Chef Erich P. Ruppen

Erich P. Ruppen joined Gate Gourmet in 1995 as the Executive Chef at Istanbul Atatürk Airport. Chef Erich is responsible for the culinary team throughout Gate Gourmet Turkey. In addition to the 10-plus years in airline catering, Chef Erich has 20 years of experience working with world class hotels and restaurants.

Chef Erich was born in Grachen, Switzerland, a small winter sport resort in the Swiss Alps. After school, he went straight into gastronomy, starting as a Chef's apprentice in a medium-sized hotel in his hometown. He completed his apprenticeship in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, in an up-market a la carte restaurant.

After serving in the military, Chef Erich went to the Bermuda Islands and worked as a "Commis de cuisine." After a year there, Chef Erich returned to Switzerland and worked in Zurich in different high-end restaurants. Four years later, he traveled to South Africa, where he joined the "Sun International" Hotels and worked for several years in Sun City.

In 1990, Chef Erich again moved on, this time to Istanbul, where he was offered a job at the Cira_an Palace Hotel, a five-star establishment. After a year, he was promoted to the position of Executive Chef.

Chef Erich is fluent in German, English, French and Turkish.