Chumpol Jangprai

The saga of Chumpol Jangprai, a true ambassador of Thai cuisine, through the Blue Elephant group – 11 restaurants at the moment, between Asia and Europe – starts at the age of 19, when he acquires experience at the Blue Elephant in Copenhagen. Soon after that he becomes the executive chef of the BE in Brussels, and in 2000 he’s the corporate chef for the entire Blue Elephant Worldwide group. In 2002 he returns home: in Bangkok he opens the prestigious Blue Elephant Cooking School and its restaurant, in which he works as executive chef on top of supervising some product lines under the same brand. Meanwhile, he works as culinary director for the Anantara chain, controlling the quality standards of the gastronomic offer of all the restaurants of the Thai group.

In Thailand, chef Jangprai is a true celebrity thanks to his numerous appearances on television, including his very popular “Golden Hand Chef”, or “Fanpantae Thai Food”. Since 2012 he’s also “Iron Chef”. Besides this, he has received numerous recognitions and has held lectures in prestigious universities and international cooking exhibitions, on top of being a member of the “Thai government’s national skill standard in Thai cuisine” committee. Jangprai is also one of the organisers of the World association of chef’s society, which includes 20 million chefs from over 80 countries. He is a counsellor for the Thai Restaurant Association and the general secretary of the Thai Chefs Association . segretario fenerale?

His cuisine is a successful mixture of culture, tradition and experimentation. Nor does he disdain any confrontation with western traditions (at Identità we recall a superb Ossobuco with curry). His knowledge of Thai ingredients is extraordinary, and so is his capacity of re-interpreting traditional dishes, made contemporary and suitable for non-Thai-palates too. His significant skills as communicator do the rest.