Amherstburg entrepreneur’s plant-based kitchen finds audience on YouTube

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How does Amherstburg resident Wil Yeung explain the popularity of Yeung man cooking – The YouTube channel you run with your wife dedicated to herbal recipes?

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“I have no idea,” says Yeung laughing. “I always say, I’m just any guy on YouTube… I get so many amazing comments. It’s very humiliating. “

The channel, which shows Yeung preparing vegan versions of Asian-themed dishes, recently surpassed 500,000 subscribers and has amassed more than 26 million total views since 2014.

But Yeung notes that the channel’s audience has seen most of its growth in the past two years.

“Most people give up on their YouTube project very early,” says Yeung. “We were lucky enough to be randomly chosen as a ‘rising creator,’ where YouTube’s algorithm selects the channels that are gaining momentum and displays them on the 24-hour trending page. That gave us a lot of encouragement. “

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Now hundreds of thousands of people regularly visit the Yeung Channel to see plant-based reinterpretations of fried rice, ramen, satay, pad thai, bulgogi, katsu, and more.

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Born in Hong Kong, Yeung came to Canada when he was three years old. He grew up in the greater Toronto area and studied music and education at the University of Windsor.

His eclectic resume includes teaching music professionally, commercial photography, and a broad entrepreneurial spirit.

Yeung originally started creating content for YouTube as part of one of his commercial ventures – he wanted to showcase recipes involving Tru Mylks, his own brand of nut milk.

Toronto’s highly competitive food business turned out to be too stressful a hustle for Yeung. He set about creating YouTube content as a kind of therapy, exploring ways to create popular Asian dishes without involving animal products.

“I thought, ‘Hey, it would be nice to have my own cooking show, just for fun,’” says Yeung.

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“It is interesting to discover new ways of making classic dishes, without meat or dairy.”

Yeung notes that while the channel is vegan friendly, he himself is not vegan and does not promote plant-based eating for dietary or philosophical reasons.

“In terms of nutrition, I am not qualified in that field. I usually don’t comment on whether something is healthier, ”says Yeung.

“This is kind of a niche. Sometimes I feel like I’ve pigeonholed myself a bit. But at the same time, I am very curious about plant-based foods. Every day, I find a new technique, like mixing cashews to make cheesecake. It’s almost a challenge. “

“There is no politics in the program. We don’t talk about anything beyond plant-based cooking, because we want our content to be inclusive. “

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These days, the canal is more than a full-time occupation for Yeung. He is committed to uploading high-quality videos twice a week, applying his skills and resources as a photographer and videographer.

“It is seven days a week. It really takes a lot of effort, ”explains Yeung. “If you want to take YouTube seriously, you have to treat it like you are doing a television show. When I was younger, I loved watching the Food Network and I try to put that same energy into the channel. “

“To run a TV show, there are a lot of moving parts behind the scenes, in production.”

But the future of Yeung Man Cooking will not be limited to YouTube: Yeung has already published two cookbooks under the brand and plans to further expand the business into merchandise and other products.

“My roots are in entrepreneurship,” he says. “I really believe that anyone can achieve their aspirations.”

Learn more about Yeung Man Cooking via yeungmancooking.com.

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