After 14 years of loyal service, a 62-year-old dishwasher has been made a co-owner at one of the world’s top restaurants in recognition of his years of hard work.
Sharing the news earlier this week, Noma head chef and occasional Masterchef guest judge René Redzepi described the moment of offering father of 12, Ali Sonko, a stake in his two Michelin-starred 40-seat restaurant as “one of the happiest moments of my time at Noma.”
“I don’t think people appreciate what it means to have someone like Ali in the house,” The Guardian reports Redzepi telling friends and staff of the restaurant. “He is all smiles, no matter how his 12 children are faring.”
Sonko, who was born in Gambia and emigrated to Denmark 34 years ago, describes his role at the restaurant as "the best ever."
“I cannot describe how happy I am to work here,” Sonko told BT. “There 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 said that his own father, also named Ali, had worked as a dishwasher when he emigrated to Denmark from Macedonia.
Throughout the years, Noma has appeared in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best restaurants list three times and has been named the world's best restaurant four times by Restaurant Magazine. A dining experience at the restaurant will set patrons back somewhere between AU $260 to $440.
In 2016, Noma opened a temporary pop-up restaurant in Sydney while their Danish site underwent restorations, but now after 14 years, Noma is closing temporarily once more, this time to reopen as an urban farm in December.
A number of other staff members, including Australian-born restaurant manager James Spreadbury, were also made partners alongside Sonko.
