Considering regulations and licensing, Kokonas suffered them in spades in getting Alinea ready for its opening.

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Grant Achatz' ulta-modernist Alinea in Chicago fell from seventh to 15th this year.

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Between them, the chefs have worked at some of the world's best restaurants, including Noma, Alinea, the Fat Duck, Craft and the French Laundry.

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Notably, a major inspiration for Achatz in creating Alinea was a trip to El Bulli, a restaurant outside of Barcelona, and the one widely thought among those in the know to be the best in the world.

FORBES: What The Life Of America's Best Chef Tells Us About Economics

Ultimately Kokonas encouraged a willing to Achatz to go out on his own, and it was Kokonas who drew up the financial plan, all the while bringing in individuals he knew from the investment world as investors in what became Alinea.

FORBES: What The Life Of America's Best Chef Tells Us About Economics