Martin Yan
The celebrated host of over 2,000 cooking shows broadcast worldwide, Martin Yan enjoys distinction as a certified Master Chef, a highly respected food consultant, a cooking instructor and prolific author.  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 (with an introduction by Julia Child) and his latest, Martin Yan’s Quick & Easy.

Born in China, to a restaurateur father and a mother who operated a grocery store, Chef Yan possessed a passion for cooking at an early age.  His formal induction into the culinary world began at thirteen, with an apprenticeship at a popular Hong Kong restaurant.  He refined his natural talent at the Overseas Institute of Cookery in Hong Kong, and then completed an MS in Food Science in the US at The University of California/Davis.  While offering cooking classes in the university’s extension program, he discovered a flair for teaching.  In 1978, he pioneered a daily Chinese cooking show: the now classic “Yan Can Cook.”  Infusing lessons with his characteristic warmth, humor and vitality, he quickly won a devoted following. 

The recipient of numerous awards and honors, Chef Yan is internationally recognized as an accomplished chef among his peers.  He has also captured the attention, admiration and hearts of millions of fans by spicing his cooking artistry and teaching with a personal ingredient: wit.  Via television or in person, a session with Chef Yan proves invigorating as well as educational.