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Yan Can Cook

If Yan Can Cook, So Can You

How does a master of the kitchen, television, and print further his reach? He does so with the help of Endicia.

Founded in 1977 by Master Chef Martin Yan, Yan Can Cook, Inc. strives to increase global appreciation of Asian cooking and culture. The company does so, with a staff of less than 10, by promoting and supporting Chef Yan in his endeavors: hosting his own cooking shows, broadcast internationally; acting as a food consultant; serving as a culinary instructor; and authoring cookbooks.

Background  Chef Yan, at an early age, developed a keen interest in cooking. He was born in Guangzhou, China to a father who was a restaurateur and a mother who was a grocer. Beginning as an apprentice at age 13, he honed his culinary skills in Hong Kong at the Overseas Institute of Cookery. Later, he earned a Master of Science degree in Food Science from the University of California, Davis and discovered his knack for teaching while an instructor in the university's extension program. In 1978, he took his love for cooking and instruction to new heights, creating the first-of-its-kind daily Chinese cooking show, "Yan Can Cook." The show, due in great part to the friendly, humoristic, and lively presentation style of Chef Yan, became a cooking classic. It was also a travelogue, highlighting locations throughout Asia of particular gastronomic importance. To further promote Asian cuisine and culture worldwide, Chef Yan dove deeper into television, premiering "Martin Yan Quick & Easy" on American Public Television stations in Fall 2004. He also consulted on food and authored cookbooks – all endeavors in which he still engages.

To aid him in these efforts, Chef Yan created Yan Can Cook, Inc. The business performs project-based events and promotions, cookbook and recipe development, television and film production, special event coordination, marketing, and merchandising. With that assistance, Chef Yan has attained celebrity status, having hosted more than 1,900 cooking shows/travelogues broadcast in over 50 countries. Additionally, Yan Can Cook, Inc. has helped him author and publish 28 cookbooks to date, including award winners such as Martin Yan's Feast, Martin Yan's Asian Favorites, and Chinese Cooking for Dummies. Furthermore, the company has enabled him to sell – both domestically and internationally, as well as wholesale and direct – sample merchandise, promotional items, kitchen knives, chopsticks, and his cookbooks. In fact, Yan Can Cook, Inc., via a Yahoo! store, generates 90% of the sales for AsianConnections.com, a force in the East-meets-West marketplace.

From its Canadian origins, Yan Can Cook, Inc. is now located in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Endicia's Role  An "Endicia for Mac" customer since April 2005, Yan Can Cook, Inc. utilizes the Endicia service to print customizable shipping labels and manage shipping costs. The cookbooks that it sells ship via Media Mail, which accounts for roughly two-thirds of all the mail volume. Additionally, some 24% of its mail pieces ship internationally (mainly with Global Priority Mail), 6% are sent in First Class Mail (mostly miscellaneous products and press releases), and 3% use Priority Mail. Yan Can Cook, Inc., which used to rely on UPS because of its tracking capabilities, now uses the Postal Service for 90% of its shipping due to Delivery Confirmation and the overall reliability of the Postal System. The fulfilment operation utilizes the clipboard feature to process shipping addresses through Endicia for Mac and employs three printers – two HP LaserJets and a Xerox Phaser – to print half-sheet labels that are customized with the Yan Can Cook logo and address. It further integrates Endicia into its workflow by accessing shipping costs and providing shipping quotes while callers are still on the phone, resulting in better customer service and reduced costs.

Yan Can Cook, Inc. uses key Endicia features, such as label customization, e-mail notification, address validation, and Stealth Indicia. Label customization adds the Yan Can Cook logo to labels, which helps greatly in branding the company. E-mail notification alerts customers that their orders are on their way, thereby providing them with excellent customer service and decreasing call volume. Endicia's address validation compares each shipping address to the Postal Service’s national Zip+4 database to obtain the correct 9-digit Zip Code. The system also corrects other common addressing errors (e.g., spelling corrections, formatting, and abbreviations), thus contributing to successful mail piece delivery. Stealth Indicia, by hiding the postage amount, protect the company's fair shipping and handling fees without angering customers.

Remarks Tara Lee, Office Manager of Yan Can Cook, Inc.:

"Endicia has cut our order processing time in half, compared to UPS online, the Postal Service online, and FedEx; and it has reduced our shipping costs by roughly 60%. Plus, we have increased sales, bettered our customer service, and improved our shipping records; having eliminated the need to log shipments as all transactions are recorded online."

The Future  Via a currently-in-production television series to be broadcast in Chinese, Yan Can Cook, Inc. intends to expand into new Asian markets, particularly China. Additionally, due to a rise in business, it will create its own online store and increase its product offerings. Moreover, it plans to grow its Yan Can and SensAsian restaurant chains into several large cities.

To learn more about Yan Can Cook, Inc. and Chef Martin Yan, visit www.yancancook.com.