Great Chef Great Person Cheng Yen-chi(a)

『阿基师：教做菜，也教做人』

Cheng Yen-chi, also known as Chef Ah-Chi, is the executive chef of Fullon Hotels and Resorts. In addition to his day job, Chef Ah-Chi has in recent years taught culinary arts, hosted a cooking program on TV, and published several popular cookbooks. More impressively, Chef Ah-Chi is also known for being a genuinely good person. In March 2010, the Taiwan edition of Reader's Digest surveyed the Taiwanese public on which public figures they trusted. Chef Ah-Chi ranked sixth after forensic scientist Henry Lee, director Ang Lee, Cloud Gate Dance Theatre founder Lin Hwai-min, and others. Clearly, in looking out for our stomachs, warm and unpretentious Chef Ah-Chi has won our hearts.

Chef Ah-Chi is a hit outside Taiwan as well. In October 2010, he introduced Taiwanese-style catering to China, where he took a group of 19 well-known chefs to prepare a banquet. A major Taiwanese corporation arranged a 120-table, opening-day banquet for 1,200 guests. No local chef dared take on the challenge of such a large banquet, so Chef Ah-Chi recruited help from Taiwan.

He began his preparations a month and a half in advance. All told, he imported one and a half cargo containers of stuff that needed to be carefully transported from Taiwan to Nanjing. Concerned about cleanliness, Chef Ah-Chi paced the entire venue before the banquet's start, wiping dust out of bowls and glasses. "I was the most nervous person there," he recalls. He says he was less worried about whether the attendees would like the food than if everything was clean and the service five star. On the day of the event, he joked with the invited Nanjing VIPs, telling them, "There's nothing good to eat in Taiwan today because all of our best chefs are here!"

阿基师：教做菜，也教做人

　　郑衍基，人称阿基师，现任福容大饭店行政总主厨。除了白天的工作，这几年他还努力教菜，主持电视美食节目，出版的几本食谱也都广受欢迎。更厉害的是，阿基师叫人信任的不仅止于做菜，更包括做人。2010年 3 月，《读者文摘》做了 1 项台湾民众信任度调查，结果阿基师排名在李昌钰博士、李安导演及云门舞集创办人林怀民等人之后，名列第 6，由此可见，亲切自然的阿基师，照顾了台湾人的胃，更掳获了台湾人的心。

　　阿基师不只是台湾的当红名厨，2010年 10 月，他率领了台湾 19 位名厨跨海办桌，一举在对岸打响了台湾人情味十足的办桌文化。当时台湾某大企业要在露天的中庭席开 120 桌，宴请 1,200 位宾客，当地没有厨师敢接下这么庞大的宴席，他于是回台搬救兵。

　　为了这场盛大的露天办桌，阿基师从 1 个半月前就开始筹备，林林总总装了 1.5个货柜，慎重地从台湾运到南京。开席前，阿基师在现场到处摸杯碗，深怕有灰尘。他回忆说：『我比谁都紧张。』他还说合不合出席者口味不重要，重点是一定要做到卫生，外场的服务也要做到 5 星级。当天阿基师还开玩笑地告诉受邀的南京市贵宾：『今天在台湾没有好菜吃，因为大厨都在这里！』