Martin Yan, the exuberant Bay Area master chef and champion of Chinese cuisine, on Tuesday won the James Beard Foundation’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, reserved for those “whose lifetime body of work has had a positive and long-lasting impact on the way we eat, cook, and/or think about food in America.”
For Yan, that body of work stretches back more than 40 years. He began cooking on TV in 1978, encouraging millions of cooks and wannabes around the world with his “If Yan Can Cook, You Can Too!” admonition. He has produced 3,500 episodes of that signature PBS show, “Yan Can Cook,” which has been broadcast in more than 50 countries. He also has authored 30 cookbooks, opened or been involved in the development of numerous restaurants, mentored chefs, taught cooking classes and served as an ambassador for the Chinese community.
“The Yan Can Cook show has allowed me to journey to incredible places and meet with unforgettable people all around the world. My heart is more than full in accepting this special award from the James Beard Foundation,” Yan, 73, said in a statement. “This is the apex of our profession, and for me, it validates my entire career. This is the absolute experience of my lifetime. Thank you.”
His joyous work continues on social media. For his current MY Chinatown series on YouTube, Yan heads to San Francisco’s Chinatown to visit with an herbalist, a tea master and Miss Chinatown and introduces viewers to the best dim sum, herbs, spices, boba tea and durian moon cakes in this historic district.
“Whenever I have friends from out of town I always like to show them MY Chinatown,” he says with his trademark enthusiasm in the series introduction. “My Chinatown! Your Chinatown! Everybody’s Chinatown!”
Yan will receive the award June 13 at the James Beard Foundation’s ceremony in Chicago. The event will be livestreamed for his fans in the Bay Area and around the world.
Details: www.jamesbeard.org
Source: www.mercurynews.com