Many of us grew up in front of the television catching our favourite shows and celebrities. We admired acting music, and sports, In the 90s we saw an emergence in celebrity chefs. They not only knew their way around the kitchen but they had a media presence. Chefs including Julia Child, Emeril Lagasse, Gordon Ramsay, Anthony Bourdain, and Jamie Oliver have all transformed the culinary world making cooking more accessible and even entertaining. And if you ask Canadians who grew up in the ’80s and ’90s, many would include Stephen Yan in this fold. His television series, Wok With Yan, was a hit amongst Chinese and non-Chinese alike. Yan proved that the Cantonese cooking style in a wok was a technique that anyone could enjoy.
Stephen Yan was born in Hong Kong and later moved to Vancouver, British Columbia. He worked as a chef and restauranteur before he became known for his cooking show Wok with Yan, which aired in Canada, the United States, and several other countries in the 1980s and 1990s. With over 500 episodes, he became a significant success story and is still considered one of the most recognizable faces associated with Chinese cooking on television.
Stephen Yan was known for his lively and entertaining style. He would often joke and engage with the audience, making the show as much about entertainment as it was about cooking. His sense of humour and friendly demeanour made him a beloved figure in the culinary television world. And this all came naturally to him and still does.
In a recent interview, Yan spoke humbly about his show. “I didn’t care about how popular the show became. It was my mission to bridge the gap between the two cultures. I wanted people to understand real Chinese cooking and now I can see Westerners using the wok and not just for Chinese cooking. And I think that is very good.”
Yan felt Westerners at that time had a misconception of what real Chinese cooking in a wok was. Most Westerners were accustomed to having different pots and pans for different cooking techniques. On his show, he demonstrated the many ways to cook just by using one wok and his audience was in awe. Even when I mentioned his name amongst my own circle of friends, a few had mentioned he was the inspiration for them to run out to purchase woks.
“You need a wok and that’s it,” he explained “You can use it for boiling, frying, and even steaming. It’s everything. It can even be used as a toboggan,” he jokes. Hey, we’re in Canada, but all kidding aside, Yan believes that life should be simplified. He doesn’t feel we need all these gadgets in our lives to cook really well.
Yan was known to be a witty and charismatic chef. One of the most memorable aspects of Wok with Yan was Stephen Yan’s use of puns and catchphrases. He would often wear aprons with humorous slogans like “Wok and Roll,” “Wok the Heck,” or “Wokking My Way Back to You”. And each episode would reveal a new slogan that was never repeated.
Alongside his television success, Stephen Yan also published cookbooks and sold merchandise related to the show. He also tells us he worked closely with global food brand Lee Kum Kee in developing products for the line of Cantonese-style cooking sauces and condiments they are famous for. In fact, he was the one who created the much loved XO Sauce which is made of dried scallops, dried shrimp, Chinese ham, garlic, shallots, chilli peppers, and dried fish.
Stephen Yan’s show also paved the way for other Asian chefs to enter the mainstream television cooking scene. His success demonstrated that there was a significant appetite for learning about diverse cuisines, which contributed to the growing popularity of international cooking shows. However, his contributions to culinary television helped bridge cultural gaps and made him a pioneer in the genre of cooking shows focused on global cuisines.
When asked about what it was like to be a “celebrity chef” Yan quickly brushed that aside. “I didn’t even think about that because I was just busy trying to do my job. I wanted people to learn about Chinese cooking and to enjoy it. To me, it was not necessary to become a celebrity. I go to the bathroom just like everybody else. But the problem is that people get you all wrong and develop this misconception of who you should be. I am a simple man that just likes to do what I want. Like a wok, very simple.”
When asked if there he felt any concern that our much loved Cantonese dishes would disappear his response was a surprise. “Why and where did you get that idea?” he asked. When I mentioned there were fewer Cantonese-style BBQ shops in Toronto because of the older chefs retiring and the lack of younger chefs taking their place, he felt that evolution happens not just in the Chinese culture but in many. This is not uncommon and we now see the next generation trying new ideas and even modernizing dishes. And in his eyes, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
“You can learn from what I’m teaching – the methods and the ingredients. Then, try your own variation. I encourage people to try something different. For example, Beef & Broccoli. You can change the broccoli to another vegetable like zucchini or mushroom and see what that is like. To try is important and don’t underestimate yourself,” said Yan. “The world changes and the stomach churns.”
He also thinks robots will become more involved in the kitchen. “Why not? We can teach the robots to do many things and not just bring food to our tables,” said Yan. This was a surprise but he explains that they can help in ways that can handle the tasks that may seem daunting to us. I had mentioned how much I missed my grandmother’s “Jong” — which is made of rice, cured meats, peanuts, and duck egg yolk that is uniquely wrapped with leaves. The shaping of this is intimidating for me and hasn’t been something I could grasp when I tried to recreate it. Yan suggested that in the future perhaps the wrapping can be done by robots.
Believing in yourself is something he reiterated a few times. He referenced back to his show and how he was not a trained actor but he was a cook. He read books to learn how to be funny. Sometimes the humour worked and other times it didn’t. But when something didn’t work out as hoped, he just laughed at himself and moved on.
So, why is he now buzzing again in the public? Not because he needs, or wants, to necessarily make any sort of comeback but because of a Canadian company, Retrokid who had been seeking him out for the past six years in hopes of collaborating with him. The brand is known for its nostalgic line of apparel featuring some of the most joyful and iconic childhood memories.
Steve Gaskin, co-founder of Retrokid, tells us his mission to find Yan was in memory of his own Gong Gong (grandfather). “Outside of personally wanting to find out where he was and what he was doing, the motivation really was to celebrate my Gong Gong. We finally found a connection with someone who knew someone who knew him. It was a childhood dream to have him actually say yes to this.”
Gaskin also mentioned that his company wanted to ensure the collection was also culturally appropriate. “It was really important that we celebrated some of the things he brought to his show. For example, our Good Fortune Hoodie. At the end of every show, he would have a meal with someone and then share fortune cookies with them. We intentionally made that for the true fans that knew his show.” With that detailed understanding, Yan understood how much this meant to Gaskin and agreed.
His energy is incredible for someone who is 85 years old has climbed Mount Everest three times and swims every day. “Yeah, when the spotlight turns on, he turns on. But I think he also feels a sense of responsibility still to his fans and wants to celebrate them. But what I’ve learned in the past few days of doing press interviews with him is that everyone thinks he just wanted to step away and be low-key. He actually stepped away because he didn’t need more. He’s been happy about living minimally,” said Gaskin.
Retrokid has created a limited edition officially licensed collection featuring nostalgic apparel and accessories that capture Stephen Yan’s unique humour and lasting influence on Canadian cuisine. You can check out the latest Wok With Yan collection here: www.retrokid.ca
