Being a chef wasn’t my first choice. I had to help my stepmom at Sa-Nguan Sri restaurant, in Ploen Chit. I dreamed of being a diplomat as I was inspired by the diplomats who always ate at our place. So I studied diplomacy at Ramkhamhaeng University. 

At the time, I sold cigarettes illegally with my friends at pubs around Bangkok and we got caught. I had to pool all my savings, about B600,000, to pay the fine. I was so depressed. So when I got an offer to work at a restaurant, I just took it. 

It was Blue Elephant in Copenhagen. I had this small hope that if I went, I might be able to continue my diplomatic studies at Oxford. 

Don’t depend on others; you should be able to do most things yourself. The abbot at a Thai temple in Denmark told me this. I was asking for advice after I was offered the chef position at Blue Elephant for another five years. I was reluctant to accept as I wanted to continue my education. I finally said yes because I felt the job really suited me. 

Being on top can give you cold feet. I was appointed chef at just 19 years old and had to manage staff who were all at least 10 years older than me. It was hard to gain their trust. And when you’re the boss, who can you ask for advice? 

Being observant and showing attention to detail are my ways to gain people’s trust. 

You don’t need to do everything better than others but you must know more than others. I finally came back to work at Blue Elephant in Thailand for another six years, before founding Thai Cuisine Connections (TCCC), which gives advice to restaurants abroad.

I was nearly burnt to death. My worst kitchen nightmare happened five years ago with a gas leak at a fair where I’d set up a mobile kitchen. When I tried to stop the leak, a big fireball engulfed me and my colleagues. My face and hands were all burnt. Luckily it was not that serious. But I could smell my burnt flesh. I’m still scared every time I hear a loud bang.

Cooking is meditation for me. I can fully concentrate and enjoy being creative at the same time. Serving people good food is like making merit, too.

Taste is everything with food. Participating in Iron Chef reinforced my opinion that no matter how fast you can make something or how good looking your dish is, it’s worth nothing if it’s not delicious.

Namprik platu is my favorite dish. I’ve always enjoyed eating chili paste with fried mackerel. It’s a nostalgic thing from when my mom used to make it for me. When I do it, I mash the fish meat into the rice like pet food. It’s superb.

I welcome the arrival of Michelin chefs in Bangkok. I’m sure that we are one of the top cities for gastronomy, so I think it will be good to see more restaurants get inspired to go to the next level. 

Mass production destroys the attributes of Thai herbs. I grow all my own basil, sweet basil and lemongrass because they’re so much more aromatic. 

It’s terrible that Thai people don’t have much chance to consume our great quality products as they’re all exported. We only get the normal products to eat here. But I will use the very best ingredients at my new place, Siam Wisdoms. Many people are doubting my ambition because these ingredients are expensive, but I will prove them wrong.

The best Thai restaurants in the world can’t be anywhere else but in Thailand. We have everything here to create the greatest Thai food. 

Thai fine dining isn’t just putting good looking pad Thai on a plate. There might not be that much difference in taste between a B50 or B500 pad Thai, but fine dining must combine great service, atmosphere, the very best ingredients and, of course, the chef’s creativity.

I have no doubt that some street food stalls are truly delicious, but they don’t have the same atmosphere as a fine dining venue. So it’s all about choice.

Thai food is about rounded-flavors. For me, it’s not about which recipes are the authentic ones, as all families have their secret recipes, especially at aristocratic homes. 

Food is alive. It changes over time. Thai food is a dynamic mix of Chinese, Indian and Khmer cuisines, cultures and traditions. The climate is also a factor. Because the weather is hotter here, it makes people crave sweetness.

I love to collect cookbooks. The oldest one that I have is a French cookbook from the 18th century, while the earliest Thai one I have is Mae Krua Hua Pah, which was first written in 1908.

I dream to open a Thai cooking school that can be one of the best ever as I will gather the great Thai chefs to teach there.

There is no reaching the summit in this profession. New generations always come up, and they have more passion, so you need to keep advancing yourself.