3000 Cookbooks, a Wok, and More: Chef Martin Yan and Wife Donate Archive to UC Davis

From the University of California Davis Library:

World-renowned celebrity chef Martin Yan’s collection of nearly 3,000 cookbooks, his first wok, thousands of photographs and other media will be the main ingredients in an archive to be established in his name at the University of California, Davis.

Yan and his wife, Susan, both UC Davis graduates, recently gifted the items and funds to create the Chef Martin Yan Legacy Archive in the UC Davis Library Archives and Special Collections.

The donation includes:

• among the cookbooks, 30 that Yan authored
• photographs, videos, media clips and slides taken as Yan traveled the world for his food and travel shows, including Yan Can Cook
• awards Yan received over the years
• $20,000 to preserve and digitize the archive

“The Martin Yan archive provides valuable insight into an important era of Asian cultural and culinary history and of one of UC Davis’ most celebrated alumni,” said MacKenzie Smith, university librarian and vice provost of digital scholarship. “Once this collection is digitized, it will allow scholars around the world to learn more about Asian food and Martin’s amazing career.”

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“It’s truly an honor and a privilege for me to be working with the library at my beloved alma mater to build this Chinese and Asian culinary archive,” Yan said. “I hope this will become a center for people to learn about Asian food and culture in a fun way.”

Learn More, Read the Complete Announcement

See Also: “UC Davis Library, California Vintage Wine Society to Create Archival Collection”

Filed under: Academic Libraries, Archives and Special Collections, Awards, Libraries, News