Chapter 224

The person filming raised their phone, their voice brimming with excitement. "Alfredo! This is Mr. Alfredo next to me!"

The brown-haired foreigner in the frame gave a friendly smile, "Hello."

The person filming immediately switched to a foreign language. "Mr. Alfredo, hello, I visited your restaurant when I was in Senigallia before. Your improved morel mushroom cream stewed chicken was delicious, I still remember it vividly."

Upon seeing this, Ming Chunxi asked, "Are there foreign chefs coming to our farm for an exchange?"

Qing Mengzhu shrugged. "No, at least they didn't talk to us while I was there. I just asked Brother Zhou, and he didn't know anyone had come to talk to us in the kitchen."

Ming Chunxi: "So, foreign chefs come here in their private capacity to 'check in'?"

Qing Mengzhu clicked pause. "I'm afraid not. Look at this lady over there, her name is Samantha Carter, she's quite famous. And this Antoine, he's a French chef, and besides being a somewhat well-known chef, he's also a food critic."

Ming Chunxi sensed something unusual. "So many chefs came together, do they have some other identity?"

Qing Mengzhu: "Yes, they are all judges for this year's 'Global Top 100 Restaurants'. Look, their names and photos are on the official website."

Qing Mengzhu opened another website and showed Ming Chunxi what he had found. "I suspect our farm has made it into the 'Global Top 100 Restaurants' list."

Ming Chunxi looked at it carefully. "Good thing."

Qing Mengzhu: "If we win the award, it will definitely be a good thing; if we don't, I bet some people will want to make fun of us."

Ming Chunxi patted Qing Mengzhu's head and calmly said, "What does it matter? Our farm hasn't even been open for a full year yet."

Qing Mengzhu lay back down. "If that's the case, then that makes sense."

Zhou Yan has a wide network of connections in the industry. Within two days, many people knew that their farm was on the "Global Top 100 Restaurants" list, and Zhou Yan himself knew it too.

Most people felt their chances of being selected were slim.

The "Global Top 100 Restaurants" is one of the most authoritative rankings globally, with extremely high standards. It scores restaurants based on everything from their ambiance and service to the flavor, technique, creativity, and quality of the ingredients.

Since the award began in the 1980s, no farm has ever received this award.

Qing Mengzhu was a little worried that he would feel pressured, so she specially quoted Ming Chunxi to comfort him, "Our farm has only been open for a short time and doesn't have much of a reputation in the industry yet. We also don't have much experience in management, so it's normal that we haven't been awarded a prize."

Zhou Yan laughed and said, "I know, just being on this list is already a victory. Out of all the restaurants, big and small, in the country, only four are currently on their list."

Qing Mengzhu: "I saw that too. Next year, if we renovate the farm and improve the team's management and service, maybe we'll have a chance to win an award."

Zhou Yan: "That's what I think too."

Neither of them had high hopes of winning, and they encouraged each other.

Unexpectedly, just a week later, while Zhou Yan was busy preparing to sign the contract for the branch store, they received an invitation from the evaluation agency.

The judging organization sent them a hard copy of the invitation letter, inviting them to N countries to receive the award. At the same time, the shortlisted restaurants were also announced on the official website, and their farm was listed on it.

Qing Mengzhu specifically looked at it twice. The name "Zhuxi" is unlikely to be the same as anyone else's in the world.

Zhou Yan found it unbelievable and specifically brought the invitation to Qing Mengzhu and Ming Chunxi: "Can you help me check if it's fake?"

Qing Mengzhu smiled and said, "As soon as the list came out, we checked the official website. Our farm is indeed on the list, and the website hasn't been hacked."

Ming Chunxi nodded in agreement, indicating that what Qing Mengzhu said was true.

Zhao Hexi laughed and said, "Brother Zhou, let's be confident. Look at the recommendation above, it's clearly our farm."

The official website of "Global Top 100 Restaurants" has created a dedicated page for each shortlisted restaurant, featuring reviews from anonymous reviewers.

The reviews of their farm were several long paragraphs, all filled with enthusiastic praise.

Bamboo shoots, lotus root, prawns, fermented rice wine, tomatoes, chili peppers, hazelnuts, goose, preserved radish, dried tangerine peel... these very ordinary, even mundane ingredients shine with extraordinary brilliance in the hands of a chef. Without flashy techniques or boasting, they simply exist, filling the stomachs and hearts of every food lover.

I know everyone is innovating these days—carbohydrates, fats, sauces, contrasts, layers, collisions, textures, flavors, aromas. We're making things more and more refined and scientific, and the food we make tastes great and leaves our stomachs feeling satisfied. But after eating it, I always feel like something's missing. When faced with a new dish, even without tasting it, I can roughly guess what it will look like.

The dishes at Zhuxi Farm are different. I don't know how to describe them; they seem to come from both the old and the new eras, a connection between them. Beyond the taste, there's emotion in them. One bite, and you know, yes, this is it—your grandparents ate it, and your children might still be eating it. It has heritage and soul, not just showing off techniques.

[The dishes at this restaurant are all sourced from rural areas, a collision of the simplest ingredients and the most exquisite flavors. They seem to come from any family, yet only a professional chef can bring out their deliciousness. My favorite is their signature dish, the pickled bamboo shoot and hazelnut chicken soup. The combination of hazelnut chicken and pickled bamboo shoots draws inspiration not only from folk traditions but also from literature—a fusion of reality and fantasy.]

Zhou Yan looked at the stream of praise and said, "It's making me blush."

Qing Mengzhu patted him on the shoulder. "Don't be embarrassed, Brother Zhou, this is a compliment you deserve."

Zhao Hexi winked. "So, with all that sincere and enthusiastic praise from above, how could it be fake? Brother Zhou, you should get ready to take some people to receive the award."

Chapter 224

In mid-January, Zhou Yan led his team to Country N to receive an award.

Country N is located in the Southern Hemisphere, and it is currently summer.

Zhou Yan video- Qing Mengzhu and the others. Qing Mengzhu could see a clear sky, a blue sea, colorful houses, and a dry plain.

Zhou Yan's excited voice came from the other end. "Mengzhu, Chunxi, the judging results are in! Our farm is ranked 97th globally and 6th domestically. There will be a formal awards ceremony and banquet tonight."

This result was better than Qing Mengzhu had imagined. "Amazing!"

Zhou Yan: "I also think it's really beyond my expectations that the organizers gave us this ranking. I thought we would be 98th, 99th, or even 100th, but we are 97th! And we are indeed the only farm, the others are all high-end restaurants, mostly Western restaurants."

As Zhou Yan finished speaking, Zhao Hexi squeezed into the frame from behind Qing Mengzhu and the others. "Brother Zhou, how are you feeling right now? Aren't you feeling especially great? I felt especially great when our Rice won the award before."

Zhou Yan readily admitted, "Winning this award by beating out a bunch of established high-end restaurants is really awesome."

Qing Mengzhu: "This is just the beginning. Our farm's ranking will only get higher and higher in the future."

Zhao Hexi: "Exactly, what we lack right now is a bit of fame. Our ingredients and your cooking skills, Brother Zhou, are both top-notch."

As he spoke, Zhao Hexi added with a grin, "Brother Zhou, your innovative abilities are undeniable, and besides, you're so young. You could dominate for at least thirty or forty years."

Ming Chunxi also said, "Brother Zhou, this is just your starting point."

Seeing them huddled together like a pack of meerkats through the camera lens, Zhou Yan felt a surge of warmth in his heart and nodded, saying, "I will lead the team to keep going!"

Zhou Yan went to the Southern Hemisphere to receive the award, while Qing Mengzhu and the others continued with their planting work.

Spring is here, so we need to hurry up and cultivate the seedlings that need nurturing, and also take care of the soil that needs conditioning.