Chef Martin Yan

Born in 1948 in Guangzhou, China. to a restaurateur father and a grocer mother, Yan began to cook at 12. He moved to Hong Kong when he was 13, and attended the Munsang College in Kowloon City. During this time in Munsang College, he worked at his uncle's Chinese restaurant and learned about the traditional method of Chinese barbecue there. He received a diploma from the Overseas Institute of Cookery of Hong Kong and later left for Canada for continuous study. Education : Yan received a Master of Science degree in food science from University of California, Davis, in 1975 . Career : Martin Yan has received the title of "Master Chef" by the American Culinary Federation. The celebrated host of over 2,000 cooking shows broadcast world-wide. In 1978, he pioneered a daily Chinese cooking show: the now classic “Yan Can Cook.” A valued instructor at top culinary institutions, Chef Yan has taught at The Culinary Institute of America, Johnson & Wales University, The California Culinary Academy and The Chinese Cuisine Institute in Hong Kong. In 1985, he founded the Yan Can International Cooking School. Also a restaurateur, his Yan Can and SensAsian Restaurants offer inventive pan-Asian menus. There are Yan Can restaurants in Santa Clara and Pleasant Hill, California. His diverse talents have found expression in 26 cookbooks, including the award winning Martin Yan’s Feast, Martin Yan’s Asian Favorites, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking (intro by Julia Child) and his latest, Martin Yan’s Quick & Easy.