How to Quit Banking and Open One of America’s Top New Restaurants

Santiago Perez, 30, and Santiago Gomez, 29, were high school friends growing up in Mexico City with similar names and shared dreams — each wanted to be an investment banker. And they succeeded, advising clients at UBS (often on restaurant/hospitality acquisitions), first in Mexico, then, together again, in London. It was only in New York that they realized their true passion was for food. A plan was hatched to create a Mexican restaurant in NYC alongside their banking careers. (It seemed like a good idea to keep their day jobs.) In the end, the two Santiagos realized it had to be one or the other, and they left UBS to create Cosme, one of the most widely noted restaurant openings in America in 2014. Six months into their run, Peter Elliot met with them at Bloomberg headquarters. (See also: Bloomberg's review of Cosme, and how-to instructions on making their fantastic duck tacos.)

Did your background at UBS contribute to how you developed the plan for Cosme?