During her visit to Davos, Switzerland, for the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2025, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra highlighted Thailand’s commitment to positioning itself as the 'Kitchen of the World.' She emphasized that Thai cuisine, deeply rooted in the nation’s agricultural abundance, plays a key role in the country's soft power strategy.

To support this vision, the Thai government has launched the 'One Village, One Thai Food Chef' initiative, designed to provide professional culinary training to individuals from over 75,000 villages across the country.

The program aims to help participants develop cooking skills, secure employment, and contribute to the expansion of Thai cuisine globally.

Speaking at the Amazing Thai Taste to the World event on February 24, renowned Thai chef Chumpol Jangprai described the initiative as both a culinary training effort and a strategic move to strengthen Thailand’s food industry.

He noted that the project will create more opportunities for Thai chefs to work internationally while serving as cultural ambassadors to promote Thai gastronomy abroad.

According to government statistics, 1,300 participants were trained under the program in 2024. This figure is expected to increase significantly, with projections of 17,000 in 2025, 26,786 in 2026, and 30,000 in 2027.

The Department of Foreign Trade reported that, as of the end of 2023, there were 17,478 Thai restaurants operating worldwide, with 6,850 of them located in the United States.

The government aims to further expand the global presence of Thai cuisine through culinary education and international collaborations.

As part of the initiative, Thailand continues to enhance its food industry’s global reach, leveraging culinary diplomacy as a key component of its broader economic and cultural strategy.