Chapter 449: Shengzai, lagging behind in the buffet assessment

"Hmph, if the assessment is in the form of a buffet, it means a significant amount of food must be prepared. This isn't just a competition of cooking; it's also a massive drain on the chef's own physical stamina.

Shengzai and I have been helping out at our family's restaurant since we were kids, so we've long since adapted to this high-intensity work. I just don't know if you, Young Lady Erina, can hold up."

That's right. If the service targets were ordinary customers, their demands certainly wouldn't be as high as those of the Ten Masters graduates acting as instructors.

But this assessment also has a difficult point: preparing a sufficient portion of food in a short time to provide for a large number of guests is not a simple matter.

Although Dojima Gin gave everyone enough time to test dishes and prepare ingredients, once the assessment officially begins, many people will still be flustered when suddenly facing a large number of guests.

However, Erina didn't care about this at all. Unlike most Totsuki students, she didn't rely solely on innate talent to become the youngest of the Ten Masters; she had never slacked off on her acquired efforts either.

Although as a woman, her physical strength might not be as great as Shengzai's or Yukihira Soma's, it was more than enough to handle this assessment.

Even after being provoked by Yukihira Soma, Erina retorted, "Come to think of it, both of your families do run restaurants, but aren't those just mass-market eateries?

The Totsuki Resort is a high-end hotel. You aren't planning to treat guests with dishes like egg fried rice or rolled omelets, are you?"

Erina's words left Yukihira Soma speechless, as he hadn't considered this issue before.

Since this assessment is being conducted in the form of a buffet, it means the other Totsuki students in the venue are all each other's competitors.

The resort's guests are limited, and there's only so much each person can eat. Once a guest's stomach is full, even if your dish is excellent, they probably won't give it a second look.

This means that this final assessment is no longer just about the taste of the food; it must also be attractive enough in terms of innovation and presentation to lure the guests.

In fact, it is precisely for this reason that Erina is so confident this time.

Admittedly, Shengzai's culinary level is very strong, but egg dishes like "Three-Not-Sticking" take too much time to prepare and are simply not suitable for such a buffet assessment.

At the same time, how could the Chinese cuisine Shengzai excels at, or the commoner cuisine of Yukihira Soma, compare to the dishes Erina meticulously prepares when it comes to presentation alone?

Looking at the silent Shengzai and Yukihira Soma, Erina soon left with her head held high, like a proud white swan.

After pondering for a while, Yukihira Soma bid farewell to Shengzai and hurriedly turned to leave to test the dishes he had thought of.

It wasn't just Erina; in this final assessment, Yukihira Soma, Takumi, and even Nakiri Alice, who had been there before, all regarded Shengzai as a potential opponent.

Everyone is a first-year student and is called a culinary genius; they are all proud and arrogant, so how could they be willing to be inferior to others?

Shengzai had originally intended to just whip up some "Golden Egg Fried Rice," but seeing the high-spirited Erina and Yukihira Soma, his long-dormant competitive spirit was stirred, and he slowly walked away to prepare his ingredients.

At 6:00 AM the next day, a large number of guests swarmed into the venue. Because there were hundreds of Totsuki students taking the assessment, the number of guests invited by Dojima Gin was unexpectedly high.

The invited guests included not only the original guests of the Totsuki Resort but also resort staff and their relatives, Totsuki's ingredient suppliers, and many celebrities from the culinary world.

As a massive crowd poured into the venue, many well-prepared Totsuki students began their respective cooking processes at their own stations.

Men and women, young and old, people from all walks of life were the judges in the venue. The Totsuki students undergoing the assessment were required to make 200 portions of food within two hours and allow the guests to experience the novelty of the dishes.

In other words, even if you made two hundred portions within the allotted time, it wouldn't work if they were just ordinary dishes without novelty.

It was precisely because of this additional rule that many Totsuki students who had originally planned to make cake dishes were suddenly flustered.

When it comes to egg dishes, the easiest to make while still reaching a certain level are undoubtedly cakes, egg tarts, and similar items.

But Dojima Gin's additional condition had directly locked their path.

Of course, facing this assessment that was extremely close to actual combat, not everyone was flustered; some Totsuki students were quite in their element.

Among these people, the standouts were Takumi's "Italian Salad Omelet," Tian Suohui's "One-Bite Oden," Roumei's "Beef and Egg Rice Bowl," and Alice's "Egg Set Meal," which looked simple but was full of novelty.

However, among all the Totsuki students in the venue, the one with the most guests gathered in front of her cooking station was undoubtedly Nakiri Erina.

There was no help for it; with titles like "Youngest of the Ten Masters" and "God's Tongue," many culinary celebrities invited by Totsuki recognized Erina, so they came to her station first.

However, the reason for the long line at Erina's station, besides her own fame, was that the "Eggs Benedict" she made was indeed one of the best dishes in the entire venue.

Placing a poached egg and bacon on a pancake and drizzling it with tangy Hollandaise sauce, the dish itself looked as exquisite as a dazzling gem, giving people the feeling that it was very expensive.

Buffet audiences generally have two major characteristics: "herd mentality" and "picking the expensive stuff to eat."

With so much food at the venue, it's unrealistic to try everything, so choosing what everyone thinks is good is never wrong.

Similarly, since it's a buffet, to avoid losing money, one naturally chooses the most expensive-looking items to eat.

Erina grasped these two human weaknesses of the guests very well, so at this moment, her station had the most guests gathered.

Looking at the long line in front of her station, Erina turned her head to look at the stations of Shengzai and Yukihira Soma not far away, and a triumphant smile immediately appeared on her face.

The dish Yukihira Soma made was "Omelet Soufflé." Although the taste was good, because the presentation was no different from an ordinary soufflé, the guests at the venue didn't seem to buy it.

As for the dish Shengzai made, it was "Three-Egg Shumai."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 450 =====