When Martin Yan arrived in Davis as an international student in 1969, the minimum wage in California was just $1.65, but he discovered teaching a 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis extension course on Chinese cooking could yield $18 an hour. He said he implored the director: 鈥淕ive me a chance to teach a course.鈥
Born in Guangzhou, China, Yan said this teaching opportunity led to his future culinary success and a lifelong bond with 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis鈥 food science program. He received his bachelor鈥檚 and master鈥檚 degrees in food science from the university in 1973 and 1977, learning both English and cooking as new languages.
鈥淚 always tell people, when you [become an] Aggie, you鈥檙e forever an Aggie,鈥 Yan said. 鈥淚t allowed me to connect with people in the community and improve my English, and also my well-being as a human.鈥
Yan returned to campus Friday (Jan. 26) to kick off Lunar New Year celebrations through a takeover of the kitchen at the Latitude restaurant, giving away copies of his new cookbook, , to students who participated in his demonstrations.
Yan is the second recent guest chef to showcase their talents and recipes at the university's residential dining facilities. Award-winning Navajo chef Freddie Bitsoie hosted three nights of dinners in November. The guest chef program is a larger effort to diversify the dining facilities鈥 menus and celebrate the cultures of the student body. Dining Services also invites students to submit recipes to be incorporated into menus as 鈥淔lavors from Home,鈥 a nod to those international students celebrating events like Lunar New Year away from home for the first time.
Decades cooking on camera
It turned Yan into an ambassador of Chinese food and culture in households worldwide. Several students in the audience said they grew up watching their parents watching Yan on television.
Yan cites the Department of Food Science and Technology鈥檚 large number of faculty members as a sign of its growing success, and said he was in awe of new campus dining facilities like Latitude.
鈥淟unar New Year is also referred to as a spring festival,鈥 Yan told Dateline. 鈥淲e celebrate the spring with the student, the faculty and the staff, to really talk about healthy eating and celebrate a new academic year.鈥
He also discussed how the celebrations were ushering in the Year of the Dragon, a symbol of 鈥渉ealth, strength and good fortune.鈥
The event also marked Latitude鈥檚 fourth anniversary. The restaurant features an array of international dishes scratch-made from fresh ingredients, featured on a menu that changes daily. On the other side of the building, the Latitude market offers pre-made, to-go meals and made-to-order drinks, shakes and more.
鈥淲hen I was here, the food [was] never as good,鈥 Yan said. He cited Latitude鈥檚 leadership, including Executive Chef Roger Thompson, and the fact that the kitchen purchases ingredients grown on campus by students, saying the food rivals a fine dining restaurant.
鈥淭his is one of the best dining commons and food services I鈥檝e ever worked with,鈥 Yan said.
Interactive meal
On Friday, Latitude's serving stations featured a variety of Asian dishes, including emperor's pork, stir-fried bok choy, jasmine rice, egg tart, almond cookies, pineapple cake, sesame balls with red bean paste. Both the food and Yan鈥檚 cooking demonstrations drew crowds.
In groups of four, Yan taught students how to make noodles from large mounds of dough, or as Yan called it, 鈥渉ow to turn the human into a human noodle machine.鈥 He shouted out noodle-making instructions throughout 鈥 鈥淪tretch! Fold!鈥 鈥 to a growing audience.
鈥淔ood breaks down all the barriers. Food brings people closer together, and at the dining table, we're all friends,鈥 Yan said. 鈥淚'm so honored to see all of this happening.鈥
Media Resources
Jos茅 Vadi is a writer for Dateline 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, and can be reached by email.