Meet Carole Yu : Asian Cooking Instructor, Blogger & Founder of Yu Can Cook

About Carole Yu

Hi, I’m Carole Yu food lover, recipe creator, and the instructor behind Yu Can Cook.

I believe bold flavors should be exciting, not intimidating. Through my hands-on cooking classes, recipe videos, and easy kitchen tips, I help home cooks master delicious dishes and feel great doing it.

Whether you’re here for your next dinner idea or ready to learn something new, I’ll guide you every step of the way.  Because cooking should always feel fresh, fun, and full of flavor.

See Upcoming Classes →

How It All Started

I was born in New Zealand into a giant family of market gardeners. Food and farming were part of daily life. One of my favorite photos from that time shows me at my first birthday, sitting at a table overflowing with desserts.”

When I was two years old, we moved to South Bend, Indiana, where my dad taught mathematics at Notre Dame and my mom taught cooking classes from our home.

After earning my mechanical engineering degree from Notre Dame, I worked in cities like Boston, Beijing, Tokyo, and Vancouver, and also spent time living in Rome. But food kept pulling me back. I launched YuCanCook.com in 2018 to finally share the flavors I love most. Today, I teach both in-person and live-streaming cooking classes from my studio in Los Angeles, inspired by everywhere I’ve lived.

Black and White photo of Baby Carole at her first birthday party, sitting in front of a lace covered table, surrounded by 15 desserts, cake, pavlovas, chocolate log, tarts, butterfly cakes, madeleines, chocolate eclairs, and more.

1964 Baby Carole at her first birthday party, surrounded by rich New Zealand cream desserts. "No wonder I have a sweet tooth!!"

Baby Carole dressed in a hand made knitted pants, and sweater with pompoms, sitting on her mother, Nellie's lap, and father, Warren standing behind the chair. They are on the porch of an old house in Dunedin, New Zealand where Carole was born.

1963 Baby Carole with her mother Nellie, and father Warren on the porch of their house in Dunedin, New Zealand, where Carole was born.

1965 Black and White photo of 18 month Carole sitting with her parents Nellie, and Warren having arrived in South Bend, Indiana.

1965 Carole, Nellie, and Warren having arrived in South Bend, Indiana.

2004 Carole in red tank top and khaki shorts with late husband George in blue shirt and khaki pants in Kyoto, Japan.

2004 Carole and late husband George in Kyoto, Japan.

Carole at the Taj Mahal 1991

On the way home from Toyko in 1991, we bought an around the world ticket to explore India.

Carole enjoying a Ryokan dinner in Kyoto, Japan 2004

From China to Culver City

I taught technical writing at Qinghua University in Beijing, trained Japanese executives at The Canning School in Tokyo and later worked for IBM in Boston and Vancouver as a marketing and leasing rep. I also worked as the assistant general manager and culinary/events manager at Williams Sonoma Beverly Hills, and led customer experience retail training at Eataly LA.

Now I teach live-streamed and in-person classes through ClassBento and from my Culver City kitchen studio helping students cook confidently with everyday tools and ingredients they already have.

I test all of my recipes repeatedly in my home studio using everyday ingredients. No special equipment is required! I teach with tools you already own, and I make cooking fun, step-by-step, and always hands-on.

Recipes People Love

My recipes are trusted by my students and readers across the web.  You’ll see many of them at the top of your Google search!

Top Favorites:

A cut view of half a Black Sesame Mooncake on a pink Plate, next to a full mooncake, showing the beautiful star print on the top of the cake.
Black Sesame Mooncakes
Carole holding a tray of black sesame tiramisu, up to the camera, so that you can see the cream topping sprinkled with black sesame seeds. Carole has large oversized purple glasses and curled shoulder length purple glasses hair.
Black Sesame Tiramisu
CLOSEUP of shrimp, stirfried with red peppers and snap peas
Garlic Shrimp Stir-Fry with Snap Peas
veggies
How to Cut Green Onions for Stir-fry

Brands I’ve Cooked With

I’ve created recipes and produced content for brands including:

SEE - my Mango Japanese Cheesecake recipe for Cuckoo America.

pink girls' life logo for the magazine, Girls' Life

READ - the Girls’ Life feature on my daughter Dara, where I produced and assisted on recipe development and photo styling. 

brown hershey logo with hershey kiss at the end on a white backhground

WATCH - the Hershey's Winter Wonderland Surprise Cupcakes video and recipe we created

My work has also been featured in:

If you’re a brand looking to connect through food, I’d love to talk about collaborating.
ca****@******yu.com

Cover of Dec 2024 Culver City Neighbors magazine with Scott in a blue suit holding a rake, and Carole in a red fur jacket, and black horse riding boots, sitting on a vintage red, and pink striped loveseat. They are in front of their home which is a dark Blue home, with white window frames, and a bright orange fron door.
Dara with Stepdad Scott, Grandmother Nellie, Mom Carole, Dara in middle, Elena sister, and Grandfather Warren 2022

My daughter Dara is the youngest winner of MasterChef ever. She won the All Stars "Back To Win" 2022 season.

Elena standing in front of a custom bed coverlet stitched out of vintage kimono and obi fabric.

2024 Elena loves working with vintage kimono and obi on custom bed coverlets.

Daughter and artist Elena dressed in a bright yellow shirt working on her dust jacket duster jacket

My daughter Elena's work weaves and stitches social and personal histories.

Carole, and Daughters Elena and Dara in Blue Spring Putaruru, New Zealand

2023 Carole, and daughters at the Blue Spring Putaruru, New Zealand.

2001 Elena and Dara sitting on bed, with pastel mottled wall background.

May 2001 Elena - 7 yo and 5 mo old Dara in our Rome apartment.

Raised on Love and Good Food

My daughter Dara won MasterChef: Back to Win in 2022 the youngest winner ever. I’ve supported her journey from the very beginning, helping her develop the skills that got her there. I was also by her side during her MasterChef Junior days.

Elena, my older daughter, is an accomplished artist, gallery director at UVA, and my constant inspiration. She brings heart, creativity, and strength to everything she does. She was an only child for seven years. During that time, I worked on my cooking skills and had to figure out how to make food she would actually eat, with nothing touching on the plate!” Thankfully, 25 years later, she’s made peace with her edamame touching her rice. 🥰   

I’m incredibly proud of my girls.

Meet Scott, My Creative Partner

The mastermind behind the camera and my biggest supporter in this culinary journey

About Scott

Scott is the Head of Platform and in-house tech genius. With over 15 years of experience in video, sound, and editing, he’s taught me essential food blogging skills like editing, lighting, and composition.

My husband since 2008, he is truly my Partner in life and work. We met on the now-defunct Nerve dating app for creatives. He was a professional photographer, and now he’s a full-time stand-up comedian performing at The Ice House Pasadena, HaHa Comedy Club, Flappers, and The Comedy Store.

These days, he’s my go-to support system reminding me of my skills whenever I doubt myself.

Scott sitting at table wearing orange shirt and grey baseball cap in front of his table of a laptop, and two large computer screens, and a face light, in the background is his wall covered with decals and to the left is a purple acrylic light board, and turquoise blue wall.

In his creative space, Scott designed the wall art and produces digital content and handles much of the YuCanCook tech.

Scott performing on stage with grey hat, white tee, and gray pants. he is jumping with one leg in the air, holding a mic and wide mouth laughing.

Scott bringing the laughs at Westside Comedy in Santa Monica.

Scott headshot against a metal wall, wearing grey baseball cap, with mischievous small, looking to the upper right of photo, wearing red/orange jean jacket, and yellow tee with Comedy printed on in blue

Scott is the consummate comedian, creator, and is always mischievous.

Student Love

Real feedback from students who’ve cooked with me in-person and online — and keep coming back for more.
“Carole’s classes are better than takeout!”
— Regina
“She made everything feel so fun and approachable!”
— Joel & Julie
“So well organized and energizing.”
— Andrea
“The class was delicious, easy to follow, and full of great conversation!”
— Katie

Let’s Cook Together

If you’ve ever felt intimidated by Asian ingredients or techniques, you’re not alone. Join one of my interactive, hands-on cooking classes and learn to cook confidently with flavors from across Asia and beyond.

See Upcoming Classes →