Waiting for the Delicacy

By Wei Rongchi

Waiting for the Delicacy

By Wei Rongchi

R.J.Guo, a legendary Chinese American pastry chef, made his desserts a household name and the top choice at parties and events for people from many different social classes in just several years. It’s believed that it’s not only the taste that makes Guo’s dessert so popular—but that there is also some unknown secret to his success.

Once at a business gathering, some people asked Guo to share his secret of success. To reply, Guo told a story.

When Guo opened his first pastry shop in Boston, he had a very thriving business. If such a trend continued, he would inevitably develop a chain of stores. One day, when Guo was studying a new type of rice cake dessert, he realized that the rice used for dessert could only be found in China.However, if he left the shop and went to China for the rice, it might affect the business. Finally, he bought a flight back to China and closed the shop for some time.

美国有一位传奇华裔甜点师郭荣锦，他仅仅花了几年时间就让他的甜品闻名美国，成为各阶层人士举办派对庆典的首选。人们认为郭荣锦的甜品如此大热，美味是一方面，除此之外，他一定有不为人知的商业秘诀。

一次聚会中，不少商界人士希望郭荣锦能分享一下他的秘诀，郭荣锦于是讲起了他的一个故事。

几年前，郭荣锦在波士顿开了第一家甜品店，生意十分兴隆，照这个速度下去，很快就能开连锁店了。有一天，郭荣锦在研制新的年糕甜品时，发现制作年糕的米只有在中国才能找到。可问题是，如果他这时去中国寻找食材，好不容易攒起来的门店人气将会直线跌落，生意也会变差。不过，郭荣锦还是毫不犹豫地订了一张飞往中国的机票，并让甜品店暂停营业。

It took him two months to get the raw materials he needed. He got the rice for the dessert after traveling 200 km and arriving at a village in Longji. This town was situated on the rice terraces in Guilin, Guangxi Province.During that trip, he heard that there was delicious and authentic honey in Yunnan. So he took a 3-hour flight, 3-hour ride,and then walked for another three hours to buy pure wild honey for his desserts in a remote village in Ximeng County, Pu’er City, Yunnan.

When he got everything he needed and returned to America, he finally made authentic Chinese rice cake desserts, though a number of customers had left. His clientele was restored a year later.

After this, something surprising happened. In the following years,he would return to China and find materials for months at times, but his business was never affected in the same way as the first time. On the contrary, there would be more customers every time he returned to Boston. What happened?

When Guo prepared the dessert, he put all his efforts in it. The carefully selected raw materials and exquisite craftsmanship received recognition from the customers. The customers do not think it’s a bad thing for Guo to leave the shop, but rather they are happy for his adventure. They knew every time when Guo comes back, there will be some new and tasty dessert. For such quality, they’re willing to wait several months for his delicacies. ◆

(From Chaozhou Daily, April 5, 2017.Translation:Li Li)

这次食材的寻找，花了两个月时间。他绕道两百公里，来到桂林龙脊梯田一个村落，找到了制作年糕的米。同时他又听说云南有更美味、地道的蜂蜜，于是，他又坐三小时飞机、三小时汽车，最后步行三小时，到云南普洱市西盟县的偏远山村，收购到适合制作该年糕甜品的纯野生蜂蜜。

食材找齐回到美国后，他成功地做出了地道的年糕甜品。但此刻甜品店的顾客也流失了不少，直到一年多后才回到最初的客流量。

不过，令人诧异的事情发生了。之后的几年里，他三番五次地花数月时间去国外寻找食材，但他的甜品店生意却再没变差过，反而在郭荣锦每一次回来时还有一段时间小爆发。这是怎么回事呢？

原来，因为郭荣锦把心血灌注到每一份甜品中，食材、做工的精致讲究，让产品得到了顾客的认可。顾客们非但不认为郭荣锦离开几个月有多不好，反而会因为郭荣锦的离开而高兴，因为他们知道，每次郭荣锦回来，一定会制作出口感更佳、前所未有的甜品。所以，人们愿意为了这份精品等待数月。◆

（摘自《潮州日报》2017年4月5日）

愿为精品等待

文/韦荣驰