On December 20, 2023, Chen Limin, owner of Yizhongfu Chinese Restaurant, recommended the most popular “cold asparagus” in the restaurant. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)
[The Epoch Times, December 30, 2023](Reported by Epoch Times reporter Xu Manyuan in Los Angeles) What makes a restaurant unforgettable is not only the color and aroma of the dishes, but more importantly, the service attitude of the boss and the impression given to customers; but this year Arthur Chen, the owner of “Eat Joy Food” recommended by the Michelin Guide Bib Gourmand, not only has a “bad face”, but also often refutes customers’ opinions. So, what is the reason why “Yi Zhongfu” is favored by everyone? There are even foodies from as far away as San Francisco and San Diego who drive here to enjoy it?
On December 20, 2023, Taiwanese banquet dishes were served cold and thoroughly smoked. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)December 20, 2023. Eggplant salad is refreshing and delicious. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)
Chen Limin, who is known as “Ashe”, does not have the problem of being flashy and ignorant of the sufferings of the world as a son of a wealthy family, but he does have a certain nobility of a young man. Because he has eaten well since he was a child, he also has high requirements for the quality of his food. Chen Limin went to the United States to study for a master’s degree in business administration under the wishes of his Taiwanese family. After graduation, he ran a supermarket in Texas. “It was actually to meet my personal needs,” he said with a smile. Because the area was very remote and there was not a large Asian population in the early days, so he had to It is not easy to eat Chinese food. After running a supermarket, Chen Limin gradually began to get in touch with ingredients and understand the characteristics of food.
Many people think that you need to be able to cook to open a restaurant, but Chen Limin believes that “food is the most important thing for people”, and the more important thing to open a restaurant is to be able to “eat”; the threshold for running a restaurant is not as high as that of high-tech companies, as long as you are willing to learn , If you work hard, you will have a chance to succeed.
“Yi Zhong Fu” won the Bib Gourmand recommendation from the Michelin Guide. Chen Limin said: “I believe in our quality, but I didn’t expect it would come so quickly.” He was surprised and gratified because Chen Limin struggled to maintain business during the epidemic. , insisting on not cooperating with food delivery platforms to prevent food from losing flavor and deteriorating during transportation; it is also because of this dedication to food that Yizhongfu has been recognized by customers and gourmets.
Some customers may think that Chen Limin is putting on a “bad face” when he is angry, but in fact at that time he was probably thinking about how to arrange the ingredients and adjust the dishes. Many of the signature dishes of “Yi Zhong Fu” are seasonal. Chen Limin will adjust the menu according to the season, and combine it with the seasonal vegetables and seafood purchased that day to present the best condition of the dishes. He did not deliberately pursue Michelin recognition, but followed his own requirements for ingredients and taste.
Every dish in the store is designed by Chen Limin and completed after full communication and discussion between him and the chef. Because the restaurant is not large in scale, it requires precise inventory management and ingredient selection. After customers enter, Chen Limin personally takes orders. When faced with customers who don’t understand food, Chen Limin will give straightforward suggestions; however, the result is that the food is rated 5 stars in the evaluation, but the boss’s attitude needs to be improved.
Chen Limin doesn’t feel dissatisfied with this at all, because if a customer orders a table full of Dongpo pork, hoof legs, and pickled pork with pickled vegetables, but there are no vegetables or seafood to go with it, no matter how good the chef’s skills are, he will not be able to eat It will all taste boring. Therefore, when helping guests order dishes, he will provide professional suggestions and even override the guests’ opinions, so that customers can have the best dining experience.
“It’s delicious, beautiful, and expensive” is Chen Limin’s own evaluation of “Yizhongfu”. In fact, it’s up to you to be frugal when dining in this restaurant. When you get together with friends or treat guests, you order some big dishes for the banquet. When you’re dining alone, you order a bowl of affordable beef noodles; you get what you pay for, and the cost of carefully selected ingredients The price is cheap.
On December 20, 2023, Chen Limin commented: “delicious, beautiful, and expensive” dishes. (Xu Manyuan/The Epoch Times)
Repeat customers of “Yi Zhongfu” like the store’s “cold asparagus” the most, because stir-fried asparagus is not easy to taste, but after it is blanched and cold, it is very refreshing when dipped in a dipping sauce made with sesame oil, garlic and coriander; and it only has It is only available in summer. In winter, the asparagus production decreases, so you won’t have the chance to taste it.
Chen Limin was once a winner in life, but he hit rock bottom due to gambling. He went to federal prison for four years for defrauding casinos, but that experience was the best “learning” in Chen Limin’s life. Chen Limin looked back on the amount of reading he read during that period, which was probably more than what many people read in 40 years, because the most indispensable thing in prison life is time.
Chen Limin read many books in prison, the most useful of which was the “Book of Changes”, from which he learned many principles of life and changed many of his ideas about life. Although many people think that the “Book of Changes” is a book used to deduce the future and predict good and bad luck, the “Book of Changes” actually contains the philosophy and cosmology of traditional Chinese culture; Chen Limin realized from it that he must obey the laws of heaven and nature, and live a human life. Only by “holding the original intention and keeping the same” and sticking to the original intention will we gain something.
Chen Limin believes that a chef’s skills are very important, but what is even more important is his “character”; a chef with a gentle temperament, who is not impatient and not impatient, and who makes every meal with care, will naturally be delicious. He also repeatedly emphasized, “If you don’t want to eat it yourself, then don’t serve this dish to the guests.” After opening the store for more than three years, he and his employees have weathered the epidemic together and devoted themselves to work. Although the restaurant is not in a busy area where Chinese people live, “the aroma of wine is not afraid of the deep alleys”. Through word of mouth, it has become a famous restaurant that everyone flocks to. ◇
Editor in charge: Fang Ping
