Chef at the University Canteen-Chapter 495 - 278: How About Bringing Her In as the Boss’s Secretary? (Part 2)

Lu Shuwu heard this and couldn’t help but show a trace of difficulty on his face: "Well, that’s hard for us to judge!"

"Isn’t that simple?"

Jiang Yu chuckled, leaned forward, sifted through the selected resumes, glanced at one, then handed it to Lu Shuwu, saying with a smile,

"Like this one, 24 years old, senior chef, undergraduate degree in culinary arts from Guangling University School of Culinary Arts, apprenticed under Huaxia Cooking Master and Huaiyang Cuisine expert Wu Wendao, and Sichuan Cuisine expert Kong Zhongyue, skilled in Huaiyang Cuisine and Sichuan Cuisine...

Just from the resume alone, you can see that this person is highly capable—why would he be willing to stay in a university cafeteria as a chef for long?

So, if he applies for the chef position at the Seventh Dining Hall, chances are he’s just looking to see if he can improve his skills here; but regardless of whether he can learn anything, I bet he won’t stay here long."

"..."

Lu Shuwu listened to Jiang Yu read the resume and was already wide-eyed with amazement, saying in disbelief,

"Holy moly! That’s Guangling University School of Culinary Arts, it’s a top-tier school, better than the university I attended!

The Huaxia ’Chinese Culinary Prosperity Base’ is located in this academy, and it’s the only institution in the country that offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral degrees in culinary arts, representing the highest teaching and research standards in the field.

Students from this academy, as long as they don’t slack off during their studies or skip classes frequently, have very bright prospects after graduation and won’t have trouble finding jobs."

After pausing for a moment, he added,

"Like the resume you just read, the two mentors he has are impressive enough. If he’s really coming to apply at our Seventh Dining Hall, he definitely won’t stay for long."

"That’s exactly what I mean."

Jiang Yu laughed, shook his head, and said,

"Such an obviously promising talent, our small place at the Seventh Dining Hall can’t contain him, it’s best not to let him come."

"Speaking of talents, no one can match you, boss."

Hearing Jiang Yu’s self-effacing comment, Lu Shuwu immediately disagreed. He glanced at Jiang Yu oddly and said with a laugh,

"Our Seventh Dining Hall doesn’t just have you, boss, but there’s also Lao Jia. With both of you titans here, what is a mere few years out of college senior chef?

It’s just that our Seventh Dining Hall is a student cafeteria, not a vocational training center, so we can’t accommodate those who come only to learn and gain experience."

The two chatted more, and after roughly determining the criteria for the second round of screening, it was already nearly past four o’clock.

Jiang Yu drank the tea in his cup, washed the cup, and put it back in the cupboard before heading back to the second floor to start preparing dinner.

As for Lu Shuwu, he certainly wasn’t idle; he had much more to do than Jiang Yu.

...

A few days later, the deadline for "Jiang University Seventh Dining Hall chef recruitment" had passed, and Hua Xiaoling printed and delivered the second batch of application resumes to the Seventh Dining Hall.

This batch of resumes was even larger than the last. Jiang Yu, Lu Shuwu, and Lao Jia spent the better part of an afternoon to go through them and selected more than thirty resumes.

A day later, the three began the second round of screening.

Jiang Yu and Lu Shuwu had already discussed the screening criteria, but Lao Jia proposed a new suggestion:

"I think we shouldn’t overlook those relatively less skilled junior and mid-level chefs. These people, though their culinary skills are somewhat lacking, if truly nurtured, can become foundational pillars of the cafeteria.

Especially those who don’t come from affluent backgrounds; because of their lower levels, finding jobs isn’t easy for them. Helping them now is akin to providing timely help.

These days, whether it’s recruitment or anything else, ability comes second to character."

His words came from a place of experience.

In Lao Jia’s generation, culinary learning was mostly through apprenticeship and mentorship, emphasizing the relationship between master and disciple.

This master-disciple relationship was vastly different from the current teacher-student relationship.

It truly was "one day as a teacher, lifelong as a father," with emotions deeply akin to biological father and son.

Just like Lu Shuwu’s grandfather Lu Jinseng, his restaurant kitchen was filled with his own disciples, and the same was true for Lao Jia’s family restaurant.

Even if a disciple ventured out independently, they would never dare to oppose their master; otherwise, they’d be branded as "treacherous disciples," scorned by the entire culinary circle.

So, in Lao Jia’s view, since we’re recruiting chefs, if we encounter talented individuals with excellent character, it would be better to mentor them, giving reassurance to use them after training them yourself.

Although this concept may seem old-fashioned, it still offers a perspective; thus, Jiang Yu and Lu Shuwu didn’t object.

If they truly encountered someone with good potential and character, mentoring wouldn’t be a problem. But the most pressing matter now is to hire chefs who can be immediately useful upon arrival.

Because at the moment, the Seventh Dining Hall severely lacks staff, and by September with the new semester and incoming freshmen, they’re sure to be overwhelmed.

They simply can’t afford to wait for apprentices to gradually mature.

After spending another afternoon, the three of them painstakingly picked out 10 resumes from over 60 initial selections.