Business
Swiss Hospitality with a Middle-Eastern Flavour TEXT BY: GSTAADLIFE
When it comes to hotels in Gstaad, there’s only one that marries the native Swiss tradition with the exotic customs and cuisine of Egypt: the Hotel Christiana. This wonderful coupling of cultures attracts guests and diners from all around the Saanenland – but it almost didn’t happen. Back to the Future Like a bull in a china shop, Nagy Geadah remembers his first moments in the Christiania. “I entered through the crowded restaurant,” says the Egyptian of Lebanese origin, of his 1979 interview, “and quickly made my way to the reception through many long stares.” Liselotte Nopper openly admits she was not sure an Arab would fit into the hotel, but called him for an interview like any other candidate. Geadah dazzled them with his easy ways and polite charm. When the first round of interviews was over, Nopper had to admit that he was the clear choice. Yet while Geadah boasted a diploma from the Hotel School of Glion (in Canton Vaud) it wasn’t easy in those days for an Egyptian to secure a residence permit. However Nopper made some calls to Bern and the paperwork was arranged without a hitch. While fluent in French, Arabic and English, multilingual Geadah had yet to master German. As a receptionist, his first few requests in the local language were difficult to decipher; he relied on the help of his colleague, Ms Nopper’s daughter Isabelle. “He would smile and nod his head,” says Isabelle Nopper, laughing. “But in his defense, he did pick up the language quite quickly.” While she was hesitant to get to know Mr Geadah at first, Isabelle Nopper soon realised they had common friends in Zurich. Not much time passed before the two gave in to their winning chemistry and fell in love. The couple moved to San Francisco to work for a season, and there decided to get married in a civil ceremony. The idea was that once married, it would be easier for Mr Geadah to secure work in Switzerland again. However, the opposite proved true.
The Geadah-Nopper family with matriarch Liselotte Nopper (seated at left).
As was customary at the time, it was actually Isabelle now Geadah-Nopper who lost her Swiss cititzenship upon marrying Mr Geadah, since Egyptian citizenship was automatically given to her and Swiss law forbade double citizenship. So the newlyweds found themselves in a precarious situation, one their youth and inexperience did not prepare them for: Neither one had the legal right to return to Switzerland! But that didn’t stop the Geadahs. Mother Liselotte Nopper pulled some strings in Bern, and they were issued a three-day tourist visa. Once on Swiss soil, they were able to file citizenship applications and explain their situatation to the authorities in greater detail. All this, despite the fact that Isabelle had no desire to return to Gstaad, the small village of her youth. “The last thing I wanted to do was return to Switzerland,” she states. “I wanted to see and travel the world.” A Hotel Is Born The couple decided to settle in Gstaad nonetheless and went into business with Ms Nopper running the Christiania. Thirty-three years later, the entire family still has a hand in the hotel’s operations. While
the 90-year old Ms Nopper retired a decade ago, she still makes frequent visits to lend a helping hand, mostly with the housekeeping so she can remain out of site. The hotel’s kitchen is renown for its delicious Lebanese and Egyptian cuisine, the only restaurant of its kind in the region. Showing her commitment to and love of Arabic culture, it is not Mr Geadah that makes specialties like the typical yogurt sauce, but his wife Isabelle. A talented chef, Ms Geadah-Nopper had, despite her mother’s dispproval, trained at the International Hotel School in Lausanne and later at the Hotel du Rhône in Geneva. Her passion for Middle-Eastern cuisine started at the Christiania, where a guest once asked for a typical meal from that region. Over the years she developed mezzes with modern touches. Since 1991, Lebanese and Egyptian cuisine has been an integral part of the menu. Isabelle and Nagy Geadah-Nopper are parents to Nathalie and Georgette, both of whom work in the hospitality industry, and to son Raphael. When asked if the hotel will continue as a family tradition, Ms Geadah-Nopper insists it’s the choice of her children alone.
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