The next day was the regular morning meeting time at the store.

Yao Shi, Zhao Meng, and Gu Yunwu were all absent, making the atmosphere in the kitchen particularly relaxed.

Actually, whether the leaders are there or not, everyone still has to work, but psychologically, it feels much more relaxed.

Usually, the morning meetings would end in about half an hour.

But today, the three leaders from the kitchen didn’t return until almost ten.

Although the people in the kitchen didn’t deliberately talk about it, they all had similar thoughts—that most likely, there was some new move to be implemented in the store again.

Sure enough, once the three of them returned, they immediately called everyone in the kitchen together for a small meeting.

They routinely summarized the recent work situation and everyone’s performance in the kitchen.

They also briefly conveyed some of the owner’s arrangements for the next phase in the store. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

Autumn is coming to an end, so the variety of dishes in the store needs to be adjusted accordingly.

Although Yao Shi has always been in control of these things, the people below also need to prepare in advance.

Everything that needed to be said was said.

At the end, just before the meeting adjourned, Yao Shi suddenly said, "It’s almost time for the certification exam again. Think it over carefully when you go back. If you meet the conditions, consider whether you want to take the test."

"Moreover, according to our country’s policies, if you don’t have a unit to attach yourself to, you aren’t eligible to apply, and a title is fundamental for you to establish yourself in the industry in the future. You might not feel it now when you’re young, but in the future, you’ll understand how much your job is impacted by your title."

Qianlima doesn’t have any explicit requirements for the kitchen staff’s chef certification.

However, Yao Shi is right. Getting a title might come in handy someday.

Fu Yu merely went online to carefully check the basic requirements for certification.

He wanted to obtain a junior chef certification.

It requires formal junior vocational training to meet the specified standard hours and obtaining a graduation certificate.

Accumulating one year (inclusive) or more of work experience in this profession or related professions.

Completion of apprenticeship in this profession or a related profession.

Just the second requirement, he didn’t meet.

He had only been officially working at Qianlima for a full month; even if he wanted to obtain the junior chef certification, he would have to wait until this time next year.

In Yao Shi’s meetings, he always sticks to business. Once the matters are discussed, he waves his hand, and everyone disperses to continue with their tasks.

The order volume in the kitchen today wasn’t as much as yesterday, so a few people took turns handling orders, and in between, there was some leisurely break time to stretch, have a smoke, and chat.

The lunch was arranged by Sun Qingning. There weren’t many customers dining in the store today, and there wasn’t any good food to be discarded. In the end, they just made a few home-cooked dishes and used the chicken soup that simmered last night to make a pot of noodles, which everyone found quite delicious.

After eating, everyone dispersed to rest.

Fu Yu went to the bathroom, and when he came out, he happened to bump into Yao Shi.

Fu Yu quickly greeted him, "Chef Yao!"

Yao Shi nodded with a smile, suddenly thinking of something and asked, "Xiaofu, do you plan on taking the junior level exam?"

Fu Yu was taken aback, "Junior? I don’t qualify due to the length of work experience."

Yao Shi smiled, "The length of work experience requires a certification from the affiliated unit, and as long as the age and education match, it can be written however needed."

Fu Yu, quick-witted, understood immediately and said with delight, "I want to take it! Chef Yao, I want to take the junior exam!"

Yao Shi nodded, "Okay, then for this exam, you can directly register online. Later, the store will issue proof for you."

Fu Yu hurriedly asked, "Chef Yao, can I still sign up now?"

While the chef certification is nationally recognized, the exams are organized by provincial human resources and social departments, and not a nationwide standardized exam, without uniform, fixed exam times.

To register for the chef certification, you need to undergo training through a regular training school within the human resource system. The school will collectively apply for the exam, and usually, the exam is conducted after the courses finish, typically every 3 months.

It’s already mid-October, so if he registers now, he would have about two months of preparation time at most.

Every year, Yao Shi arranges for the people in the store to take the exam; however, at Qianlima, since there is no focus on titles, hardly anyone applies.

But over at the music restaurant, Yao Shi places a high emphasis on this aspect, so every year, one or two people apply, and he is very knowledgeable about the exam process.

Yao Shi said, "Just in time, registration at the training school begins this Wednesday. Find some time to go there; you must attend the supplementary class. You definitely can’t save on this money."

The chef exam is uniformly applied through the training school, and the exam times are also uniform across the province, with arrangements starting right after the courses are finished.

Attempting to bypass the training school and directly participate in the exam is simply not an option.

Fu Yu nodded, "Alright, Chef Yao, then I’ll take a day off the day after tomorrow."

Yao Shi glanced at Fu Yu, thoughtfully saying, "Xiaofu, the junior exam isn’t particularly difficult. You won’t have any issues with the skills assessment; it’s just the theoretical knowledge part that you might need to spend some time preparing for."

In the past, if Fu Yu heard that he still needed to study theory, he would probably have backed out immediately.

But now, after thousands of trials in teaching practice classrooms, just memorizing some theoretical knowledge, he feels that as long as he puts in the effort, it shouldn’t be a problem.

Spending more would be wasteful, spending less insufficient; he just needs to barely pass the exam in the end.

Fu Yu didn’t have particularly high expectations for himself.

"But once you’re in the training class, I guess the teachers will guide you through the likely exam questions."

The theoretical knowledge component of the junior exam doesn’t account for much, as the chef profession primarily focuses on skill assessment.

Speaking of which, Yao Shi suddenly changed the topic and asked, "Xiaofu, have you heard that the store is preparing to recruit new people?"

Fu Yu nodded, "I’ve heard."

Yao Shi said, "When the time comes, you might have quite a bit to do."

Fu Yu was puzzled, "Chef Yao, what do you mean?"

Yao Shi smiled, "Oh, it’s nothing. This time, the kitchen is preparing to hire a few newcomers, including four graduates from a culinary school and two experienced hands."

"Chef Zhao’s hand hasn’t fully recovered, so he obviously can’t lead people in work. There are enough staff at Chef Gu’s side right now, so I plan to assign one of the experienced ones to you and the other to Chef Gu. When the time comes, let them assist you and get familiar with the environment first."

"The culinary school is planning to send the graduates over for interviews this Friday, and I’ve also scheduled those two experienced ones. When the time comes, you can check with Chef Gu to see if any of them are suitable. After all, once they’re hired, they’ll be working alongside you, so at least pick someone you find acceptable."