The fairytale story of the Blue Elephant family began in the 70s when Master Chef Nooror met Karel Steppe, a Belgian art dealer and visionary businessman, while she was studying in Belgium. After getting married, they opened the very first Blue Elephant in 1980 in Brussels with their Thai partners Khun Chai Wayno and Somboon Insusri, the same year they had their first child, Khun Sandra. The female chef behind the concept: Master Chef Nooror Nooror Somany Steppe is the inspiration and central person behind the success of Blue Elephant. Thai heritage cuisine is his passion and creativity, his driving force. For over 4 decades, Chef Nooror has strived to be an ambassador for Thai cuisine and culture around the world. His motto? "You can't make great Thai food without good Thai ingredients!" Thai mothership Our Chef finally returned to his native country to lead the expansion of the group's activities. All while simultaneously acting as a personal assistant to Ajarn Sisamon, the legendary guru of Thai heritage cuisine. Blue Elephant Restaurant and Cooking School opened in Bangkok in 2002, followed by a branch in Phuket in 2010. North of Bangkok, the Blue Spice factory, the manufacturing arm of the Blue Elephant group, was inaugurated in 2006 and currently exports its products to +45 countries.