Residency · February
Martin Yan
Legendary Chef & Television Icon
February 2, 2026 – March 3, 2026
Past residency
At a glance
- CuisineChinese and International Cuisine
- DatesFebruary 2, 2026 – March 3, 2026
- VenueRotation by Feast it Forward, Napa, CA — Oxbow Public Market.
Accolades
Recognition
- James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award 2022
- Daytime Emmy Award for Best Cooking Show 1998
- James Beard Award for Best TV Food Journalism 1996
- James Beard Award for Best TV Cooking Show 1994
- James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award 2022
- Daytime Emmy Award for Best Cooking Show 1998
- James Beard Award for Best TV Food Journalism 1996
- James Beard Award for Best TV Cooking Show 1994
- James Beard Award Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America 2001
- American Culinary Federation Master Chef designation
- Honorary Doctorate Degree in Culinary Arts from Johnson & Wales University 1999
- Honorary Doctorate Degree in Humane Letters from Colorado Institute of Art 1999
- Outstanding Chinese Award Global China Central Government & CCTV 2012
- Lifetime Achievement Award IACP International Association of Culinary Professionals 2011
- Distinguished Achievement Award UC Davis Alumni Association 2013
- Chinese Cultural Icon of the Year CCTV China 2013
- Hall of Fame Menu Masters Nation's Restaurant News 2004
- California Chef of the Year California Tourism Industry 2002
About
Martin Yan
Meet the legendary Chef Martin Yan, the pioneering television icon who brought authentic Chinese cuisine to American kitchens for over four decades. As the 2022 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, Chef Yan is recognized for his extraordinary impact on how America cooks, eats, and thinks about Chinese food.
When Chef Yan takes over the Rotation kitchen, prepare for an unforgettable fusion of entertainment and exceptional cuisine. His approachable yet sophisticated cooking style transforms traditional Chinese techniques into accessible masterpieces.
“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.
Gallery
Moments
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Questions
FAQ
Who is Martin Yan and why is he famous?
Martin Yan is a James Beard Award-winning chef, Master Chef certified by the American Culinary Federation, and the host of Yan Can Cook — one of the longest-running cooking shows in public television history. He has hosted over 3,500 episodes of the cooking show since 1982, with broadcasts reaching more than 50 countries. His signature catchphrase — "If Yan can cook, so can you!" — made him one of the most recognizable culinary educators of his generation.
What is Martin Yan's culinary background and training?
Yan's formal culinary induction began at thirteen with an apprenticeship at a renowned Hong Kong restaurant, followed by training at Hong Kong's Overseas Institute of Cookery. He later pursued an MS in Food Science at the University of California, Davis, where he also began teaching Chinese cooking through the university extension program. That academic rigor combined with hands-on restaurant training is what separates his teaching style from entertainment-only TV chefs.
What awards and honors has Martin Yan received?
Yan has won a Daytime Emmy Award, a 1996 James Beard Award for Best TV Food Journalism, and a 1994 James Beard Award for Best TV Cook. He was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food and Beverage in 2001 and was named California Chef of the Year in 2002. He also holds honorary doctorates from Johnson & Wales University and the Colorado Institute of Art.
What kind of food does Martin Yan cook?
Yan specializes in Chinese and broader Asian cuisine, with a deep focus on making traditional techniques accessible without sacrificing authenticity. His cooking reflects his Cantonese roots while drawing on decades of travel throughout China, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Korea. He is best known for wok-based cooking, but his repertoire spans regional Chinese cuisine across all of its major traditions.
Has Martin Yan appeared on other television shows beyond Yan Can Cook?
Yan has appeared as a guest judge on Iron Chef America, the Season 10 finale of Top Chef, and a Season 11 episode of Hell's Kitchen. He has also hosted Martin Yan's Chinatowns, Martin Yan's Hidden China, Yan Can Cook: Spice Kingdom, Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan, and Martin Yan's Korea Food Alive.
How many cookbooks has Martin Yan written?
Yan has authored a library of 30 cookbooks, including award-winning titles such as Martin Yan's Feast, Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking (with an introduction by Julia Child), Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Martin Yan's Quick & Easy.
What made Martin Yan's residency at Rotation Napa unique?
Yan brings over four decades of mastery in Chinese and Asian cuisine to Napa Valley's farm-forward dining culture — a pairing that rarely happens outside of major metropolitan markets. His residency gave wine country diners direct access to one of public television's most celebrated culinary figures in a setting defined by seasonal ingredients and intimate service.
- Who is Martin Yan and why is he famous?
- Martin Yan is a James Beard Award-winning chef, Master Chef certified by the American Culinary Federation, and the host of Yan Can Cook — one of the longest-running cooking shows in public television history. He has hosted over 3,500 episodes of the cooking show since 1982, with broadcasts reaching more than 50 countries. His signature catchphrase — "If Yan can cook, so can you!" — made him one of the most recognizable culinary educators of his generation.
- What is Martin Yan's culinary background and training?
- Yan's formal culinary induction began at thirteen with an apprenticeship at a renowned Hong Kong restaurant, followed by training at Hong Kong's Overseas Institute of Cookery. He later pursued an MS in Food Science at the University of California, Davis, where he also began teaching Chinese cooking through the university extension program. That academic rigor combined with hands-on restaurant training is what separates his teaching style from entertainment-only TV chefs.
- What awards and honors has Martin Yan received?
- Yan has won a Daytime Emmy Award, a 1996 James Beard Award for Best TV Food Journalism, and a 1994 James Beard Award for Best TV Cook. He was inducted into the James Beard Foundation's D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food and Beverage in 2001 and was named California Chef of the Year in 2002. He also holds honorary doctorates from Johnson & Wales University and the Colorado Institute of Art.
- What kind of food does Martin Yan cook?
- Yan specializes in Chinese and broader Asian cuisine, with a deep focus on making traditional techniques accessible without sacrificing authenticity. His cooking reflects his Cantonese roots while drawing on decades of travel throughout China, Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Korea. He is best known for wok-based cooking, but his repertoire spans regional Chinese cuisine across all of its major traditions.
- Has Martin Yan appeared on other television shows beyond Yan Can Cook?
- Yan has appeared as a guest judge on Iron Chef America, the Season 10 finale of Top Chef, and a Season 11 episode of Hell's Kitchen. He has also hosted Martin Yan's Chinatowns, Martin Yan's Hidden China, Yan Can Cook: Spice Kingdom, Taste of Malaysia with Martin Yan, and Martin Yan's Korea Food Alive.
- How many cookbooks has Martin Yan written?
- Yan has authored a library of 30 cookbooks, including award-winning titles such as Martin Yan's Feast, Martin Yan's Chinatown Cooking (with an introduction by Julia Child), Chinese Cooking for Dummies, and Martin Yan's Quick & Easy.
- What made Martin Yan's residency at Rotation Napa unique?
- Yan brings over four decades of mastery in Chinese and Asian cuisine to Napa Valley's farm-forward dining culture — a pairing that rarely happens outside of major metropolitan markets. His residency gave wine country diners direct access to one of public television's most celebrated culinary figures in a setting defined by seasonal ingredients and intimate service.