He grew up as the eldest son of the miner Anton Lichter and his wife Margret Lichter, nee Heikamp, in the Rhenish lignite district in Gill, a district of Rommerskirchen.

[1] At the age of fourteen he began a three-year apprenticeship as a chef with Lutz Winter in the "Alte Post" hotel and restaurant in Bergheim.

[2] He chose the profession of cook because he had very positive associations with eating together at the table.

which he moderated together with Johann Lafer[4] and Bares für Rares.

He is married for the third time with Nada Lichter and lived in Badenweiler for eight years, and moved to Cologne in 2020.