September

If Yan Can Cook, So Can You!

“Yan Can Cook, So Can You!” has always been the motto of Martin Yan, chef extraordinaire and popular television host recognized from Shanghai to San Francisco. Promoting Chinese cuisine, making it easy for the cook and tasty for the guests has been his life- long mission. Born in Guangzhou in Southern China, Chef Yan is technically a second generation ‘culinarian,’ who was first inspired by his mother in the tiny kitchen of their family restaurant. After receiving his formal restaurant training in Hong Kong, Chef Yan immigrated to Calgary, Canada where on one snowy day he was asked to appear in a daytime news program to demonstrate Chinese cooking. The rest, as they say, was television history. From that small station in Canada, the Yan Can Cook Show grew to become one of the most popular cooking programs on public television, both in North America and on the global stage. It has won the James Beard Award for Best Food Documentary Show for two consecutive seasons.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Martin has remained an active international food ambassador. He roams the world representing different commercial and social concerns to entertain and educate the public, sharing with them his unique humor and strong passion for Chinese cooking. What began as a small cooking school in Foster City, California soon evolved into the award-winning Yan Can Cook Show. And that was only the beginning. In the past three decades, Yan Can Cook has grown into a fully integrated culinary tour de force with a wide global reach. Page 12 I HOSPITALITY NEWS SEPT