Martin Yan Just Made A Significant Donation To UC Davis

Many people grew up watching Martin Yan on PBS, inspiring the next generation of celebrity chefs and home cooks alike. Yan's cooking shows ran for 43 years with over 2,000 episodes, and he recently launched a brand new line of frozen dishes inspired by his San Francisco restaurant, M.Y. China. Recently, chef Yan made a massive donation to his alma mater to continue to give back and inspire those coming after him.

According to the UC Davis student-run paper The California Aggie, chef Yan just gave his expansive collection of food media to the UC Davis Library. That includes almost 3,000 cookbooks, as well as photographs and video footage from his television shows, shares UC Davis. Chef Yan's awards and his first wok will be on display, and he will also provide $20,000 to help preserve and archive the many objects that chronicle his career. "Hopefully this particular archive will not only give people more understanding about the history, the culture, the lifestyle, the food and geography of each Asian country and different parts of China, but also it will hopefully bring people closer together," Yan told The California Aggie. Ultimately, the collection will make up what will be known as the Chef Martin Yan Legacy Archive.

According to PBS, Yan received his Masters of Science in Food Science from UC Davis, and it clearly became a place he looks back on fondly, one which fostered his career early on. "UC Davis gave me a very warm feeling and also a lot of great memories. ... When I graduated, I still felt connected to Davis," Yan told The California Aggie. "Instead of having this in my own library, I decided to donate this to my beloved alma mater, UC Davis. I chose UC Davis because it is my home. My family — my wife and my kids — also went to UC Davis," he added. 

Of course, Yan's donation will be celebrated by the public too. The astounding donation to be archived at the UC Davis Library will be marked with an event in May 2022. The student-run paper shares the event is described in a sign-up form as "a conversation with world-renowned chef Martin Yan '73, M.S. '77, and his wife, Susan '75, at their alma mater UC Davis." In addition to the discussion, chef Yan will do a cooking demonstration and cookbook signing. Those who wish to attend should continue to check the UC Davis Library's website to learn more about the event when the date is set.