The Cheat Emperor of the Culinary World

Chapter 314: Chapter 313: He’s Simply a Treasure

After the last contestant’s dish was evaluated by the judges, it was time to announce the final results of the competition.

The host took the stage and began announcing the awards, starting with the Excellence Award.

”The five recipients of the Excellence Award are: Head Chef of the Three A Restaurant, Lin Hai...”

”Let’s welcome our country’s master of local cuisine, Chen Xinwei... to present the awards to the winners!”

...

”The two recipients of the second prize are: Head Chef of Qilin Private Kitchen, Yuan Xu’an, and Head Chef of Family Joy Restaurant, Liu Yunpeng!”

”Let’s welcome our country’s top ten news and legal figures, renowned culinary master Zhang Zhiyuan, and international celebrity chef Liu Yunong to present awards to the winners!”

When the second-place winners were announced, everyone was eager to see who would take first place.

The chefs sent by the restaurants to compete were all industry elites. Although they were a bit below celebrity chefs, they were considered outstanding talents in Bei’an.

The contestants who had already won were curious to hear the announcement.

Meanwhile, those who hadn’t yet won were secretly hoping they might be the first-place winner.

Despite the unanimous praise Fu Yu received for his Three-Stuffed Duck, everyone still harbored an unspeakable sense of luck.

After all, Fu Yu was so young that it was hard for people to truly believe in his abilities.

”Next, let’s reveal the first-place winner!”

The host deliberately prolonged the announcement, heightening the tense atmosphere in the venue.

Everyone watched the host intently, their hearts pounding like drums.

”The first-place winner is: Head Chef from Qianlima Restaurant, Fu Yu!”

”Let’s welcome the international culinary deity and master of culinary arts, Dai Jinghe, to present the first-place award!”

All the contestants present stared at Fu Yu in disbelief!

”This... the first place is actually him!”

”Did you hear Elder Dai’s praise about him earlier? His Three-Stuffed Duck rivals the skills of local Yangzhou chefs!”

”I didn’t notice... I was too busy with my own cooking to pay attention to others!”

”Then you missed it. When he brought over the Three-Stuffed Duck, several judges tasted it together and said it was authentic and delicious!”

...

All the contestants present were dumbfounded.

They originally thought the first place would certainly be one of the other three in the front row, excluding Fu Yu.

After all, those who occupied the front row positions were from the most famous restaurants, and the chefs sent to compete were naturally the most skilled.

But to their surprise... Fu Yu won first place!

Recalling Elder Dai’s comments earlier, many contestants could hardly believe their ears.

Was that Three-Stuffed Duck really that good?

To have such advanced culinary skills at such a young age, what heights might he reach in the future?

Realizing this, many contestants couldn’t help feeling a bit disheartened.

They never expected that just as they were in the prime of their careers, they would become the predecessors.

The younger generation is truly formidable!

Liu Yunpeng looked at Fu Yu with a complex expression.

He had cooked Family Joy’s signature dish, secret recipe pork belly, using a recipe unique to their restaurant, which offered a flavor not found elsewhere.

After the previous Wenshi Tofu competition, he suddenly realized that the competitors present, including Fu Yu despite his youth, were all very strong contenders.

Unconsciously, Liu Yunpeng’s mentality began to change.

From initially believing his own culinary skills were the best and aiming for first place, he shifted to wanting to secure second place, striving for first, and considering third wouldn’t be bad either.

Now that he achieved his ideal second place, he was very satisfied.

So now, seeing Fu Yu unexpectedly take first place, Liu Yunpeng inexplicably felt it was only natural!

He had been observing Fu Yu from start to finish among the many contestants.

Whether it was Fu Yu’s knife skills or culinary techniques, they were all exceptional.

Though he was busy cooking and couldn’t witness Fu Yu’s deboning firsthand, the judges’ remarks alone made it clear that Fu Yu’s deboning skills were top-notch!

Liu Yunpeng made up his mind to find an opportunity to exchange contact information with Fu Yu later.

He always had a sense that this young man was destined for greatness, and it was wise to befriend him now because it would likely be beneficial in the future.

Facing the attention from everyone present, Fu Yu remained calm and composed.

In his ear, a digital prompt sounded:

[Ding! The task from NPC Qianlima Restaurant owner Dong Jun Tian: Participate in the Gold Chef Skills Competition and win first prize, has been successfully completed. Reward: You can freely select a personal skill from one of the judges on-site to learn.]

Fu Yu looked at Dai Jinghe, who was slowly walking onto the stage.

It was as if he saw the sword tomb of Cao Cao!

Any personal skill chosen from here would be a priceless art!

Dai Jinghe walked closer, smiling as he took the trophy and certificate from the usher, then turned to hand them to Fu Yu.

Fu Yu quickly bowed to accept them.

Dai Jinghe, taking advantage of the fact that the microphone wasn’t handed over yet, said to Fu Yu, ”Your Three-Stuffed Duck really surprised me today! I wonder which famous chef is your mentor?”

Considering Fu Yu’s age, having such exquisite culinary skills was impossible without a mentor.

Dai Jinghe speculated that Fu Yu’s mentor was probably a reclusive master chef, or perhaps a renowned chef who accepted him as a disciple but hadn’t made it public.

Besides that, he might be a descendant of a renowned culinary family.

Without a solid foundation, it would be impossible to nurture such an outstanding talent.

Fu Yu was a bit surprised but replied truthfully, ”My mentor is Zhao Meng.”

Dai Jinghe was taken aback.

Zhao Meng?

He hadn’t heard of this person!

Dai Jinghe had no impression of the name Zhao Meng.

Dai Jinghe immediately looked disappointed.

So, he did have a mentor after all.

He had originally planned that if possible, he would take Fu Yu as his own disciple.

After all, the rule of not accepting disciples was set by himself, and he could break it whenever he pleased. Who could say anything?

Given his current status, even if someone said something, it likely wouldn’t reach his ears, so there was nothing to worry about.

What a pity...

After the award ceremony, it was time for the mentor selection ceremony.

To create a crowd-pleasing atmosphere, the ceremony allowed contestants to take turns choosing their desired mentors and pitch themselves on the spot.

If the chosen mentor recognized them, the mentorship was considered successful.

Among the twelve contestants, only a small portion would successfully find mentors, while others just participated for publicity.

Nevertheless, the atmosphere on-site was lively and bustling.

The main highlight was whether Dai Jinghe would accept a disciple.

The old man indeed accepted one, but it was the seemingly unremarkable contestant number 11 in the last row.