Martin Yan: Culinary Maestro and Global Influencer

Culinary Arts is widely acknowledged today as the art of cooking, and its popularity is increasing all over the world. There are numerous renowned and skilled chefs who have become well-known for their knowledge, creativity, and passion on culinary arts. Today, a lot of gifted chefs are getting famous for their cooking shows, cook books, and different contributions to the world of culinary arts. One of the famous and respectable chefs in the world is Martin Yan. Martin Yan is a Chinese-American chef; he was born in Guangzhou China on the year 1948.

His father was a restaurateur, and his mother operates a grocery store. Martin started and learned how to cook at the age of 12. He decided to move and live in Hong Kong when he reached the age of 13 years old and studied in Kowloon City in Munsang College. Martin experienced working for his uncle’s Chinese restaurant and learned a lot of traditional methods of Chinese cooking. He then got the opportunity to study in Canada and later got his masters degree in food science in University of California in Davis on 1975.

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He finally got the passion for teaching and became a professor in the university’s extension program, and he also appeared on a local TV talk show in Calgary, Canada in the year 1978 (Yan Can Cook, 2008). Since then, he has been hosting different cooking shows. Among these shows is “Yan Can Cook,” now a popular cooking show which started in the year 1982 (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). He became a celebrity indeed, winning different awards from his enthusiasm, talent, interest, and creativity as a culinary chef.

He received the “James Bean Award for best television cooking show” in 1994, and two years later, he was granted an award for “best television food journalism” by the same award-giving body (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). In 1998, he won an “Emmy Award for the best cooking show” (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). In addition, he also received an award from the “Chef’s Association of the Pacific Coast” and the “Courvoisier Leadership Award” on the Antonin Award (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p.).

He also sometimes appears on a cartoon talk show called “Space Ghost” which is now currently airing in the Cartoon Network show “Adult Swim” (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). He was also a part of the Singaporean movie “Rice Rhapsody” during the year 2005. He currently hosts his own show entitled “Martin Yan Quick and Easy” and can be seen sometimes as one of the judges in the popular show “Iron Chef of America” (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ). Nowadays, he is also hosting “Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking,” a show wherein he tours different Chinatowns all over the world (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ).

The format of his shows encompasses the different approaches and styles in Asian cooking; he travels in different places all over the world to introduce a certain local cuisine on TV (Yan Can Cook, 2008). Aside from hosting and having different cooking shows, Martin Yan has published several cookbooks as well, wherein he introduces Chinese American culinary arts all over the world. He wrote about 25 different cookbooks, which include “Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking” and “Chinese Cooking for Dummies” which also won an award (“Martin Yan Biography,” 2008, n. p. ).

His main objective is to represent the Asian culture and culinary arts not only in the western part of the world but around the globe as well (“Martin Yan Biography,” 2008). Martin Yan is one of the most famous guest instructors at different culinary institutions and academies mostly in the Western and Asian part of the world such as the “Wales University, California Culinary Academy, Chinese Cuisine Institute in Hong Kong, the Culinary Institute in America, University of San Francisco and the Chinese chef training programs in North America” (“Martin Yan Biography,” 2008, n. p. ).

Furthermore, Martin Yan also founded his own culinary school in San Francisco California named “Yan Can International Cooking School” (Martin Yan Biography, 2008, n. p. ). Like his father, he also became a restaurateur; he opened the Yan Can Restaurant in 2002 in San Francisco bay area in California. His restaurant offers Asian menu, and it is more likely to have different branches all over the world in the years to come (“Martin Yan Biography,” 2008). Martin Yan has greatly contributed in the culinary industry. He became a culinary diplomat for the American Culinary Federation.

He received a doctorate degree in culinary arts for his contribution to the food and hospitality industry. Moreover, he also received a doctorate degree in humane letters from the Colorado Institute of Art. Aside from that, he also received an exceptional recognition from his peers as a master chef. In 2001, he became an inductee of “James Beard Foundation’s D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food and Beverage,” which honors food and beverage professionals for their significant and lasting achievements (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ).

Thus, due to his success in the culinary arts industry, he became a respected professional chef and a member of different prestigious organizations such as the “American Institute of Wine and Food, American Culinary Federation, Chinese Cuisine Research Institute, Chef's Association of the Pacific Coast, Association of Chinese Cooking Teachers, Institute of Food Technologists, International Association of Culinary Professionals, and American Author's Guild” (Yan Can Cook, 2008, n. p. ).

There are vast number of chefs that people can watch on TV and different cookbooks made available for everyone, but Martin Yan has become exceptional because of the distinct Asian influence he brought in the industry of culinary arts. With all the awards and honors Martin Yan received, he is regarded as one of the top famous culinary chef all over the world. He has made a lot of worldwide remarks on the culinary arts and greatly influenced countless chefs, professionals, and people with his passion and knowledge in the art of culinary. He has shaped a lot of people to become a good chef.

He teaches and passes his knowledge to other people so that he will always be reminded with his own style and contributions in the culinary world. Hence, with his cooking shows, cookbooks, and teachings that focus on the Asian culinary arts and culture, Martin Yan is continuously inspiring people to pursue their passion.

References

1. Martin Yan Biography. (2008). American Entertainment International Speakers Bureau. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from http://www. aeispeakers. com/print. php? SpeakerID=1103
2. Yan Can Cook. (2008). Meet the chef. Retrieved December 8, 2008 from http://yancancook. com/mybio. htm