plus Boss Huang was a legitimate high-achiever from Lijiang University.

And Lijiang University, indeed, doesn’t have a culinary arts specialty!

Then, is there a possibility...

That Boss Huang, according to what was taught online, added his own understanding and thus created such delicious food?

Seems... not impossible.

After all, the world is full of wonders, and culinary prodigies like Boss Huang, born with extraordinary talents, are not few.

Old Qin gradually began to accept this "genius" premise without realizing it.

However!

He still thought about whether there’s a chance Boss Huang was once coached by a culinary master, combined with his culinary talent, leading to such remarkable skills?

After all, this explanation seems more convincing.

But...

Boss Huang is known to be sincere; if he says he learned online, then certainly he did.

Finally, Old Qin trusted Huang Tao’s character, accepted Huang Tao’s explanation, stopped overthinking to spare himself from unnecessary troubles, and ensured peace of mind for Boss Huang.

Besides, what does it matter who Boss Huang learned from, as long as the food tastes good and it satisfies his appetite?

Yang Luyi saw Liu Zishan had finished packing up, she smiled and said, "Thank you, Boss Huang, today’s interview and photography is concluded. When it gets published, I’ll send a copy over."

Liu Zishan nodded in agreement, remembering something and saying, "Oh, right, Boss Huang, shall we exchange WeChat? It’ll be convenient to contact you later."

"Sure, you’ve worked hard, coming over here early this morning; being featured in Wenling City’s tourism guide’s food section is an honor for Delicious Restaurant."

Huang Tao said with a smile, taking out his phone to add both of them on WeChat, and greeted them by sending his business card.

Huang Tao felt joyous and accomplished.

He began to look forward to seeing his restaurant’s name and dishes appearing in Wenling City’s tourism guide food section, along with the ensuing reputation.

Huang Tao glanced at the time, thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Reporter Yang, Photographer Liu, it’s getting late, why don’t you stay for lunch?"

Ah ah ah...

Is this really where they can eat without queuing?

It’s exactly what they wanted to hear!

Even if Boss Huang hadn’t invited them, they would go out to queue for purchasing.

Yang Luyi and Liu Zishan, the two girls heard him, delightedly nodded like two little hamsters, "Sure, yeah! We’d love that!"

"Then thank you, Boss Huang, for your hospitality..."