Listen: Celebrity chef and UC Davis alum Martin Yan presented cooking demonstrations, mingled with students in a residential dining facility and more.
Yan laid the foundation for his career by teaching cooking classes in the 1970s to fellow students at UC Davis. Receiving his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in food science from the university in 1973 and 1977, Yan went on to host the public television show “Yan Can Cook” for 40 years and built a loyal following while traveling the world as an ambassador for Chinese food and culture.
In 2022, Yan donated his collection of nearly 3,000 cookbooks, his first wok, thousands of photographs and other media along with funds to create the Chef Martin Yan Legacy Archive at the UC Davis Library.