Wendall Yamada


 * In this, the family name is Yamada.

Wendall Francis Kiyoshi Yamada, KON (山田 利佳, Yamada Kiyoshi; born September 19, 1983) is a Japanese Sierran, , , and television personality. A graduate of the 2008 class of the New Bourbon Institute of the Culinary Arts, Yamada has amassed a successful culinary career: owning seven restaurants which have collectively earned him a total of 9, and hosts and produces three Sierran cooking television programs. First appearing in his debut television series, Cooking Warrior (2010–2014) as a producer and a judge, his widely popular show propelled him to stardom. He gained notoriety on the show for featuring non-traditional ingredients, especially, earning the moniker, the "Rat Chef". He began hosting Exploration Chef (2012–2016) which documented his international travels in discovering new culinary and cultural adventures, before eventually hosting the ongoing series TNC's American Food Royale (2014–present) and How to Cook it Right (2016–present). In 2016, he was designated as Her Majesty's Herald Steward, and was inducted into the Order of the Navel as a knight for his contributions to Sierran culture and society.

On Cooking Warrior and American Food Royale, Yamada's reality television personality portrays him as an eccentric, unpredictable man whose use of sensationalism, absurdism, expletives, and and  humor. Yamada has made frequently controversial statements and comments throughout the years, and has been accused of promoting racist, sexist, and homophobic stereotypes. Outside of these shows, Yamada has produced two serious programs (Exploration Chef and How to Cook it Right), which have been described as a "stark contrast" to Yamada's more popular shows, and documents Yamada's work as a professional and respected chef. He is recognized as one of the premier  in Sierra, although is well-disciplined in broader Japanese cuisine, as well as French and Italian. Outside of his culinary and television career, Yamada has been an outspoken advocate for LGBT rights and mental health awareness.

Early life and culinary training
Yamada was born on September 19, 1983 into a  family as an only child in, San Francisco in the  neighborhood. His father Toshiro Yamada worked as a creative manager for a local construction firm while his mother Haruko Yamada served as the principal of the Westlake Japanese Cultural School. They shared their one-story home with Yamada's maternal grandparents, who were immigrants from Japan. Having developed an early fondness towards cooking, Yamada begun formal culinary training when he was 15, much to the disappointment of his parents. After spending an extended vacation in Japan at his ancestral hometown,, Yamada aspired to be a sushi chef (itamae). He and his cousin, Kei trained under Hiroko Furutachi, a family friend, as apprentices, and manned the kitchen at Furutachi's establishment, Kamekoya, in San Francisco City.

After receiving his high school diploma, Yamada was accepted into the New Bourbon Institute of the Culinary Arts, an institution renowned for its rigorous and professional specialty training in French and Italian cuisine. While attending, he received firsthand training as a ' at a high-end French restaurant, and later, as a '. Yamada also spent time perfecting his sushi preparation skills, and personally fished and gathered his own supplies during his free time.