TORONTO, CANADA – This spring 2026, USA Rice sponsored
Yes Shef, Canada’s leading culinary industry event celebrating women who are shaping the country’s food and beverage sector. This sponsorship led to a foodservice partnership with award-winning Chef Eva Chin, co-founder of the acclaimed Toronto restaurant
Yan Dining Room, who developed and showcased a signature dish featuring U.S.-grown rice on her menu.
A culinary innovator, Chef Eva is known for her elevated flavor profiles and creative approach to modern Chinese cooking. Yan Dining Room offers an exclusive eight-course tasting menu that seamlessly blends traditional Chinese culinary techniques with fresh, local, and seasonal ingredients. The menu evolves monthly to reflect the changing seasons, providing guests with a unique dining experience during every visit.
As part of a month-long menu feature, Chef Eva incorporated U.S.-grown Calrose rice into a specially developed “Cantonese Steamed Fish and Rice” course featured on the tasting menu. The dish highlighted the premium quality, consistency, and versatility of U.S.-grown rice. She also incorporated an educational element into the dining experience by personally introducing each course before it was served, raising awareness among diners of the California heirloom medium grain.
Over the four weeks of the campaign period, a total of 421 servings were enjoyed by diners, utilizing approximately 35 pounds of Calrose. The limited-time menu item was highlighted across both Yan Dining Room’s and Chef Eva’s Instagram channels through dedicated campaign posts that together generated more than 65,000 impressions and 268 engagements.
“By partnering with renowned establishments like Yan Dining Room, we underscore the versatility and premium quality of U.S.-grown rice in highly influential foodservice environments,” said Asiha Grigsby, USA Rice senior director of international promotion for the Western Hemisphere. “These collaborations go beyond short-term partnerships. They reflect a shared commitment to delivering memorable dining experiences that resonate with savvy Canadian consumers.”