As the Chef and Culinary Director of Hong Shing and the owner of Yan Dining Room, Eva Chin is redefining Chinese-Canadian cuisine with a bold, forward-thinking approach. Her culinary philosophy blends deep respect for tradition with modern innovation, setting her apart as a leader in Toronto’s dynamic restaurant industry.
For Chin, food is more than just sustenance—it’s a shared history, a conversation, and a connection between past and future. At Yan, her intimate dining experience, guests come in as strangers and leave feeling like old friends. This ability to create meaningful connections through food is what makes Chin’s work so impactful.
Her ambitions, however, extend far beyond the kitchen. With experience in global culinary hotspots like New York, Hong Kong, Vancouver, and Los Angeles, Chin brings an international perspective to her Toronto-based restaurants. She understands the standards of excellence, the potential for innovation, and the systemic challenges facing the hospitality industry. Having witnessed the industry’s most grueling eras, she is now part of a new generation of chefs advocating for equity, sustainable practices, and better working conditions in food and hospitality.
A firm believer in farm-to-table dining, Chin’s roots on Canada’s West Coast and her childhood spent on a farm shape her commitment to seasonal, locally sourced ingredients. As an immigrant chef, she also challenges the notion that Chinese cuisine must remain static. Instead, she proves it can be seasonal, personal, and ever-evolving. Through her work, Chin is not just running a restaurant—she’s leading a cultural shift in the way people experience and appreciate Chinese-Canadian food.
Speaking with Editor-in-Chief Lance Chung on the Mission Critical podcast, the two discussed her perspective on her craft, the need for innovation in the culinary world, and connecting to your roots.
This profile is part of a larger series called Momentum, presented by Monogram Appliances, which aims to celebrate Asian leaders. Listen to the conversation or continue reading below.


Lance Chung: Eva, it is such a pleasure to finally be chatting. I’ve been a fan of yours for a while. I think you have such a beautiful and important perspective on your craft. Your work is a testament to the power of food, drink, and hospitality and the impact they have beyond the four walls of a restaurant. Food is such a powerful gateway to deeper discussions about culture, community, and identity.
Eva Chin: Absolutely. One thing I’ve learned about food is that it doesn’t matter if I know you or not, if we speak the same language or not—when I put a plate of food in front of someone, there’s already an immediate connection. You don’t need to understand each other’s past or current situation; food creates a shared moment. That’s incredibly powerful.
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Lance Chung: It’s so much more than just sustenance. Food is about connection—to people, to our roots, to different cultures and communities. I imagine you see that firsthand when your diners navigate your menu or experience a tasting menu at your restaurant.
Eva Cin: Definitely. At Yan [Dining ROom], where we offer a communal tasting menu, I love watching people connect over a meal. It’s incredible to see how food can bring strangers together. After just four months of opening, I started getting messages from guests who had dined at Yan, sat across from each other as strangers, and were now going out on food dates. That’s what I crave most—bonding communities together through food.
Lance Chung: What do you find is the biggest difference between building a tasting menu versus a more traditional restaurant menu?
Eva Chin: It’s all about choice. I respect that sometimes people just want to order two dishes and have a conversation—they don’t necessarily want a three-hour curated experience every time they dine out. Tasting menus offer something immersive, where the diner is taken on a journey. But sometimes, I love going to a restaurant and knowing exactly what I want to order. I like offering both experiences to people. That said, through my tasting menu, I’ve really been able to form a deeper connection with guests.
Even when Yan evolves into its own full-fledged restaurant, the experience of its intimate, back-room dining setting at Hong Shing will never be replicated. It’s such a special moment in time, and I’m cherishing every second of it.


Lance Chung: I love that. Let’s rewind a little. Can you give me a highlight reel of your journey as a chef and restaurateur? You’ve worked in and out of Toronto—what’s that been like for you?
Eva Chin: Rewarding. That’s the word I’d use. There’s a saying: The climb is hard, but the view is great. That sums up my career. I’m what you’d call an elder millennial—I grew up in the late ‘80s and ‘90s and got to witness and learn from the hard work of previous generations. I was raised by them, trained by them, and, yes, also exposed to the toxicity of the industry back then.
Our generation is in a unique position—we’re the last to have experienced that old-school, often problematic restaurant culture, but we also get to be part of shaping the future. One of my biggest challenges now is working with younger generations who didn’t witness those earlier struggles. That makes it a huge responsibility for those of us in between—to take what we’ve learned and build something better.
When I started out, my career goals were so different. Back then, I was focused on the food itself. Now, my purpose has expanded beyond just what’s on the plate. I care about speaking up for the community, implementing changes in the industry, and shaping what the future of hospitality looks like.
Lance Chung: That evolution is really powerful. What was the turning point for you? When did your perspective shift?
Eva Chin: It was the day I realized, Oh my God, this system is broken. I had been drinking the Kool-Aid for so long, fully immersed in the industry, thinking I was part of something great. Then one day, I was standing there, and suddenly, every issue in the industry hit me at once—pay inequality, lack of benefits, toxic work environments. It was all right in front of me, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore. From that moment on, my career became about more than just making food. Every decision I made after that was different.
Lance Chung: That shift is evident in your work. I see it through social media, your menu, and even through mutual connections who speak so highly of the impact you’re making. There’s a ripple effect that goes far beyond the plate.
Eva Chin: And I’m inspired by others doing the same thing! People like you, like Madelyn, like Evelyn—Toronto has this incredible sense of loyalty to community. That was something I didn’t experience as strongly in Vancouver, but I think timing and place are everything. Being in Toronto, especially during COVID, really shaped my perspective. The way people showed up for each other and rallied for change—I’ve never seen anything like it.


Lance Chung: How did your background in cities like New York, Hong Kong, and LA shape your approach to making an impact in Toronto?
Eva Chin: Toronto still has a ways to go compared to cities like New York and Hong Kong, but working in those places allowed me to push the boundaries here. Having seen what I’ve seen and experienced what I’ve experienced, I know that what many consider the “maximum” isn’t really the limit. That perspective drives me to take things further with my team and collaborators.
It’s like moving goalposts—the vision keeps expanding. My job isn’t just to execute what I see but to help my entire team see it too, so we can collectively push for that next level.
Lance Chung: When you conceptualize a menu and test dishes, what do you consider to be the hallmark of your culinary style?
Eva Chin: If you ask my team, they’ll tell you I never like to do the same thing twice. And it’s true—I don’t have a dish that hasn’t evolved. Many chefs hold onto signature dishes, but I don’t believe in that. Even my proudest creation can still improve, whether it’s three months or three years later.
Take, for example, a scallop dish I’ve been refining over the years—at Momofuku, at Avling, in Vancouver. By now, it’s on its 91st rendition. My approach is always evolving.
At my core, I’m a farm-to-table chef. That stems from my upbringing on a farm, my experience working in produce-driven restaurants, and my roots in BC, where the West Coast culture deeply values seasonal ingredients. That connection to seasonality means my cooking is always changing.
Lance Chung: How does being an immigrant chef influence how you approach your work?
Eva Chin: Change is the worst thing for immigrant families. Growing up, pantry staples were everything because times were hard. Our parents cooked the same dishes for 20 years. Farmers’ markets weren’t where we shopped—we went to 99 Ranch because it had the same ingredients at the same price for a decade.
So being a farm-to-table chef while cooking within my culture is a challenge. People tend to think only French or Italian cuisine is seasonal, but why not Chinese food? Historically, our food had to be consistent for survival. Restaurants needed customers to come in every week and get the same General Tso’s Chicken. They didn’t care if it came with broccoli or bok choy—they just wanted the neon sauce on the meat.
That makes it hard to convince people that Chinese food can be seasonal, vibrant, and higher quality. Changing that narrative is one of my biggest challenges.


Lance Chung: That’s a powerful insight. I’ve noticed even within our own communities, there’s resistance to change. If I take my family to a modern Chinese restaurant with a higher-priced menu, it’s a tough sell.
Eva Chin: Exactly. It’s a tough sell because it’s unfamiliar. Many people—especially older generations—want the classics. They don’t necessarily have an appetite for innovation or new perspectives. But that’s the first thing I address when people walk into Yan.
As guests take their seats, I remind them: everyone had to walk through Hong Shing Restaurant outside, where bowls of beef and broccoli and chicken balls are being served. That’s what got us here—our forefathers built a foundation for us. But the real question is: what’s going to take us forward?
Do we think the same model will keep taking Chinese cuisine seriously? I don’t think so. People’s palates have changed. A young Jewish chef is building a Chinese food empire. We’re past the point of just takeout boxes of fried rice. Even though our own community wants to keep things the same, we have to evolve.
Yan was born out of that idea. My partner Colin [Li] and I wanted to ask: what is the evolution of Chinese food? What is Chinese-Canadian food in the modern era?
Lance Chung: That idea of evolution is compelling, and I love the way you structure the guest experience as a storytelling journey before they’ve even taken a bite.
Eva Chin: Exactly. Before they taste anything, they’re experiencing a transition from past to future.
Lance Chung: Speaking of evolution, there’s an ongoing conversation about who gets to “own” or push forward a cuisine. What’s your take on who holds the keys to advancing culture—within our community or beyond it?
Eva Chin: Everyone should have a chance. But here’s the thing—I used to travel everywhere except China. For years, I explored Europe, Japan, everywhere but my own cultural roots. And I had to ask myself: why? What was stopping me from going to China? It’s my own people, my own language—why did it feel so foreign?
When I finally spent 10 months backpacking through every province, I had a realization: many North American Chinese people are hesitant to fully embrace the depth of our own culture. They’ll travel anywhere before considering a deep dive into the motherland. And that shapes how we interact with our own food identity.
Canadian-Chinese cuisine is its own genre, and so is our identity. Many in our community feel more Canadian than Chinese. So when it comes to pushing cuisine forward, it’s not just about who’s “allowed”—it’s about who has the courage to explore, experiment, and tell a new story. That’s what I’m trying to do.


Lance Chung: What was the moment you realized you wanted to pursue this career path?
Eva Chin: It was during my college years when I first got exposed to the industry. I was interning at a firm that worked closely with community projects, and I saw firsthand the impact our work had. That’s when I knew this was what I wanted to do.
Lance Chung: What were some of the biggest challenges you faced early in your career?
Eva Chin: One of the biggest challenges was overcoming self-doubt. I was stepping into an industry where I didn’t see a lot of people like me, and that made it difficult to envision my own success. Additionally, building a network from scratch was a daunting task, but I quickly learned the importance of mentorship and asking for guidance.
Lance Chung: You’ve had some major successes. Can you share a defining moment that shaped your trajectory?
Eva Chin: There was a project I worked on early in my career that really solidified my confidence. It was high stakes, and there was a lot of pressure to deliver. When we finally saw the project come to life and the positive impact it had on the community, I felt a sense of accomplishment that reaffirmed my passion for this work.
Lance Chung: What’s one piece of advice you would give to someone looking to follow in your footsteps?
Eva Chin: Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there. Say yes to opportunities, even if they seem daunting at first. Growth comes from stepping outside your comfort zone. And never underestimate the power of building relationships—so much of success is about who you surround yourself with.
Lance Chung: How do you stay motivated and continue pushing boundaries in your work?
Eva Chin: I always remind myself of my ‘why.’ Staying connected to the bigger purpose behind my work keeps me going, even on tough days. I also make it a point to keep learning, whether it’s through mentorship, reading, or attending industry events. Surrounding myself with driven, passionate people helps keep my own motivation high.
Lance Chung: What excites you most about the road ahead?
Eva Chin: I want to keep creating spaces where food fosters connection and conversation. Yen will evolve, but its heart—bringing people together—will always remain. Beyond that, I want to keep pushing for change in the industry, whether that’s through mentorship, advocacy, or creating new dining experiences that reflect the future of hospitality.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Listen to the full discussion on the Mission Critical podcast now.