Martin Yan

The Climb

Training at University of California, Davis gave Martin Yan the academic base that followed him into extension-program teaching and the floor work of live demos. He taught Chinese Cooking at college extension program and served as chef on the "Flying Squad" at Stephen Yan's Chinese Cooking demonstrations in Canada, then moved into broadcast cooking with Yan Can in Calgary, Alberta, Canada (1978–1982). Later credits on Martin Yan's Hong Kong (2005–2007) and Martin Yan's China (2008) show the same discipline translated across formats, before a run of judging and hosting roles on Iron Chef America (2011), Food Court in Hong Kong Cable TV (2011), Iron Chef Vietnam (2012), Top Chef (2013), Hell's Kitchen (2013), Martin Yan: Taste of Vietnam (2013), Back to Basics (2013), Martin Yan: Taste of Malaysia (2015), and Rick Stein's Road to Mexico - Episode 1 (2017). Yan Can Cook (since 1982) and Martin Yan's Asian Favorites (since 2018) remain the current anchors.

Today

The work is still built around Yan Can Cook, with Martin Yan continuing as host. The throughline is Chinese Cooking, and the credential attached to it is certified Master Chef.

Signature

The signature titles tied to Martin Yan’s television and publishing work include Yan Can Cook, Martin Yan's Feast, Martin Yan's Asian Favorites, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking.

In Their Words “Listen, no one needs to debone a chicken in 18 seconds. It doesn’t matter if it’s 35 seconds or a minute and a half. It’s just entertainment.” “Don't try to be Bobby Flay, Emeril or Rachael Ray. There's only one (of them) so be yourself.”