Supaksorn Jongsiri, better known as Chef Ice, has made history as the first person ever to earn three Michelin stars for a Southern Thai restaurant. His remarkable achievement elevates Thai cuisine to new heights, showcasing the depth and authenticity of Southern Thai flavours with unparalleled elegance and finesse.
“It still feels like a dream. I am deeply grateful for everything that has brought us to this point, from the people we've met, including the members of Sorn, to the farmers, gardeners, rice growers, and fishermen who enable us to create amazing dishes. I feel so fortunate to be born Thai because if I were cooking cuisine from another country, I probably wouldn't be able to compete,” says chef Ice Supaksorn Jongsiri, reflecting on his historic achievement of leading Sorn to become the world's first Southern Thai restaurant to earn three Michelin stars in the 2025 edition of the Michelin Guide Thailand.
Sorn earned its first Michelin star in 2018 “within the first four or five months of opening”. “I was surprised at how quickly it came, but it validated that we were on the right track,” chef Ice tells Tatler. The following year, he received two Michelin stars and maintained that prestigious status for five consecutive years before achieving the coveted third star this year.
“Initially, I was content with just one star, but once we got two, I aimed to go all the way to be remembered in history, something my children could be proud of,” says the 42-year-old chef and father of two.
Read more: Sorn chef-owner Supaksorn ‘Ice’ Jongsiri’s culinary journey began in his grandmother’s kitchen
Chef Ice Supaksorn Jongsiri
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Chef Ice's real name, Supaksorn, is a name familiar to many Thais as it was used by his father, Supawat Jongsiri, a famous film director and screenwriter, as a pen name. His mother is the renowned actress Panadda Komaratat. Despite being born into a family of celebrities, young Ice found joy in spending time in the kitchen with his grandmother whenever he visited their family home in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
“At that time, no one was home. My mother had to go shoot dramas, so my grandmother took me in because she didn't want me to be alone. I grew up a lot there and would go back during school breaks,” chef Ice recalls. His grandmother, a retired teacher, became his first cooking mentor.
“I remember knowing how to cook rice since I was four or five years old, and making thom khem (a Thai stew) around the age of seven. Most of what I cooked were boiled dishes like thom khem and tom yum, because you can keep adjusting the seasoning while cooking, sometimes making it even more delicious. It's also safe. Later, I started stir-frying sataw (stink beans), probably when I was eight or nine. While most people consider pad kra pao (stir-fried basil) as their comfort food, mine is stir-fried sataw with shrimp paste,” chef Ice reminisces.
During his time studying Architecture at Northeastern University in the United States, chef Ice honed his cooking skills out of necessity. “I didn't learn formally; I cooked to survive,” he emphasises. In 1997, as financial support from home dwindled due to the Asian financial crisis (IMF), he was prompted to earn extra income by working in Thai and fine-dining restaurants. He also cooked Thai meals for his friends in the apartment.
“I would cook large pots of dishes like palo (braised pork) and khao man gai (Hainanese chicken rice). My friends would drop money into a jar; if they put in less, the next meal would be a bit subpar,” he laughs. “We used the money to buy ingredients in bulk from Chinese supermarkets in America because it was cheaper that way. We'd cook large quantities and share to make it cost-effective.”
Although he returned to Thailand armed with two degrees, a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts, he pursued a master's degree in Innovation at Chulalongkorn University. Concurrently, he spent his spare time helping run a small Southern Thai restaurant his grandmother had opened in Prachaniwet 1 Market, named “Baan Ice” (which means “Ice's House” in Thai) after him.
“At that time, I was 27 years old. My grandmother had stopped cooking, and staff were few, so I seriously started helping at Baan Ice. By around 29, I began saving money and opened Baan Ice in Thonglor. A year or two later, we opened a branch at Siam Paragon, and we continued expanding,” chef Ice says. Today, there are seven Baan Ice restaurants in Bangkok.
