Huang Qianming, from Zhaotong, Wumeng Mountain, after 20 years of experience in the catering industry, founded his own catering brand "Wumeng Mansion", positioned "Yunnan cuisine Zhaotong flavor", inherited "red memory and reminiscence of Zhaotong", opened up the whole industrial chain, helped Zhaotong mountainous agricultural products to open up sales, brought economic income to the people in mountainous areas, and helped the rural revitalization of Wumeng mountainous areas.
Wumengfu Yunnan Cuisine is a Chinese restaurant Yunnan cuisine brand that has risen in Kunming in recent years, and currently has 5 stores, which are deeply loved by urban consumers and have a good reputation because of its health, deliciousness and moderate price. On the occasion of the opening of a better life in Yunnan in 2024, a few days ago, the reporter interviewed Huang Qianming, the founder of "Wumeng Mansion", to unlock a password for the rapid development of Yunnan cuisine catering brands.
After hardships, he returned from his studies
Born in Zhaotong, Wumeng Mountain, Huang Qianming was influenced by his parents to like to cook since he was a child, especially the taste of his hometown of Zhaotong. As early as 2004, Huang Qianming came to Kunming from his hometown Zhaotong to enter the catering industry, and started his career in the restaurant from grassroots positions such as waiter and kitchen handyman. In 2005, he went to Beijing to learn from the hotel chef Sichuan and Cantonese cuisine, and Yunnan cuisine accounted for 58% of the hotel's food and beverage menu during his time in Beijing, in 2007, he joined Interstate Hotels in Chengdu as a wok supervisor, and in 2010 he returned to Yunnan to work as a head chef in various hotels.
Zhaotong is located at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, where humanities and food culture have flourished since ancient times. Zhaotong cuisine is influenced by Sichuan and Guizhou, and can be sour, spicy or numb. During his tenure as head chef, Huang Qianming developed the Wumeng specialty dish "Yanjin Xuehua River Water Fish": using Yanjin River water fish ingredients, after 36 processes of processing, carefully cooked, the fish meat is fresh and tender, the soup is sour and spicy, and intriguing. This dish came out and was sought after by the majority of consumers and played the fame of Zhaotong cuisine.
Celebrity Worship creates a brand
Yunnan's unique natural environment and diverse and unique ethnic culture have created a unique gastronomic cuisine - Yunnan cuisine. Huang Qianming has loved learning since he was a child, and has always humbly learned from his predecessors on the road of catering industry, coupled with his application of what he has learned, integrating innovation, and constantly launching new products, which are widely welcomed by the public. It is worth mentioning that he studied under Master Yan Chen, a master of Chinese cooking, a master of Yunnan cooking, and a master of State Council allowance. During this period, Huang Qianming felt the deepest that in the face of many honors, Master Yan Chen's original intention remained unchanged, adhered to the spirit of study and practice, pursued the innovation of Yunnan cuisine, and vowed to promote Yunnan cuisine to the world.
"Intensive cultivation, integrity and innovation" is the concept that Huang Qianming has always adhered to. From leaving his hometown at the age of 19 to enter the catering industry, traveling to Kunming, Beijing, Chengdu and other places, from restaurant waiter to star hotel chef, from following the master to learn art, to worshipping famous teachers, after a long period of accumulation and precipitation, Huang Qianming stepped into the fast lane of entrepreneurship, and founded the first Yunnan cuisine Zhaotong characteristic brand store "Wumeng Mansion" in Kunming Union Road in 2019, and set a record of opening 5 brand stores during the 3-year epidemic period. These include Wumeng Mansion Yunnan Cuisine (Guanshang store), Wumeng Mansion Yunnan Mansion (Wanhong store), etc., each store maintains a high revenue.
Integrity and innovation to revitalize the countryside
For thousands of years, natural, green and organic products have nourished the people of Yunnan. 80% of the ingredients in Umeng Province come from the Umeng region, including gastrodia from Zhaotong Xiaocaoba, fish from Zhaotong Yanjin, ham from Xuanwei, artichoke from Huize, ganba from Ludian, local pork from Zhaotong, black truffle and red beef from Huize. Huang Qianming is very strict in the management of ingredients, mainly purchasing famous and high-quality agricultural products in Wumeng Mountain, with the help of the catering industry in Wumeng Province, the whole industry chain is opened, from farmland to table, directly bringing economic income to the local people, helping farmers in Wumeng Mountain to find employment and entrepreneurship, and helping rural revitalization.
Good ingredients are inseparable from exquisite craftsmanship. The cuisine of Wumeng Province is mainly spicy and spicy, and has a 70% similarity with Sichuan cuisine, thanks to the fact that the Wumeng Mountains are located at the junction of Yunnan, Guizhou and Sichuan provinces, and the dishes are relatively rich. "Taste on the tip of the tongue, taste in one step" is the requirement of Wumeng Province for the craftsmanship of the dishes, and the signature specialties such as "Zhaotong Yanjin \ Xuehua River Water Fish" (36 technical processes), stir-fried bacon with tempeh (cooked with aged bacon marinated for 730 days), and green mapo tofu (cooked with green chili peppers ground into juice) have been launched.
Zhaotong Yanjin \ Xuehua River water fish
Inheriting the taste of Zhaotong is the soul of Wumeng Mansion Yunnan cuisine. Wumeng Mansion launched the Zhaotong Childhood Taste Series, focusing on "nostalgia and roots". Huang Qianming introduced that the classic cuisine is crispy sesame baba, which is a snack he ate in his childhood, which is sweet and delicious.
Umeng gravy bibimbap
Green mapo tofu
Crispy poop
Umeng gravy bibimbap, simple food, cooked with heart, the warmth of gravy bibimbap, is also the taste of home. There are also Zhaotong thin soybean flour oil cake, Yanjin spicy chicken, handmade artichoke dumplings, baked Zhaotong gastrodia, Xiaocaoba gastrodia fried shrimp cake, etc., all of which are authentic hometown dishes to meet the complex of homesickness of fellow villagers who are wandering abroad.
Stick to the industry and Yunnan cuisine out of Yunnan
In recent years, Yunnan cuisine has attracted the attention of the world with its unique flavor, cooking skills and cultural heritage. Yunnan cuisine not only represents the food culture and ethnic culture of Yunnan, but also reflects the hospitable national character of the Yunnan people. The "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Catering Industry in Yunnan Province (2021-2025)" was promulgated, proposing to adhere to the development goals of green catering, cultural catering, and healthy catering, and accelerate the international development of Yunnan cuisine.
Huang Qianming, founder of Wumeng Mansion, Wu Changxu, head chef of Guanshang restaurant, Liu Cheng, head chef, and Xu Longyun, executive vice president of Hong Kong Yunnan General Chamber of Commerce, took a photo
Along the way, the recognition and affirmation of customers is an indispensable driving force for Huang Qianming's progress. A customer from Shenzhen highly appreciated Zhaotong food after tasting Zhaotong food in Wumeng Mansion, and strongly invited Huang Qianming to open the store in Shenzhen. Xu Longyun, executive vice president of the Hong Kong Yunnan General Chamber of Commerce, also issued an invitation after tasting the delicacies of Wumeng Mansion, and strongly promoted the opening of Wumeng Mansion to Hong Kong, Macao, China and Singapore.
"In the future, we will continue to open stores in Yunnan to serve the people's livelihood, but also to go out and open stores in foreign countries, and create high-quality Yunnan cuisine under the guidance of green catering, cultural catering, and healthy catering, and go abroad and to the world." Huang Qianming, the founder of Wumeng Mansion, is full of confidence in the future.