Although he was also a qualified foodie, he still didn’t have the ability to distinguish the ranks of chefs. This fragrant rice wine pork was done very well, definitely the work of a top-level chef, but whether it was a “Special Grade One” chef was hard to say.

Looking across the whole country, how many true Special Grade One chefs are there? Those are the kind of people who frequent Zhongnanhai, state guesthouses, and the Great Hall of the People—would they come to a mid-range restaurant in a second-tier city? Not even “One Thousand and One Nights” is that fantastical, right?

“Heh, Little Grace, you just don’t get it. This fragrant rice wine pork may look simple, but it actually tests the chef’s knife skills and control of heat the most. Look at these slices of meat—each one is five centimeters long, three centimeters wide, and three millimeters thick, all perfectly uniform; and look at the color of the meat, each slice is jade-like, just cooked through, but not so overheated that the slices curl up…”

After maxing out his secondary profession in culinary arts, William Carter had officially transformed from a foodie into a top-level gourmet connoisseur. If the food channel invited him to be a judge now, it would be well-deserved.

Moreover, the system had already determined that the person who made this dish was equivalent to an eighth-level chef, which corresponds to a Special Grade One chef in real life. This meant that William Carter, a ninth-level grandmaster chef, had already surpassed the level of Special Grade One chefs.

“And this rice wine mash is made from red glutinous rice. As the saying goes, the best glutinous rice in the world comes from Sanyang—Liyang, Sheyang, and Danyang. Among them, Danyang’s is the best. If I’m not mistaken, the red glutinous rice used for this mash should be the first batch of ‘Danding Glutinous’ harvested in Danyang last autumn. It’s truly the king of glutinous rice, the best in the world!”

William Carter spoke eloquently, saliva flying, leaving Grace Bennett staring blankly, unable to even voice a doubt, her face full of the expression “I don’t really get it, but it sounds awesome.”

At this moment, William Carter already had the air of an expert, very good at impressing people.

“Eh? I didn’t expect that in a small place like Chudu, there would be such a discerning gourmet? Young man, you’re quite something. My fragrant rice wine pork wasn’t wasted after all…”

“What, this dish was made by you, sir?”

William Carter turned around and saw an elderly man standing behind him, about sixty years old, with white hair and beard, wearing a blue cloth shirt and black cloth shoes, looking very energetic.

“That’s right, I made it. I came home to visit relatives this time, and when I saw the younger generation’s restaurant, I got a bit itchy and made this dish. I thought the customers would all be people who don’t appreciate fine food, but I didn’t expect to meet a kindred spirit like you, young friend. It’s truly delightful…”

The old man was quite friendly, talking as he sat down next to William Carter, sizing him up: “Young friend, are you also in the trade?”

He was no ordinary person—an elder and living legend of Jing cuisine, and one of the few Special Grade One chefs in the country. Normally, for ordinary people to taste his cooking would be like the Earth God gazing up at the Queen Mother’s peaches—almost impossible.

This time, he came to Chudu to visit a few old friends and to help out some younger relatives. The old man had no children or spouse; a few nephews and nieces from his family were his only kin. Coincidentally, one of his nephews was the owner of this very restaurant. The old man, feeling a surge of interest, wanted to help his nephew’s reputation, so he set aside his status and taught the chef this fragrant rice wine pork. However, the dish William Carter ate happened to be made by the old man himself.

But after making a few dishes, the old man started to regret it. As the saying goes, Boya broke his zither because true friends are hard to find. For someone of his status, cooking for customers in this little restaurant who didn’t appreciate it was a bit frustrating, so he stopped and went out for a stroll—only to overhear William Carter’s comments.

“Heh, sir, you’re mistaken. I’m just a foodie, I don’t know how to cook at all.”

William Carter shook his head and smiled. Judging by the old man’s demeanor, he was definitely a respected figure in the trade. If he revealed his true skills, he’d definitely attract trouble. No, he had to keep a low profile.

“Oh?”

The old man looked at William Carter, a bit skeptical. Not to mention anything else, just William Carter’s earlier commentary didn’t sound like something an ordinary foodie could say.

“Sir, surprised? Heh, to tell you the truth, my buddy’s ancestors actually cooked imperial meals for Empress Dowager Cixi. Although it was because that old hag Cixi was touring and didn’t bring her own chef, it still shows how impressive my buddy’s ancestors were…”

Grace Bennett, seeing the old man sit down and talk only to William Carter, ignoring her completely, felt a bit unbalanced and deliberately brought this up to impress the old man.

“So it’s a family tradition—no wonder…”

The old man couldn’t help but look at William Carter a few more times: “I am Henry Collins. Meeting you here in Chudu is fate. Let’s exchange contact information. If you ever come to the capital, you can get in touch with me.”

As he spoke, he took out a business card and handed it to William Carter, completely ignoring the eager Grace Bennett.

“I thought so—so you’re from the capital… Wait, Henry Collins, Jack Collins!”

Seeing the name on the card, William Carter was shocked. As a foodie from a family of foodies, if he didn’t know about the legendary Jing cuisine master Jack Collins, he’d have lived in vain.