On 16 April 2026, the Royal Thai Embassy in Madrid organized the second milestone activity of the Thai Gastronomy Week project, aimed at promoting the popularity of Thai cuisine in Spain and Andorra. The Thai cooking demonstration was organized in collaboration with the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastián.
During the event, Mr. Kamol Chobdee-ngam (Chef Gigg), winner of Iron Chef 2015 and owner of Lerdtip Restaurant and Phed Mark Restaurant, demonstrated the preparation of three Thai dishes: stir-fried beef basil with fried egg on rice (Pad Krapao Nuea Kai Dao), red curry with fish (Choo Chee Pla), and coconut galangal soup with chicken (Tom Kha Gai). The event was opened by Ms. Supamas Yunyasit, Chargé d’Affaires, and was attended by more than 40 participants, including students from the Center and guests invited by the Royal Thai Embassy.
The Basque Culinary Center is a world-renowned institution specializing in Gastronomic Sciences, located in San Sebastián in the Basque Country. It is considered a key institution driving Spain’s culinary innovation onto the global stage. The Faculty of Gastronomic Sciences offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs, and is the first institution in Europe to elevate culinary arts to an academic degree.
This initiative by the Royal Thai Embassy aims to promote Thai cuisine—one of Thailand’s most distinctive forms of soft power—on the global stage, adding an academic dimension and advancing Thai ingredients, flavors, and culinary techniques to gain wider international recognition. The project seeks to achieve this through collaboration with global institutions such as the Basque Culinary Center and San Sebastián, which is regarded as a global hub in the international culinary world.