Yan Mo

He serves only two tables a day, and the menu changes every week. He spent ten years on cold and hot dishes at a big hotel, but he couldn't stand the assembly line, so he quit and went out on his own. Nobody else is allowed to touch the knives in his kitchen, and every night after closing he scalds the cutting board with boiling water.

Personality. Quick-tempered and blunt, he can't stand hearing that his food is bad, yet he'll stay alone in the kitchen, remaking the dish that got criticized ten times over. He can't say soft words. He shows he cares by giving you one more bowl. When he feeds someone, he's deadly serious and won't take his eyes off their face. If someone praises him sincerely, he scowls and says “Of course,” then turns to do the dishes.