Lai Qingsong opened a restaurant to make eating rice popular! "Sui Sui read" the opening of the deep trench in Ilan, "must rice" eat spike happiness

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Some people open restaurants to spread their enthusiasm for food, others to share their proud craftsmanship, and of course, many people open restaurants to make a living, fulfill their dream of becoming a boss, or pass on family memories.

Lai Qingsong opened the restaurant for "none of the above". He said, "I open the restaurant to teach people to eat more rice!"

Shengou's new restaurant "Sui Sui Nien" is a platform for dialogue between farmers and farmers, and it also lights up a lamp for the countryside. (photo / Yang Yuyun) Gu Dong bought rice but didn't know how to cook it, but opened the "Meihong Kitchen" but closed down due to busy farming.

Since the establishment of Gudong Club in 2004, Lai Qingsong has become the spokesman of friendly farming. He not only affected the ecology of Taiwan's agriculture, but also made many people turn their lives and lead a life of half agriculture and half X. Over the past ten years, nearly 100 Gudong have walked side by side with him on the road of rural rejuvenation.

However, Lai Ching-song gradually found that many young people with the idea of Yi Gudong did not start a partnership, or bought green pine rice but did not know how to take care of it, leading to a threshold for "supporting farmers." "I might as well open a restaurant and cook it for them." This is the origin of ── 's first restaurant with his wife Zhu Meihong in Meihong Kitchen.

However, although Zhu Meihong likes to cook and has proud craftsmanship, she subjectively has no intention to open a restaurant, just to support her husband's dream and idea as always. After the restaurant opened, however, because the owner was busy, he went out of business every three days and was tied up by a shop, which also made Zhu Meihong unable to be free. two and a half years later, the couple had to stop temporarily.

Take the restaurant as the "food-farmer dialogue" platform to find the missing jigsaw puzzle

Citing the ups and downs of Meihong Kitchen, Lai Ching-song recalls his observations along the way. He says that since 2000, many small farmers and young farmers have indeed entered agriculture, and they have also enhanced the value of their crops through brand packaging and story marketing. However, these seasonal and local ingredients are farther and farther away from the table of consumers because of the change of eating habits.

"in order for raw materials to cause sparks on the dinner table, we cannot rely on the unilateral efforts of farmers. We must establish a platform for dialogue between 'food' and 'farmers'." Lai Qingsong said.

What is valuable is that the two-and-a-half-year Meihong Kitchen has established a circulation system for small farmers to supply the restaurant directly. Lai Qingsong can see clearly that when chefs enter the region, they will have a better chance to give full play to the nature of their crops, and they will also be more sensitive to seasons and habitats. This is not only a challenge for chefs, but also an opportunity for growth. On the other hand, because of this supply chain, small farmers can communicate with chefs about the quality of their crops and promote the motivation of ploughing and growing good vegetables. This is what he calls "food farmers' dialogue."

At the same time, Lai Qingsong also understands that although Shengou is a community gathered by new farmers with a lot of energy, there is a lack of restaurants that allow tourists to sit down and enjoy local ingredients, or storefronts that can immediately pay for agricultural products. not to mention the space to listen to the story of the deep ditch.

"when tourists saw us harvesting, they asked if they could buy rice. We have to ask them to order online. " Or "when we see the vegetables and fruits we use for activities and want to buy them home, we can't meet their needs." After the closing of Meihong Kitchen, there are numerous cases like this, and the idea of "our ideal is missing a jigsaw puzzle" is becoming more and more clear.

With the log as the tone, the interior of "Sui Sui Nian" presents a rustic atmosphere in the countryside. (photography / Yang Yuyun) from advertising masters to private chefs in Ilan, Shi Faran builds a relationship with small farmers

Lai Qingsong finally waited for the predestined person to put together the jigsaw puzzle, that is, chef Shi Faran.

He studied sightseeing and catering at school, but he fell into the advertising industry. Shi Faran once served as vice president of international 4A advertising, lecturer of business management consultant, and website COO. In 2008, he went to work in China and decided to go back to Taiwan because of his child's education. But before returning home, she made a later decision that she was grateful for: an apprenticeship at Michelin Restaurant.

At that time, Shanghai was hosting the World Expo, and the French Michelin 3-star restaurant Bocuse opened a pop-up shop in the Expo site. Sfaran paid to become an apprentice in the store, working and studying. In addition to authentic French cuisine, "the most important thing the chef taught me was the skill of 'creative cuisine'." The chef is a real cook only if he can make use of local ingredients, so the chef asks Shifran to use the ingredients that can be found in Shanghai to interpret the classic oriental taste of French style.

After returning to Taiwan with this ability, Shifran opened a "look for a private kitchen" at her own house in Taipei and began her career of creating free cooking with ingredients for small farmers.

In 2017, Shi Falan was commissioned by the publishing house to conduct an interview with small farmers in Taiwan. introduced by an interviewee in Ilan, she took part in a summer trip at the Gudong Club that year and met Lai Qingsong and Zhu Meihong. Later, she set up a group of "Yan Su but not serious chefs" with Zhu Meihong to pick one food every month for "study." in this way, she has a deeper and deeper relationship with Ilan and small farmers.

"as soon as I get out of the snow tunnel, I feel better." Sfaran said. The chefs in Ilan are very happy. There are mountains, seas and plains, so there is a high diversity of ingredients. Envious for a long time, she simply got up and took action. Later, she moved "looking for a private kitchen" to Ilan and became a member of this beautiful town.

With Qifeng cake as an example, "Sui Sui Nian" has a good karma.

Using the purple rice provided by Lai Qingsong, Sfaran launched the "Purple Rice Qi style Cake" in her private kitchen, which was so popular that many diners asked if it could be eaten at any time. About two months ago, Sfaran talked to Lai Qingsong about this. He thought that his brother's house in Shengou was going to rent, so he blurted out, "would you like to open a shop together?"

For Lai Ching-song, opening a restaurant is to find a "missing piece of the jigsaw puzzle," not to compete with the existing market. Shifran believes that with each other's existing connections and abilities, they will certainly be able to spark in the deep ditch. Adopting the shop name suggested by her other half Zheng Cup and her daughter Xiaoyu, appointing local teams to decorate, intensively designing menus and trial dishes, and establishing relationships with small farmers, "Sui Sui Nien" started trial operation in November and will officially open in December. Welcome.

Sui Sui started from promoting rice food. Lai Qingsong and Shi Faran invited everyone to eat more rice. (photo / Yang Yuyun) cooperate with local farmers to show the local charm of the season.

Although it is an ideal "jigsaw puzzle", "Sui Sui Nian" is after all a restaurant, the concept and responsibility can only be the background, and the food must be served before the guests will pay the bill. Since it is based on the premise of "asking everyone to eat rice", the dishes absolutely have to be "served". At the same time, we should consider not only the matching of soup, but also the display of local ingredients. Shifran is self-sufficient, and there is a lot of pressure on his shoulders.

Taking the menu in the trial operation phase as an example, Sfaran says that it is impossible for local farmers to provide the same ingredients as suppliers order, so in addition to keeping up with the season, the dishes can be easily changed in the absence of certain ingredients. For example, stewed vegetables with stewed pork ribs in Yilan in autumn and winter are paired with black-haired pigs in Ilan. Apart from naming the origin of the ingredients, white radish is Chen A public, corn bamboo shoots are co-cultivated, and in case yam is out of stock, then replace it with cassava. The menu design of "accept all rivers" style makes the cooperation between small farmers and restaurants run smoothly.

In addition, many high-quality ingredients become NG products only because of their poor appearance, which is a great pity. Sfaran beat them all into vegetable soup, which is based on white cauliflower and does not need to be thickened at all, so that everyone can eat healthier and more environmentally friendly.