"Xiao Xu, let me introduce you. These are the head chefs from the other branches of Ya Yan. They came here specifically to help me out today."
Zhao Yanting said to her with a hearty smile.
Wow, how honest of him.
The other team members silently exchanged glances, barely able to conceal the disdain in their eyes.
Xu Yanxia, however, greeted the men generously and then pulled her brother, Xu Zhanpeng, forward to introduce him. "This is my brother. He's also here to help me today."
"Oh, Zhanpeng, right?"
Zhao Yanting actually knew her brother's name. He immediately led his group of "assistants" to shake hands with her brother, and then asked them, "What kind of dishes are you planning to make today?"
Xu Yanxia smiled and said, "We'll mostly be doing home-style cooking. We can't compare to your high-end ingredients."
She had already noticed the lobster, Wagyu beef, black truffles, and the like prominently displayed on their prep station.
Were they seriously going to make lobster Mao Xue Wang?
Zhao Yanting smiled again and said, "You must be joking. There's no such thing as high-end or not. The dishes you made the day before yesterday were excellent! We felt that due to the limited time the day before yesterday, our finished products were somewhat lacking, so we wanted to remake them properly today."
Saying this, he sighed at her. "To be honest, it's out of my hands that things have escalated to this point between us, uncle and niece. After all, at my age, I have elderly parents to support and young children to raise. To provide for my family, some things are simply unavoidable. No matter what the outcome is today, please don't take it to heart."
"After all, we come from the same culinary lineage. No matter who wins, it will be considered carrying forward our sect's craft, right?"
Heh...
As soon as he said this, the other members of her team almost laughed out loud.
This guy surnamed Zhao was a man in his forties or fifties, how could he still be so melodramatic?
The competition hadn't even started yet, and he was talking as if they had already won???
Xu Yanxia also smiled and nodded. "You're right. Whoever wins or loses, it's a good thing to promote our culinary heritage. Let's just focus on cooking later and bring this whole thing back to the food itself."
As soon as she finished speaking, before the other party could say anything more, the executive director used a megaphone to remind everyone, "All departments, take your positions. Contestants, please check your prep stations once more. We are about to let the judges and audience in."
Xu Yanxia didn't say anything more and walked straight back to her prep station.
Soon after, the audience entrance to the studio opened, and people began pouring in.
There were about two hundred audience members today, all randomly selected from those who registered during the show's preparation phase.
Of course, special seats were reserved for the guests' families and friends, as well as the show's sponsors.
It wasn't long before Xu Yanxia saw her own family and friends entering.
Her sister-in-law and aunt led her grandparents at the front, followed by her husband, Lu Jingming.
What surprised her was that Lu Jingming was followed by her parents-in-law.
They spotted her on the stage immediately and waved at her.
Her mother-in-law, Ms. Shen, specifically led her father-in-law, Chairman Lu, to the very front of the audience seating, right near her.
Xu Yanxia hurriedly ran over, smiling as she asked, "Dad, Mom, what brings you here too?"
Ms. Shen smiled and said, "What are you talking about? How could we miss such an important day for you?"
"That's right,"
Her father-in-law, Chairman Lu, also chuckled and said, "Not just us, Jingxi, Jingyao, and your grandfather wanted to come too. They couldn't make it because they were tied up with work, so Mom and I are here to cheer you on for all of them!"
"Thank you, Mom and Dad."
Xu Yanxia smiled, and then Lu Jingming asked her, "How is it? Is everything going smoothly?"
"Very smoothly."
She smiled and gave him an OK hand gesture.
He opened his arms and said, "Come here, let's have a hug for good luck!"
So she smiled, opened her arms, and hugged him.
Immediately after, a burst of screaming erupted from the audience.
Young girls called out to them, "So sweet!"
"President Lu and Xiao Xia must stay together forever!!!"
"You can do it!!!"
"Good luck!"
Xu Yanxia smiled and formed a heart shape with her fingers for everyone, then returned to her prep station.
Soon, as the audience finished settling in and the judges took their seats, today's finals finally officially began.
"Thank you all so much for being with us on this journey. Our show, One City, One Flavor, has finally reached its grand finale today!!!"
"And after overcoming all obstacles along the way, the ones meeting at the pinnacle of the finals are none other than our consistently top-ranked synergy team, Director Xu's group, and the powerhouse team that parachuted in during the Jingbei stop, Chef Zhao's group!!!"
...
Following the host's passionate introduction, Xu Yanxia and her opponent, Zhao Yanting, each led their teammates to greet the audience.
Next, the host introduced the eight professional judges and twenty public judges for this round.
The eight professional judges included master chefs from the four major culinary schools, two food critics from two famous domestic restaurant review lists, a renowned film director, and a nutrition professor from a top university in Jingbei.
The twenty public judges were also randomly selected during the show's preparation phase, coming from all over the country and various professions, representing the tastes of the general public.
After explaining the rules for this round, the two teams immediately began cooking.
Due to the increased number of dishes and team members, the prep stations this time were twice as large as before and fully faced the audience and judges, leaving no blind spots.
It was everyone's first time cooking in front of such a large live audience, so it was inevitable that they felt a bit nervous.
Fortunately, with Xu Yanxia as their captain keeping things steady, everyone quickly got into the zone—
Deboning the pre-braised goose webs, mixing chili oil on the spot, extracting meat from fresh fish and shrimp to make a paste, and braising then deep-frying the marinated squabs...
As the two teams on stage carried out their cooking steps one by one, rich aromas gradually wafted through the air, causing the audience to quietly salivate.
To keep the atmosphere lively, the host actively engaged the crowd as usual. First, he asked each team to introduce the dishes they would be completing today, then invited the judges to discuss the historical characteristics of various cuisines and share their personal insights on food.
As time passed, the dishes from both teams were finished one by one and placed on the display table.
To ensure the judges could taste each dish at its peak flavor, today's rule was to eat them fresh out of the pan. As soon as a team's dish was finished and a close-up shot was taken on the display table, it was immediately served to the judges for tasting.
"Now, everyone is tasting the two cold appetizers from Chef Zhao's group: Salted Duck and Mustard Duck Webs,"
The host dutifully read the introduction scripts submitted in advance by each team. "The Salted Duck is made using plump, tender fresh ducks from Nanjing, braised with over ten different spices. The Mustard Duck Webs are similarly made from fresh lake duck webs from Nanjing, deboned, blanched, and seasoned with a secret mustard sauce."
As soon as he finished speaking, the judges had already tasted the two dishes and began their evaluations—
"Salted duck is a Huaiyang dish. In terms of the tenderness of the duck meat and how well the flavors have seeped in, it is quite up to standard."
"Mustard duck webs is a traditional Shandong dish. The texture and taste are also quite decent. So far, there is nothing to fault."
...
In the audience, Chairman Lu, who had come to watch his daughter-in-law compete live for the first time, couldn't help but feel a little worried. He whispered to his wife and eldest son beside him, "Those people on the opposing team are obviously older than Xiao Xia and her young team, and they even served their dishes first. Isn't this a bit like bullying?"
Mrs. Lu also nodded and said, "Exactly. I heard that the one surnamed Zhao is even Xiao Xia's martial uncle. How can he have no class at all? With the judges giving such high praise now, aren't they obviously putting pressure on Xiao Xia and her team?"
Lu Jingming, however, smiled and said, "Don't worry. With Xiao Xia's skills, it's still uncertain who is putting pressure on whom!"
As soon as his voice fell, the two cold dishes from his Little Silly's team were also brought before the judges.
"Director Xu's team's two cold dishes are Sichuan pepper chicken in chili oil, and goose webs tossed with Beijing leeks."
Following the host's announcement, the judges tasted the dishes and immediately began to nod.
"The Sichuan pepper chicken in chili oil is excellent! The meat is incredibly tender and rich in chicken flavor. The chili oil is also mixed perfectly, very fragrant and mild. It is appetizing without irritating the taste buds at all."
"I love this goose webs tossed with Beijing leeks, it's wonderful! The shredded leeks were soaked in ice water, making them crisp, fragrant, and not too sharp. The goose webs are braised exceptionally well, absorbing all the flavors! They are soft and glutinous but still have a slight chewiness. The texture is just right, and the heat control was absolutely perfect!"
"Alright,"
the host spoke up again, "Now that both teams' cold dishes have been tasted, let's ask the judges to score the cold dishes first."
As soon as he finished speaking, a score comparison chart for the two teams appeared on the large screen.
According to the rules of this round, the eight professional judges each had five points to give, and the twenty public judges each had three points, making the total score still one hundred points.
After the judges scored the dishes of both teams respectively, the numbers on the big screen stopped at ninety-six and eighty-nine.
The higher score belonged to Xu Yanxia.
Chairman Lu and his wife in the audience immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
Their eldest son, Lu Jingming, smiled and said, "See? They are simply no match for Xiao Xia."
