I Got the Almighty Tongue - Chapter 189



Only Noblemtl

189 Unacceptable Foods

“The last guest has left. Let’s start cleaning up!”

“Yes, Chef!”

The staff’s movements become busy at Sangbeom’s instructions.

Today was another busy day.

It’s been almost a year since it opened, but the long line of customers shows no signs of abating.

Rather, Hundred Dishes is experiencing explosive growth, with waiting lines exceeding 100 people on popular days.

At first, I was just grateful that customers came to visit, but as time passed, I started to feel burdened.

The New York headquarters is a staging ground for expansion eastward, a testing ground of sorts. It’s a huge responsibility.

Tiring.

A message came.

[Honey. You worked hard this month too. I’ll save and use it well. Your restaurant was on the news. It must be hard, right?]

But we have no choice but to overcome it.

I want to be a strong and dependable father who my children can show off to anyone without feeling ashamed.

Hundred Dishes has been consistently changing its menu since opening.

Owner Chef Shin Je-hee was sensitive to changes in ingredients. After spending a year here and handling all the ingredients of the four seasons, Sang-beom was finally able to get a feel for it.

Radish and cabbage are best harvested in the fall. Just like in Korea, many people gather at New Jersey farms to make kimchi. They make kimchi and cubed radish kimchi to use until the spring harvest season in April, and then dry the vegetables for storage when spring comes.

The taste has been greatly improved over time, and now has a much deeper and richer flavor than before.

There are many Korean restaurants in New York City in the past year, but none of them have invested this much money and effort. And customers know it even without being told.

Every time customers of various skin colors offered plates of “Some more kimchi, please,” Sangbeom felt an indescribable sense of pleasure. And he felt proud that he was contributing to promoting Korean food at the forefront of New York.

Ring ring ring.

“hello?”

-Sangbeom, hyung?

“Byeongsu? What’s going on?”

-Do you really need something to call me? I just called.

Contact from seniors and juniors who I hadn’t heard from in a while has increased. I can guess the situation.

“You heard the rumor and contacted me too?”

-Haha. I think it would be most accurate to hear it directly from you, hyung. Is it true that you hire people?

Branches will soon open in Philadelphia and DC. The representative is also in Seoul. Word has already spread and many seniors and juniors are lining up to try it out.

“It seems like there’s a job opening, but it’s not like I have any power over it. Just submit your resume and have a good interview with the CEO.”

-Hey. But since you’re the head chef, please speak to me properly.

“There’s nothing like that. Huh? A guest has arrived. I’m busy so I’ll hang up now.”

Stop.

After receiving dozens of calls, my refusal skills have only improved.

Life here is rewarding but difficult.

It would be difficult to make all the ingredients, including tofu, and maintain consistent quality in the menu without a lot of determination.

“Chef! Cleaning is done.”

“okay.”

Sangbeom walks around the kitchen and hallway checking the cleaning status.

After thoroughly checking the floor, pantry, and refrigerator, the employees’ faces brighten as they are told to leave work.

The staff are putting the remaining side dishes into containers.

This is also one of the privileges of working at Hundred Dishes. All side dishes, except for pickled foods, are made and consumed on the same day. Any leftovers are either discarded or distributed to employees.

Sangbeom had a feeling that this would be his lifelong workplace.

* * *

Citizens passing through Center City, the heart of Philadelphia, tilt their heads because they see a banner they have never seen before.

[A special restaurant that only exists in New York, featuring a healthy menu that changes daily, is coming to Philadelphia.

100% Handmade Organic Korean Food, Hundred Dishes]

It was an eye-catching catchphrase.

Curious Philadelphians took pictures of these and shared them on Reddit.

[What is this? What kind of restaurant is this?]

└Organic cafeteria.

└What are you talking about? Is this a facility for the homeless?

└Wow. These country bumpkins are going to be successful. They’re going to the hottest restaurant in New York.

└Everyone in America knows that New Yorkers are unlucky, so there’s no need to show it off.

└(Photo) Can you see the line? It’s a restaurant where the menu changes every day. It’s organic, so it’s healthy and delicious. It’s nicknamed ‘lunchtime’ because many office workers go there during their lunch break. It’s nice because you don’t have to worry about what to eat.

└Segreto is a new franchise started by Chef Shin Je-hee. Oh… sorry. Phillies don’t know what Segreto is? Is there fine dining there?

└What kind of position is it to live in New York?

Anyway, I get it. Philadelphia is number two in the East, right? It’s obvious that we’d be next after New York.

└Aren’t you coming to Seattle?

└What about Atlanta?

Something similar was happening in Washington.

* * *

Since posting the job advertisement, the number of resumes pouring in has been incomparable to that of before.

At first, we sent out resumes mainly to freshmen because there was a possibility of failure, but this time, many chefs with excellent experience, such as Chef Lee Sang-beom, also applied.

Doing Korean food in Korea means something different than starting it in New York.

In New York, it could easily be positioned as an ethnic food (exotic cuisine), but in Korea, it is just a common Korean restaurant.

What makes us different from regular Korean restaurants?

Differentiation is the foundation of marketing.

Our selling points would be that we make all of our own ingredients, including the sauces and tofu, that it is healthy because we use organic vegetables, and lastly, the recognition we have gained from our success in New York.

People don’t come to my restaurant just because I’m famous.

Even if curiosity leads to a visit, if the food and service are not satisfactory, it will only end as a one-time sale.

Come to think of it, there’s one more thing that’s different.

That means we don’t share side dishes. All the food on the five-course meal we serve is entirely for that person.

The shadow of low birth rates over Korea is already showing clear signs. There will be far more people eating alone than families.

When the thought reaches this point, the concept becomes clear.

Ultimately, we came to the conclusion that there was no need to change the New York system.

As promised to my older sister, I opened the first store in a department store in Gangnam and decided to open the second store in Hongdae.

We received interior design materials from Logan, contracted with a company, and interviewed applicants.

Surprisingly, there were many people who preferred working overseas, and most of them had connections with Chef Lee Sang-beom. It seems that his successful settlement ignited a fire in them.

I selected the staff after consulting with Chef Lee Sang-beom.

Both are retired head chefs from a Korean restaurant in a hotel. They will soon be called to the US to receive training at the head office and then sent to Philadelphia and DC.

“Why did you come alone?”

My father-in-law is nagging me because he misses the children.

I think next time I return home I’ll have to bring my whole family with me.

* * *

After taking care of urgent business and returning to the US, I continued to worry about the menu.

When I first thought about starting a catering business, I never expected that deciding on a menu would be this difficult.

For me, who was used to always delivering the best possible results, balancing price and quality was a constant struggle.

“Oh my god. You call this bread…?”

In front of me are breads from various companies that Quanton brought.

These are products that can be delivered for less than $0.40 each. I asked for a menu using bread because I absolutely need it, but I didn’t know it would be this bad.

I came up with a roast beef recipe that can be easily made in the oven.

The sirloin is the tastiest cut, but even in the US, this cut is quite expensive.

After trying various meats, I found that Chuck meat was the best. It was dry and lacked flavor when eaten on its own, but when sliced ​​thinly and used as a sandwich filling, all of its shortcomings were eliminated.

Tie the shoulder meat tightly with string to shape it, then season the meat with a rub made by mixing salt, pepper, thyme, rosemary, turmeric, garlic powder, and paprika powder. Rub the meat thoroughly with the seasoning, then coat with olive oil and marinate.

Coat the pan with olive oil and sear it strongly once, then cook it once in a preheated oven at 180 degrees. After 20 minutes, cook it again at 150 degrees for 30 minutes and it’s done.

I cut it with a knife and it was medium well done. If it’s cooked to this degree, students will be able to enjoy it without any complaints.

Now I have to make a sandwich with this.

Baguette-type bread is the most suitable for roast beef sandwiches. I decided to use the most flavorful bread I received.

Cut in half with a knife and add sliced ​​cheese. I put three slices on it and it was just the right size. On top of that, put a generous amount of thinly sliced ​​roast beef and pour sauce. There are two types of sauce: basil pesto and mustard-based homemade mayonnaise.

The meat soaks up the sauce. Top with lettuce and tomato, butter the other half of the bread, and cover.

After cutting the sandwich with a knife and looking at the cross-section, it turned out pretty good. The visual alone will be enough to make children cheer.

I tasted it with anticipation.

“I knew this would happen.”

The bread is a total mess. It’s dry and lacks flavor.

The unpleasant taste of Propylene Glycol and Sodium Benzoate, which are added to inhibit mold growth, will make you cringe.

I can understand why children would suffer from diarrhea the next day if they ate moldy bread, but this is just too much.

I tried all the breads I had brought, but none of them really caught my eye. I tried making the same sandwich with Ben’s baguette.

There are only four ingredients that go into a baguette.

This bread is made only with water, flour, salt, and yeast, and the quality of the ingredients is of the utmost importance.

As I take a bite, the aroma of roast beef fills my nose. The refreshing basil pesto and rich mustard flavors enhance the flavor of the meat. The lettuce is crunchy and the acidity and juice of the tomato mix with the other fillings to create synergy.

And later, the bread asserts its presence by meeting soft butter and cheese.

“Mmm. It’s delicious.”

It goes without saying that the bread used in Segreto is delicious, but it cannot be served as a meal.

I want to make adjustments, but there is a limit to compromise. I sigh when I see the school breads scattered on the table.

I came to the conclusion that I could never cook with those.

I called Quinton over and had him taste two versions of the sandwich.

“It’s amazing. Just using a different bread makes a completely different dish.”

Quinton takes another bite and analyzes the taste.

Food tastes best when it’s balanced. But the bread he brought is actually ruining the taste of the filling. This is the result of low-quality wheat, insufficient fermentation, and a lot of additives, and I can’t fix it.

“Quinton. I consider myself a chef.

Students might enjoy a sandwich made with that bread, but I can’t sell food that I can’t accept. Not being able to control the bread will continue to be a problem.”

Bread has the same status in the American diet as rice does in the Korean diet.

“It’s been a long time since I heard that school bread is not tasty. Since the time I was in school, there were many kids who didn’t eat it and just threw it away.”

Quinton nods and says.

“They probably used the cheapest wheat. Plus, they mixed in the byproducts left over after grain production. In an attempt to mass-produce, they didn’t properly follow the fermentation time, and there were so many additives….”

Cost reduction, mass production, long-term preservation.

I think that if you make bread that is faithful to these three purposes, you will end up with a product like that.

“That’s definitely a problem. Should we try to find a bread with a higher unit price, even if it’s a little more difficult?”

“How about making it yourself instead?”

It had been so long since I had bought bread that I didn’t really know the reality.

If these unscrupulous businesses are the mainstream, it will be difficult to find bread that suits my taste no matter where I go.

“yes?”

He looks at me as if to ask what I’m talking about.

“Let’s take over the factory. That way, I can lower the unit price and choose the process and materials myself.”

Quinton’s mouth is wide open in surprise.

If he refuses, I intend to return the investment.