Noma’s René Redzepi resigns after shocking abuse allegations
The co-founder and former head chef of Copenhagen’s Noma restaurant has been accused of inflicting “psychological and physical abuse” on staff, causing major sponsors to pull out of LA pop-up.
Noma became one of the world’s most admired restaurants, having shot to fame in the noughties for its focus on fermentations, foraging, and flavour innovation, often birthed in its experimental ‘food lab’, where smoke billowed and yeasts of various shapes, sizes and smells lined fridge shelves.
Co-founded in 2003 by René Redzepi and Claus Meyer, the restaurant quickly earned a reputation for its Nordic cuisine, sky-high prices and mile-long waiting lists, often containing as many as 10,000 to 20,000 names. Noma, which went on to acquire three Michelin stars, was also one of the first major restaurants to hire a beer sommelier, putting brews front and centre of its bar.
End of an era
The restaurant’s ‘golden era’ drew to a close in January 2023 when co-founder Redzepi announced that Noma was calling time on its traditional restaurant service, and would instead be staging occasional pop-up residencies in cities around the world such as Kyoto. One such pop-up is due to take place in Los Angeles from 11 March to 26 June 2026, and is fully booked at US$1,500-per person. However, it is fast unravelling as major sponsors of the event including American Express, Resy and Blackbird have withdrawn their support in the wake of abuse allegations made by a number of former Noma employees against Redzepi.
Protests held outside the pop-up’s Silver Lake site this week by One Fair Wage, a nonprofit organisation dedicated to worker’s rights, have also called into question the future of the event. “Who wants to eat in an environment of abuse,” Saru Jayaraman, a member of One Fair Wage, told CBS News. “Who wants to eat food that comes from the tears and sweat of people who are suffering?”
Accusations
On 7 March The New York Times broke the news of allegations of “punching, slamming and screaming” in Redzepi’s kitchen, with dozens of former staff coming forward to detail the “psychological and physical violence” they say was inflicted on them by the Noma chef.
According to The New York Times, which interviewed 35 former Noma employees, between 2009 and 2017 Redzepi “punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls.” The newspaper said that former staff had described “lasting trauma from layers of psychological abuse, including intimidation, body shaming and public ridicule.” Employees also told the publication that Redzepi had threatened to have them blacklisted from working at other restaurants around the world, have their families deported, or get their spouses fired from their jobs at other businesses.
One chef who worked at Noma in 2012, said it was routine for Redzepi to punish all employees for one person’s mistake: “He just went down the line and punched us in the chest…It was hell, but I learned so much that I can’t say I regret it.”
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Apology
Following The New York Times report, Redzepi posted a statement on Instagram, saying: “An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.
“For anyone wondering what this means for the restaurant, let me say it clearly: the Noma team today is the strongest and most inspiring it has ever been. We’ve been open for 23 years, and I’m incredibly proud of our people, our creativity, and the direction Noma is heading.”
Announcing his exit on social media, he added: “After more than two decades of building and leading this restaurant, I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter.”
In a statement to The New York Times on Friday, he also said: “Although I don’t recognise all details in these stories, I can see enough of my past behaviour reflected in them to understand that my actions were harmful to people who worked with me. To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgment, or my anger, I am deeply sorry and I have worked to change.”
The chef has made several prior public apologies after the 2008 documentary Noma at Boiling Point captured him on camera screaming at cooks.
Redzepi confirmed he has stepped down from the Noma LA pop-up, saying that his team will continue on without him. He has also resigned from the board of MAD, a non-profit organisation that he founded in 2011, aimed at helping newcomers to the restaurant industry.
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