He later studied in Canada and ended up earning his Master of Science in food science at the University of California, Davis. Yan started to teach Chinese cooking and first appeared on a Canadian talk show in 1978. He has also hosted other TV series including Martin Yan’s Chinatown Cooking and Martin Yan’s Hidden China. He has his own chain of Yan Can Restaurants and the Yan Can International Cooking School. Yan has also authored more than 20 cookbooks and is designated as a Master Chef by the American Culinary Federation.