He was born on 25 June 1966 in Nicosia, Cyprus. Ekinci completed Şehit Tuncer primary school, Şehit Hüseyin Ruso secondary school, and Sedat Simavi Yapı and Endüstri High School. After military service (1984-1986), he finished O.T.E.M. (Hotel and Tourism Training Center) in Girne, which is affiliated to the Ministry of Tourism. In 1989 Ekinci started work with Istanbul Divan Hotel and Istanbul Sheraton to do his internship. At the end of the internship period, he continued to work as a cook assistant for a couple of years at Divan Hotel in Istanbul, then returned to Cyprus and started working at Salamis Bay Hotel in Famagusta. Later he continued to work at the Dome Hotel in Girne.
During this period Ekinci started to work as Sous Chef at Girne View Hotel which was newly opened in Girne in 1991. Then he took up duties at the opening of the kitchen of the Jasmine Court Hotel in 1993, where the he educated and trained the kitchen staff and briefly served as Chef of the kitchen of Casmine Court Hotel and returned to his job at Girne View Hotel and continued to work as a Instructor Kitchen Chef. Ekinci continued to serve until the group of Voyager companies closed. While working here, he attended courses and trainings abroad in Italy, France, Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom, and acted as a Guest Assistant Chef in various hotels and restaurants in these countries, and has exchanged information about the food culture of these countries. After returning to Cyprus, Ekinci managed the Mirabelle Restaurant in Girne and was the kitchen chef. In the meantime, as a teacher at Girne O.T.E.M, he began to give Practical Kitchen Courses and Training and Hygiene Courses within the scope of the Ministry of Tourism in all the hotels in the Girne region. He worked in different hotels and restaurants for a short period of time (3-4 months) to see / learn the working styles, kitchens, menues of the different enterprises in different periods and has made it possible to plan and open two 50 person boutique hotels. Ekinci has prepared menus for many cafes and restaurants and has prepared and organized educational cooking programs and courses on television.