Chef Martin Yan

Eat, Enjoy, and be Entertained

Chef Martin Yan’s soon to be opened
Las Vegas restaurant, M.Y. Asia

BY ELAINE & SCOTT HARRIS

Las Vegas is certainly no stranger to celebrity chefs staking their claim under the famed neon lights. But some chefs are renowned on a global scale. They are masters, few and far between, and may come along once in a generation. For decades, Master Chef Martin Yan has been a gastronomic master creating on multiple levels. He is now taking his rightful place in the culinary epicenter of Las Vegas with a partnership with Caesars Entertainment with his new endeavor, restaurant M.Y. Asia. The restaurant is looking for a 2023 opening in Las Vegas at Bally’s, soon to be rebranded as the Horseshoe Las Vegas later this year.

Emmy award winner and PBS cooking show personality Martin Yan is the host of over 2,000 cooking shows and enjoys distinction as a certified Master Chef, a highly respected food consultant, a professional instructor, and a prolific author. He has written over 30 cookbooks, including the award-winning Martin Yan’s Feast, Martin Yan’s Asian Favorites, Chinese Cooking for Dummies, Martin Yan’s Chinatown cooking (intro by Julia Child), and Martin Yan’s Quick & Easy.

Martin Yan reviewing M.Y. Asia blueprints.

His TV series, Martin Yan’s Chinatowns, won a Telly Award in 2004. Newsweek cited the companion book as one of the year’s 10 Best Cookbooks. He has appeared as a guest judge on several episodes of Iron Chef America and on the cartoon talk show Space Ghost Coast to Coast, and as a guest judge on the Season 10 finale of Top Chef as well as a Season 11 episode of Hell’s Kitchen. He garnered a nomination for the 2004 James Beard Award and Best National T.V. Cooking Show Award. He received the 2022 James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award for his 40-year career teaching others the joy of Chinese cooking. He is also known for being able to carve a chicken in 18 seconds.

He has earned the attention and respect of millions of cooking fans worldwide. His life-long quest is to inspire an understanding of Asian cultures and their cuisines concerning history, heritage, and religion with exuberance, dedicated knowledge and skill, and good humor. “I am excited about everything I do,” said Yan. “I use these platforms to bring awareness to Asian cuisine and Asian culture. I have been an ambassador for over 40 years. I want to share that food reflects history, heritage, culture, and religion. That’s why I use the words SEE, TASTE, and DISCOVER. I want people to discover the spirit of Asian Cuisine at M.Y. Asia.”

With the impressive lineup of celebrity chefs under the Caesars umbrella, Chef Yan feels confident and humbled to be a part of this group of notable food superstars. “There are many great Chinese and Asian Chefs in Las Vegas. But to do something and survive amongst so many great chefs and restaurants, you must be great and make a difference. Before the pandemic, I had M.Y. China in San Francisco for nine years. It was nationally known for its interactive noodle bar, which was very popular,” said Yan. “I wanted to do something in Las Vegas where people connect with the chef. We want to have people learn about the cuisine. When I am in town, I will offer an interactive happy hour cooking class to show you how to make basics like a won ton, fresh spring rolls, and other Asian dishes.”

Being in the entertainment city of the world, Las Vegas, Chef Yan strives to incorporate dining theater into the very fabric of M.Y. Asia. “We want people also to eat, enjoy, and be entertained. We are in the entertainment city of the world.”

“You may go to the best restaurant; it doesn’t matter how elaborate the meal may have been, but it’s forgotten about it after the dinner,” said Yan. “I want people to have an authentic dining experience that they don’t forget, an enjoyable Las Vegas Style experience. We will show how to hand pull noodles, where you can dance with them, by beginning with one strand noodle and seeing it expand to 32-foot noodles. The Noodle is the symbol of long life and longevity. We will demonstrate how to cook and flip a Wok along with the hand-pulled noodles. There will be T.V. screens showing some of the most popular recipes from my shows.”

Yan’s M.Y. Asia will bring authentic Asian cuisine to Horseshoe Las Vegas, the former Bally’s Las Vegas. Designed by PGAL, the reimagined space designed to match the energy and enthusiasm of Chef Yan.

The centerpiece is a Lucky Bell Bar surrounded by a 130-seat dining room. M.Y. Asia will even feature a “show kitchen,” with a hand-pulled noodle bar and wok kitchen to entertain the eager diners. For those who order takeout, try ‘digital carryout lockers,’ adding whimsy and a wink to Chinese takeout while keeping the experience contact-free,” stated Yan.

Yan holds a Master’s Degree in Food Science and other impressive accolades and strives to use seasonal, fresh ingredients in all his dishes. “I believe a plant-based diet is not a new concept in Asian cuisine. The menu will revolve around the seasonal offering, eating with the season, and we strive to use less oil and salt; we will bring in fresh Dungeness crabs for our Thai red curry and chili crab; we want a cajun chicken with five spices on the menu, and clams from the east coast. I also love avocados; I hope to have Chef Rick Bayless come and create a Hispanic, Chinese fusion. With the network of chefs, I hope to work with them on special projects.

Enthusiasm, unparalleled determination, and an entrepreneurial spirit are alive in his heart of living the American dream. From age 13, working in a kitchen in Hong Kong and then rising to the top of the culinary world, Yan has never taken his success lightly. “You must believe and move with courage and optimism because you will be tested on your patience and passion for food,” concluded Yan.

“I never consider my work fun and games; at 74, I am going strong and have not gained a pound in 40 years! Now I will be in Las Vegas at M.Y. Asia, and nothing comes close to this one-of-a-kind place.”