SERIES / 1980

Wok with Yan

Wok with Yan was a Chinese cuisine cooking show starring Stephen Yan. The show was first produced in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada by the CBC at CBUT from 1980 to 1982. A second edition of the show was also produced in the early 1990s. The popular series was syndicated internationally in United States, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore for years. The humorous aprons also complemented his humour that consisted of spontaneous one-liners spoken with his trademark Cantonese accent or him playing with his food or cookware. That, combined with his energetic personality, endeared him to Canadian viewers. Prior to him preparing his stir fry cuisine, the show usually featured a vignette of Yan travelling to different vacation spots from around the world. He always invited an audience member to come up and eat with him near the end of each episode, and had a fortune cookie reading before the meal.