Reborn in Japan as a Chef God
Chapter 238 - 237: Plan Regarding Reputation

Chapter 238: Chapter 237: Plan Regarding Reputation

It was an exclusive interview, not just a regular one.

Xia Yu couldn’t help but take a deep breath upon hearing this.

Taste Weekly was the most influential magazine in the Neon Food World.

Moreover, each issue featured only one chef for an exclusive interview, which included not just a large cover feature but also a full column of introduction and interview content.

Looking back at the past cover figures, aside from Super Chefs, it seemed that no one under a Nine-star Chef had been the subject of an exclusive interview, as each had the clout to call the shots in the Neon Food World.

Xia Yu knew that after the interview, his name would echo throughout the Neon Food World.

Fame, wealth, an endless stream.

More importantly, overnight, he would gain an immeasurable amount of Fame Points.

Dubian Yuuki, not getting a response, felt a thump in her heart.

"Chef Xia, do you disagree?" she asked, her voice tense.

"It’s not that I disagree."

Xia Yu scratched his face and said, "Personally, I’m ready, but my shop and the place where I live are not."

Dubian Yuuki blinked, "What?"

"Come with me—"

Xia Yu left his seat, guiding Dubian Yuuki out of the shop and into the middle of the shopping street. He first pointed to Xia’s shop in front of them and then swept his arm across the dilapidated street.

Dubian Yuuki understood.

"We can omit the information about the shop and this shopping street..." Dubian Yuuki said.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yu smiled and shook his head.

"If that’s the case, Miss Dubian, do you think that apart from my personal reputation, I would gain anything substantial from accepting an exclusive interview with Taste Weekly?" Xia Yu nearly spelled it out.

Doing the interview was a mutually beneficial arrangement.

Taste Weekly would get what they wanted, and Xia Yu, in turn, needed to secure what he required.

Reputation was just on the surface.

At its core, it was all about "benefit"!

As his Chef status rose, Xia’s shop and even the whole shopping street would become known and remembered, and hordes of foodies would rush into the old street as if mad.

But at present, Xia’s shop was too small, and the old shopping street was in a state of breaking down before rebuilding, with Xia Yu having a plan in mind to transform both.

The interview should wait until after his plan was put into action.

Making good use of the heat from the Taste Weekly exclusive interview to set both Xia’s shop and the entire street ablaze was Xia Yu’s ambition!

"So, how long would that be?"

Dubian Yuuki followed Xia Yu back inside the shop.

"At least a month, at most three to six months," said Xia Yu.

"Ah!"

Dubian Yuuki’s face showed deep disappointment.

Yet Xia Yu suddenly changed the subject, "However, I can give you my recipe to publish first."

"Recipes?"

"Yes, Special Grade recipes that have never been published before, brand new and incorporating the latest ingredient ’Shuangjiang Tofu’..."

"What did you say?!!"

At those words, Dubian Yuuki was visibly shaken and leaped to her feet, unable to sit still any longer.

Of course, she knew what ’Shuangjiang Tofu’ meant, and she knew what the newest Special Grade recipe incorporating Fantasy Ingredients represented.

Innovation!

And it was an innovation that could shake the culinary world!

Her breath was suddenly feverish.

Dubian Yuuki promptly put aside the report about the youngest Super Chef and thought instead about the impact on Taste Weekly after publishing a recipe that integrated ’Shuangjiang Tofu’...

He paced around the shop, feeling more and more thrilled.

This kind of recipe would likely not only grab the attention of Neon’s food world, but also that of the mysterious Chinese Land, and the entire global culinary scene, which would turn their eyes toward the island country of the Far East.

"Taste Weekly" would also break national boundaries and spread its influence all over the world.

He took a deep breath.

Dubian Yuuki returned to Xia Yu’s front, gazing at him intently and said with a complex tone, "Chef Xia, I want to know why you are willing to publish your own recipes, especially a Special Grade Recipe..."

The value of a Special Grade Recipe was self-evident—it was the secret weapon of a chef, something that was not supposed to be shared selflessly with the culinary world.

But Xia Yu dared to publish because he had confidence.

The essence of "Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu" had evolved beyond the original "six flavors as one," becoming "seven flavors as one." The true secret in constructing the seventh flavor lay in the use of "Bursting Flame" and "Spice Inequality."

In other words, "Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu" was his own recipe, with an irreplicability that other chefs would find difficult to replicate even if they knew the recipe.

As for minor alterations, now that the recipe was out, Xia Yu did not mind.

Publishing the recipe was simply a means of snatching some Fame Points.

And, incidentally, for promotional hype.

After all, in Xia Yu’s plan, the future VIP dining section would inevitably sell glowing dishes, which was a perfect advertising opportunity. Keeping the recipe to himself was of no benefit; capitalizing on the fresh popularity of "Shuangjiang Tofu" and building a reputation with the recipe was the right approach.

Personal advertising and recipe publicity were symbiotic.

"Miss Dubian, come back in a month. No matter what the condition of the shop and the shopping street, I’ll hand the recipe over to you—how you publish it will be up to your arrangement..."

After sending Dubian Yuuki out of the shop, Xia Yu stood at the door and said,

"Also, keep in touch!"

Before getting in the car, Dubian Yuuki turned back and bowed again, with a look of satisfaction and regret in her eyes, "Then I’ll take my leave."

Back in the shop.

He bumped into the unexpectedly present Liangzi Lina.

"Have you decided?" Liangzi Lina asked, "Just going to publish the recipe like that?"

"Of course!"

Xia Yu sat down, "Miss Liangzi, didn’t you want to taste my ’Shuangjiang Magical Mapo Tofu’ again? Have someone send over some ’Shuangjiang Tofu’ and Big Tuna Belly Soybeans, I’ll make it for you right away!"

Liangzi Lina immediately made a phone call.

It was Sunday today, and Xia Yu opened the Line app to send a message to An Yilun who was online.

Ding, ding.

The other side replied immediately:

"Boss, have you returned?"

"Yes, post an announcement on the homepage that we will be open for regular business tomorrow. I’ll send you the menu tonight. Also, Mr. An Yi, do you want to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Can I?" came an excited emoji from the other side.

"Bring all your friends!"

After closing the chat window, Xia Yu proceeded to find a phone number in his contacts and dialed it.

"Hello, Miss Feng Zhixi, can you come to my shop now?"

"Tomorrow? Okay."

Xia Yu felt he couldn’t rest for even a moment upon his return.

The shadow of the "Gourmet Assembly" was hard to dispel.

If there was another culinary showdown, he’d ensure to completely crush those guys all at once.

What he didn’t know was that on this very day, Lancelot—who had been defeated by him—was personally at Tokyo Haneda International Airport, receiving two Super Chefs who had crossed the Pacific Ocean from the United States.

"Mr. Smith!"

"Chef Cao!"

At the terminal, Lancelot bowed to the two Super Chefs.

One was a blond middle-aged man with a hawk nose and a brooding countenance that exuded an aura of negativity.

The other had black crew-cut hair, thick eyebrows and large eyes, a square face – surprisingly, a Chinese Super Chef.