Orathay Souksisavanh was born in Thailand where her great-grandmother worked in the kitchens of the Grand Palace in Bangkok. She moved to Paris as a child with her parents, but never left her Thai heritage behind. After studying at Langues O' and the Sorbonne, she realised that her happiness lay in the kitchen and soon graduated from world-renowned culinary school the Ferrandi School. Orathay has authored several books as a writer and food stylist.