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Chef Martin Yan Legacy Archive

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Collection Number: D-714

Certified master chef and UC Davis alumnus (Food Science, BA '73, MS ’77) Martin Yan is a world-renowned celebrity chef, restaurateur, cookbook author, and one of the first people of Asian descent in the United States to host a daily cooking show. He first launched "Yan Can Cook" in 1982, filming more than 3,500 globally broadcasted episodes in what would become one of the longest-running food and travel television programs on PBS. 

Yan is a multi-James Beard Award winner in the categories of Best TV Cooking Show (1994), Best TV Food Journalism (1996), and the James Beard Foundation's Lifetime Achievement Award (2022). He is also an inductee of the Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America (2001). In 2011, Yan was awarded the Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) Lifetime Achievement Award and in 2013, the UC Davis Distinguished Achievement Award.

This collection’s digital files contain photographs, videos, media clips, and slides taken behind the scenes while filming Yan Can Cook, Inc. television productions. The physical collection includes artifacts such as tools Yan used while teaching Chinese cooking classes at UC Davis. 

Chef Yan’s donated collection of several thousand culinary and cookbooks, in multiple languages, can be found in the library catalog. Some are housed in Archives and Special Collections, while others are available for browsing in the general stacks in Shields Library. 

This collection is not yet processed. Please contact Archives and Special Collections in advance to request access.

Finding Aid

Finding Aid on the Online Archive of California

Inclusive Dates

1960s-2023

Extent

9 linear feet, 4.4 terabytes

Subject

Northern California Food Movement

Additional Collection Info

Find Chef Yan’s personal collection of nearly 3,000 books he gifted the library

Many collections are stored offsite and should be requested at least 7 business days in advance of your visit.

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