Gourmet: From a Stall in Northern Europe-Chapter 90: Chef Marchello, Michelin Three-Star

Saturday morning.

The newly revived Lin Chen had just walked into the kitchen when the head chef called him.

"Lin, today you still won't be participating in food service. Let Anderson practice more; after a week of observation, your standard has pretty much stabilized."

"Your task today is to fully prepare these eight new dishes, three of each, before dinner. At that time, not only I but everyone in the restaurant will be tasting them, and Chef Marchello will arrive in the afternoon."

"What?! Chef Marchello is coming too?"

Upon hearing this news, Lin Chen was shocked, and his nerves instantly tightened.

The reason God's Kiss in Amiens could become so popular so quickly, aside from the delicious food and excellent service, is mainly because it's a branch.

The main restaurant is located over 140 kilometers away in the Capital Paris, founded by the internationally renowned chef Marchello, who had previously served as head chef of several Michelin three-star restaurants.

And Chef Raphael is someone Chef Marchello met while working abroad, and later was recruited to come over, worked at the main restaurant for a while, and was dispatched here to Amiens to manage branch operations.

Both have a clear goal: to personally establish a Michelin three-star restaurant and to open as many branches as possible.

For Western chefs, this is considered the ultimate honor.

He hurriedly ran into the bathroom to splash his face with cold water, forcing himself to be alert to deal with the severe test ahead.

If he'd known Chef Marchello was also coming, he would've put more thought into it and wasted less time.

Looking at his dark circles in the mirror, he was first stunned, then remembered.

Last night's reward?

Checking it, it had already been settled while he was sleeping deeply at midnight, without hearing it at all.

As he expected, it was a 100% positive review, with double the Food Truck Upgrade Card and Recipe Exchange Voucher.

He also knew that getting a 100% positive review was not easy. Last night, he almost went hoarse explaining the differences of various skewers to every diner to cater to their tastes.

Without choosing the right dishes and personalized recommendations, it's almost impossible to achieve this.

Foreigners are particularly picky about service; Romantic Country might not have a tipping system, but the restaurant bill usually includes a service fee.

If the diners are satisfied, they might also give some tips if they're in a good mood. Many service-minded employees aim for this.

"Forget it, don't think too much. It's important to get through the afternoon's task."

Compared to work, setting up a stall is freer and has no pressure. If it doesn't work once, try twice, if twice doesn't work, try three times; eventually, you'll figure it out.

The work opportunity is only available within this short time frame, it must be seized.

Next month, which is in a week, Chef Marchello's newly invested farm-style restaurant will enter the preparatory stage of trial operations.

There's no public promotion yet because it's not Chef Marchello's own restaurant; it's said to be co-invested with others, starting from scratch, not relying on personal reputation.

Once it's famous, his investor identity might be revealed.

Therefore, the menu design for the new restaurant is particularly important; it must quickly make a name locally and establish a foothold.

The main restaurant and branch will both have assessments, each sending an excellent chef over, but the specifics are unclear to him. He'll only know the details once the list is finalized.

"Hey, buddy, are you okay? Relax a bit, don't be so tense."

Perhaps because he had been in the bathroom for five minutes, Chef Raphael actually found him.

The chef smiled broadly, placing his big hand on Lin Chen's shoulder, "This isn't an assessment, just a tasting, understand?"

"The real assessment is already over; daily performance is what's important. I've seen your talent, just perform normally. Chef Marchello is just coming to taste the new dishes and might give some feedback. After all, it's his restaurant; he needs to control the flavor, not to pick on you."

"I can tell you clearly, after next week you'll be sent there, consider it a vacation. It won't be busy in the short term, and it'll be quite fun there."

"Of course, don't tell anyone."

Chef Raphael winked at him, patted his shoulder again, and left.

"This... huh?"

Was it just decided?

He was a bit dazed; the tension in his heart hadn't gotten a chance to build up before it instantly relaxed, as if a great weight was lifted off him.

With no pressure, cooking seemed especially easy.

Mixing batter, controlling oil temperature, adjusting proportions, making sauces, trialing, practicing plating...

Four o'clock in the afternoon.

In the empty dining hall, four people sat around the long table: Chef Raphael, the front-of-house manager, Chef Marchello, and his assistant chef.

Encouraged by Chef Raphael's gaze, Lin Chen began plating, bringing out the pre-prepared cold dish, and started preparing the next appetizer.

"This dish uses a combination of three types of mushrooms, pre-cooked with vegetable broth to soak in flavor. The base is sweet pea puree, up to this point is my concept."

"Now, the green scallion oil on the surface of the mushroom roll contains unique Sichuan pepper from Great Xia, also known as 麻椒, with the technique of making scallion oil also using methods from Great Xia."

"Additionally, based on Lin's suggestion, the mushroom rolls were chilled..."

As the creator of the new dish, Chef Raphael naturally took up the role of explainer.

Upon hearing that the method for making scallion oil was improved and Sichuan pepper elements were added, Chef Marchello and his assistant exchanged a surprised glance, their mouths subtly curving upward.

"Interesting, now Great Xia culture is rising internationally, exerting a strong impact on Western cuisine. While testing new dishes, I tried incorporating Great Xia elements but, due to unfamiliarity with the culture and difficulties in hiring qualified chefs from Great Xia, the flavors weren't quite right. I had to temporarily set it aside."

"I didn't expect you to have a hidden expert here."

The chef said, eagerly picking up his fork, demolishing the mushroom roll pyramid, selecting a roll from the relatively clean middle, standing it up, dipped one side in the pea puree without contaminating the scallion oil.

Took a bite of half a roll, nodded, then dipped the other side with scallion oil and stuffed it in his mouth.

"Hmm?!"

The unassuming mushroom roll with a cold, tender, and crisp texture is consistent with before, but the seemingly ordinary bright green scallion oil brought a tsunami of flavor upon entry.

Just when he thought he would be overwhelmed by a strong scallion aroma, the unique fragrance instantly softened, replaced by a subtle numbing sensation.

The tongue began quivering uncontrollably, along with noticeable tingling felt on the lips.

The never-before-tasted peculiar flavor, with its novel fresh aroma, widened his eyes.

"My... my tongue is trembling! Is this the legendary 麻味?"