Chef Somany” Nooror” Steppe of the Blue Elephant has been promoting’ Thai Kitchen To The World’ for almost 40 years
Discussed: 12 Mar 2025 at 04: 00
Chef Somany” Nooror” Steppe is the key people behind the success of the Blue Elephant model, where Thai history food is her driving force.
For more than four generations, restaurant Nooror has been striving as an ambassador advocating Thai cuisine and culture worldwide. Her tagline? ” You don’t make good Thai meal without great Thai components”!
Having met her business partner and father, Karel Steppe, while studying in Belgium in the 70s, restaurant Nooror opened the second Blue Elephant restaurant in 1980 in Brussels with colleagues Chai Wayno and Somboon Insuri.
When the restaurant returned to Thailand, she was individual aide to Ajarn Sisamon, the famous master of Thai history cuisine. The Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School opened in Bangkok in 2002, followed by a Phuket unit in 2010. The diner also has departments in Malta and Copenhagen, Denmark. But that wasn’t all.
Chef Nooror’s tagline played a major responsibility, and the Blue Elephant organizations began to make their unique ingredients and curry pastes at the Blue Spice shop. The production arm of the Blue Elephant party was inaugurated in 2006 and exports goods to 45 states.
Born in Chachoengsao, restaurant Nooror was ingrained in the culinary universe since childhood by her family and was renowned for her renowned heritage massaman curry powder.
” One of my earliest recollections was attempting to make horn mo for my family”, she recalls. ” I was about 11 and wanted my mother to be happy of me”. The Thai bass soufflé turned out to be terrible as restaurant Nooror forgot to steak and debone the seabass.
” I am glad of my Thai history. Each food has its own story, and I love creating as much as exploring the castle dishes of different eras or delving into the local culinary traditions gems”, says the restaurant.
In promoting the” Thai Kitchen To The World” for almost 40 years, restaurant Nooror was awarded an honorary Master of Arts degree from Kasetsart University and a Prime Minister Exporter Award. For over 30 years, she has been recognised as one of Thailand’s major restaurants.
” I have been operating Thai franchises in Europe for 45 years and have successfully expanded to multiple sites. Thai food has always been common. In recent years, the state has actively supported its international recognition through soft energy efforts led by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the Amazing Thailand strategy. These initiatives have considerably enhanced the global accessibility of Thai cuisine”, the restaurant told the Bangkok Post.
In 2024, the Officer Of The Order of Albert dignity was conferred upon Chef Nooror for spreading the gentle authority of Thai food and Indian culture from Belgium to Thailand. The honour is Belgium’s oldest and highest honourable order of knights. Chef Nooror also holds the title of adviser to the Queen Sirikit Centre for Breast Cancer.
Despite wearing several hats, nothing seems to cease the restaurant. In 2019, she opened Thai Brasserie by Blue Elephant, along with Monkey Pod, cafes under the same overcoat.
” Thailand has many cooking schools within several universities, providing the younger generation with the chance to learn and achieve a deeper knowledge of Thai food. This strong foundation ensures it will continue to flourish. It will not merely persist but also be passed down and further developed by the new generation, adapting to modern trends while gaining even greater recognition on the global stage”, says chef Nooror.