A Family Affair: How the Steppe Siblings Are Shaping Blue Elephant’s Future
- Manta
- Apr 30
- 9 min read
In a rare interview with Expats Lifestyle, Sandra, Kim, and Kris Steppe reflect on heritage, identity, and what comes next
It’s not often that all three Steppe siblings sit down together to speak openly about the family business. In fact, this was a rare occasion, and an exclusive interview for Expats Lifestyle, where Sandra, Kim, and Kris Steppe came together to reflect on the journey of Blue Elephant, from its beginnings to where it stands today, and where it is heading next.
45 years ago, a Flemish art dealer and his Thai wife decided to open a Thai restaurant in Brussels. Little did they know that the restaurant would go on to make history and grow into an internationally recognized brand, one that food lovers around the world have come to trust and admire.
It is safe to say that Thai food is known as far and wide as it is today in part thanks to Blue Elephant, a traditional Thai restaurant opened in 1980 in Brussels, Belgium, by art dealer Karl Steppe and his Chachoengsao-born Thai wife, Master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe. Growing up cooking at home and working with her family’s spice blending and chili paste business, Master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe would prepare authentic Thai dishes for her husband’s clients.
They were so impressed that they encouraged the couple to open a restaurant, so they could enjoy those flavors anytime, not just during antique dealings. And just like that, the first Blue Elephant was established in Brussels in 1980, and the rest is history.
From a small family business that introduced authentic Thai flavors to Europe, Blue Elephant gradually expanded. A trade office was established in Thailand in 1984 to export fresh Thai ingredients to Europe, followed by the first franchise in London in 1986. In 2002, the brand returned to its roots with the opening of Blue Elephant Bangkok Sathorn Cooking School & Restaurant in Bangkok.
Already a world-renowned restaurant brand and Thai cooking school, Blue Elephant expanded into retail in 2006 with the Blue Elephant Grocery line, offering premixed pastes, spices, and ingredients sourced 100 percent locally in Thailand. The brand continued to grow with a Phuket outpost in 2010 and, most recently, Blue Elephant Sukhumvit Thai Heritage Cuisine in 2024.
Now in its fourth decade, Blue Elephant is evolving once again, this time under the second-generation leadership of Karl Steppe and Master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe’s three children: Sandra, Kim, and Kris. Each brings their own strengths and perspectives, working together to grow the brand while staying true to its roots, all under the continued guidance of their parents.
“We were grew up in Brussels,” Sandra, the eldest daughter, told us. “They called us zinnekes – a mix between two cultures. Back then there were not a lot of people that came from different parts of the world in Belgium. We were very exotic!"
Despite growing up in Dutch-speaking Brussels, the siblings maintained a close connection to Thailand from a young age. Their father’s work in antiques surrounded them with Asian influences, while their mother ensured that Thai food was always at the center of family life.
“We’d come to Thailand every year to see our grandparents in Chachoengsao. Sometimes twice a year. We never felt too far away from Thailand and Thai culture."
Unlike many heirs who step directly into the family business, the Steppe children took time to explore their own paths. As children, Sandra dreamed of becoming a veterinarian, Kim a pilot, and Kris a DJ or rapper.
Sandra began her career at the Belgian embassy in Bangkok, later working with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and at the Belgian consulate in India. Those experiences shaped her perspective before she eventually joined Blue Elephant.
“Some Asian companies, they let the kids right away join the family business. And they have no exposure. They don't know who they are. They don't know their strengths, or their weaknesses. They just join and that's it. Or sometimes it’s about getting a certain degree. You need this degree, that degree, but at the end of the day, they just have degrees. And then, okay, who am I? What do I want? And I think in our way of thinking and being is more about who you are. What are your experiences? So, I'm very happy that I went to India before joining Blue Elephant.”
Today, Sandra takes the role of Director of Marketing & PR, and oversees international relations for the brand, drawing on her background in diplomacy, PR, and networking.
The first to return to the family business, however, was Kim, though not without hesitation.
“I’m a bit rebellious,” Kim said. “I studied in New York, and when I came back I told my parents I didn't want to continue to study. I wanted to learn about life and see what life has to bring. Education has a certain way to format the way you think. And I'm very free spirited. So, I didn't want my way of life or my way of thinking to be formatted.”
Kim explored a wide range of roles, from selling Nespresso machines and shoes to managing one of Brussels’ first hip-hop bars, where DJs would battle across two stations.
“Kim cannot stay still,” his sister summed it up.
Even then, he resisted joining the family business, enjoying the independence and success he had built, until his father asked him a simple but powerful question: “why are you making money for somebody else while you could make money for the family?”
“That was a very good point,” Kim recalled. “So, I had to think about it. In the family, we have a big sense of solidarity. Sometimes we are far away from each other. But if anything happens to any one of us, we'll be there. So, in the end, I accepted it and started to jump back into the family business. That's how I got back into it. And I never left.”
Now Blue Elephant Group’s CEO, Kim oversees the business side of operations and growth. Under his leadership, Blue Elephant Grocery began in 2006 with a modest 1,000-baht budget, with Kim sourcing materials from places like Pantip Plaza and Chatuchak Market. Despite its humble beginnings, the concept quickly gained traction, attracting major international clients such as Galeries Lafayette and Harrods. Today, the products are available in more than 40 countries worldwide.
Chef Kris Steppe, the youngest, took a more direct route into the business. After completing his education in hospitality at Prince of Songkla University, he joined Blue Elephant and followed his mother into the kitchen, helping to carry forward her culinary legacy.
“I started getting interested into doing my events, music events. And somehow I didn't continue because I realized that I also like to work with the family. And somehow I followed my mother, you know, because she's pushing me to follow her. She can rely on Blue Elephant, but she has to rely on someone to continue whatever she's doing now,” the chef said.
Together, the three siblings complete the picture, though not without moments of tension. Working with their parents, they admit, can be both challenging and rewarding.
Kim explains that the business has always been more than just a source of income. It is deeply tied to responsibility, identity, and a sense of giving back to Thailand. In their family, conversations often revolve around the business, even during travel, where checking on products has become second nature. Sandra described Blue Elephant as the “fourth child” in the family.
“The only time that we can really get out of the business is when we travel in a country where we don't have business,” Kim said. “But it becomes difficult because now we distribute our products in 48 countries in the world. So, we always automatically do a store check and revolve somehow around the business. But then, again, we consider the business part of the family.”
Stepping into leadership also came with its own challenges. For Kim, taking on a leadership role at a young age meant navigating complex dynamics with people who had known him since childhood.
“You have a sense of respect towards your elders, but then from one day to another you become their boss.”
Earning that respect required balance, especially when managing older team members while making decisions that carried real consequences. “You know that when you take a decision it will have an effect, and it will not always have the outcome that you expect.”
For Sandra, the friction within the family is part of what makes the work meaningful.
“My father especially is harder on us than the rest of the people. He's very critical. But I think it's a classic thing, not just with us. Even in other Asian companies, when the parents see the children, they want more. They want more out of their children. More and better."
“Sometimes we clash. We're like an Italian mafia [laughed]. Sometimes it's steamy, like a volcanic eruption because we all have our minds, we all have our thoughts. But after that we learn to calm down, and we learn to think and reason. You must learn to agree to disagree. And I think maybe if everything was too smooth, maybe we would all be a bit bored. As you can see, we all have our characters.”
Chef Kris, who works most closely with Master Chef Nooror Somany Steppe, shares a different perspective on working with their mother.
“I sometimes called her “chef”, you know, out of respect, but she didn’t like it,” Kris said. “She looked at me like, “No, no, no. Call me mom.” But sometimes when things got serious in the kitchen, she was not mom anymore. She was the master chef in the kitchen. She’s very professional and at the same time very caring. She likes to have us around.”
At its core, Blue Elephant operates with a deeply rooted family mindset that extends beyond bloodlines to include its employees. Supporting people, especially during difficult times, is seen as both a responsibility and a shared value.
During COVID-19, that philosophy was put into action. Rather than letting staff go, the company chose to absorb the impact collectively.
“We cut percentage of our salaries to keep everybody,” Sandra explained. Senior team members took the largest reductions so that lower-income employees could continue to earn enough to survive. “We didn’t throw anybody out. We were one of the few who kept every single person.”
Even employees who returned to their hometowns continued to receive support, including maintained benefits such as insurance. While the financial impact was significant, the long-term advantage became clear when operations resumed. With the team intact, Blue Elephant was able to restart quickly and efficiently. “We were among the first ones who were ready to operate,” Sandra said.
Looking ahead, with all three siblings now fully involved, the future of Blue Elephant is centered on evolution without losing its core identity. The brand remains committed to its founding values: supporting Thailand through the use of 100 percent locally sourced ingredients, sustaining Thai agriculture, and contributing to a circular economy, while adapting thoughtfully to contemporary tastes.
“Blue Elephant is really about Thailand,” said Kim. “Tied to the land. Tied to the people, tied to the culture. We restore old buildings which were supposed to collapse. We brought back recipes that were forgotten. We look after products which are GI, recognized by provinces. We look at how sustainable the products are. So, this is how I believe that we would like the brand to be represented and felt within the people in Thailand and outside of Thailand.
"Every time we go somewhere, we don't move with the Blue Elephant flag. We really go with the Thai flag. We see ourselves as representatives of Thailand and not representatives of Blue Elephant.”
Sandra described the brand as timeless rather than trend-driven, drawing comparisons to institutions like Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok.
“The danger of trendy fashion is that it can go out of fashion,” she noted. What defines Blue Elephant, she said, is its ability to bring people together across generations. Whether it’s “a grandma coming with her granddaughter” or groups of friends of different ages, the experience is designed to feel inclusive and universal.
At the same time, staying relevant remains essential. While the core values do not change, the brand continues to evolve, listening closely to what today’s diners want.
“What we try to give is a moment of happiness in spending time around the table, enjoying good food, good atmosphere. These are the core things that we try to do and not to compromise on quality products.”
In the end, what the Steppe siblings are carrying forward is more than a restaurant brand. It’s a philosophy rooted in family, culture, and a deep respect for Thailand.
As Blue Elephant continues to evolve, its legacy remains anchored in the same values that built it, while quietly adapting to a new generation. With Sandra, Kim, and Kris now shaping its next chapter together, the story feels less like a handover and more like a continuation, one that keeps unfolding, just as it always has, around the table.
Blue Elephant Bangkok Sathorn Cooking School & Restaurant
41 South Sathorn Road, Yannawa, Sathon, Bangkok
+66 (2) 673 9353 – 8
Blue Elephant Sukhumvit Thai Heritage Cuisine
27 Sukhumvit Soi 13, Khlong Toei Nuea, Wattana, Bangkok
+66 (2) 115 9885
Blue Elephant Governor Mansion Phuket
96 Krabi Road, Talad Nuea, Muang, Phuket
+66 (76) 354 355 - 7
[PHOTO: Kaan Suchanin - unless otherwise indicated]
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