The dishwasher at one of the world's best restaurants is now its co-owner

A chef inside a kitchen.
(Image credit: Chris Hondros/Getty Images)

Ali Sonko started the day as a dishwasher at Copenhagen's Noma restaurant, and ended it as co-owner.

It came as a major shock. "I cannot describe how happy I am to work here," Sonko told the Danish website BT. "These are the best people to work with and I am good friends with everyone. They show enormous respect towards me and no matter what I say or ask them, they are there for me." Redzepi also made two other employees partners in the business — the restaurant's service director and its manager.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.