Blue Elephant - Cooking School

I was immediately impressed on my first visit to “Blue Elephant”. The restaurant is housed in a colonial building more than a hundred years old—elegant, peaceful and full of history. As soon as I stepped inside, I felt I was somewhere truly special.

Of course, I wanted to try the famous “Royal Thai Cuisine” there. But it turned into something much more for me.

Back then, all of Bangkok’s airports were blocked by protesters known as the “Yellow Shirts.” Leaving was out of the question, so I suddenly had to figure out how to spend the next few days.

The answer came quickly.

I’ve always loved cooking, and I already had a special love for Thai cuisine. So I made a spontaneous decision: I would learn to cook Thai food—and learn from the best.

Friends in Bangkok immediately gave me a name: Khun Nooror Steppe. It turned out to be a wonderful recommendation, as I soon discovered.

A visit to the “Blue Elephant” usually includes a half-day cooking class. Participants prepare a complete menu together, either in the morning or afternoon.

But I decided to do more: five days of cooking classes, several hours each day. That gave me a truly in-depth look into this extraordinary world.

And based on my own experience, here’s my first recommendation: If you have a choice, take the morning class. Before heading into the kitchen, you’ll visit a nearby market together to buy the ingredients.

This particular market visit taught me a lot. For example, they explained how to tell if seafood is fresh and how the different types of prawns differ. Ever since, whenever I see fish in market halls or restaurant displays, I always look them deep in the eyes first.

But I also learned there, Only then did we start cooking. I immersed myself in the world of Thai cuisine. Fresh lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, chili: even the aromas alone were overwhelming.

We learned to make curry pastes in a mortar, chop vegetables properly and understand the delicate balance of sweet, salty, sour and spicy.

It was never just about cooking. It was also about culture. Patience. And harmony.

Khun Nooror led her cooking class with impressive calm and elegance. Despite her international success, she never seemed distant to me.

And that’s exactly what made those days so special to me.