Thomas Hofstetter, Waid host.
A trained cook and waiter, he had been managing director of the Roter Kamm restaurant in Zurich for 14 years before taking over the Die Waid restaurant with his wife Susanne in January 2004. Since January 2009 they have also been tenants of Restaurant Tessin Grotto in Zurich. He graduated from the Wirtefachschule and is a Swiss certified restaurateur. Thomas Hofstetter is married and the proud father of two adult sons.
Andreas Wichert, Managing Director.
Andreas Wichert has been a member of the Waid team since its opening on 22 April 2004 – first as Service Manager until 2006, First Operating Assistant from 2006 to 2009, as Assistant Managing Director from February to December 2009 and as Managing Director since January 2010. With his enormous expertise, his enthusiasm and charming appearance, he is not only a great host, but also a great role model for our employees.
Christian Hofstetter, Deputy Managing Director.
After completing his cooking apprenticeship at Carlton Zurich on Bahnhofstrasse, he gained experience for a year at the 5-star Hotel Atlantis by Giardino and for a few months at Gustav under the Italian top chef Antonio Colaianni. After a 4 month trip to South America, he attended the hotel management school in Zurich. He completed his 9-month internship at reception and service in the Grand Resort Bad Ragaz and then graduated with a diploma. Hotelier and restaurateur HF.
Robert Grauer, Operations assistant.
Mr. Grauer joined us in July 2011 as a restaurant specialist from Berlin. Through his experience in several management positions in Germany, his dedication and commitment as a restaurant specialist, we promoted him in February 2016 to Chef de Service and in March 2018 to Operations Assistant.
Ines Kretzschmar, Service Manager.
Ines Kretzschmar joined us again in April 2019. From 2012 to 2015 she was Chef de Rang in the Waid. She is a trained specialist in the hospitality industry and completed her training in Germany. Due to her outstanding performance and her sympathetic charisma, the Hamburg native was promoted to service management on September 1, 2020.
Bert Hofmann, Service Manager.
Mr. Hofmann joined the service team at the beginning of 2018. Born in Berlin, he was initially active in the financial world and also holds a Bachelor of Science in international finance. In 2014 he dared to enter the hospitality industry and acquired in-depth knowledge of upscale gastronomy in Germany and Switzerland. Due to his outstanding performance, he was promoted to Service Manager in June 2022.
Stefan Ripphausen, Chef.
Stefan Ripphausen has been the new head chef at Waid since February 1, 2023. Born in the Rhineland (Germany), he has known gastronomy since his early youth and has been able to acquire profound gastronomic knowledge over the past 30 years through many stations in Germany and Switzerland. Based in Switzerland since 2009, he worked in various restaurants such as QUAI 61, Bohemia and the Rössli in Hurden on Lake Zurich. In addition to the culinary arts, he is also a passable pianist and master of chess, and finds inner peace walking his dog. Due to his many years of experience, extensive qualifications and in-depth knowledge of the industry, we are delighted to have found the ideal candidate to continue the culinary journey of our restaurant.
Jörg-Johannes Stülp, sous chef
Mr. Stülp has had an impressive career in gastronomy over the course of his life. As a trained master chef, he has proven himself in various positions in the kitchen and most recently worked as sous-chef at the Golfpark Restaurant Nuolen. Before that, he held the position of head chef at Thurpark Wattwil for three years and has been sous-chef at the Die Waid restaurant since March 1, 2023.
With 44 cumulative years of experience in the hospitality industry, he has acquired a wide range of skills and knowledge and is a highly experienced and competent professional and the perfect addition to our kitchen team.
He has lived in Switzerland for 24 years and is the father of three children. In his free time he likes to go to the sports field. His special passion is football, which he played actively for many years.
Srikantha Ponniah, Wok Chef.
Since the opening of the restaurant the WAID in 2004, Srikantha Ponniah is our good soul in the Wok kitchen and surprises our guests and us again and again with completely new creations. At the beginning of 2018 he was promoted to chef due to his longstanding and great commitment. Sri Ponniah is happily married and the father of a son.