René Redzepi to leave Noma following violence charges

Following accusations of violence against his teams, the chief René Redzepi announced last week to leave his position at Noma. The Danish chef co-founded the restaurant in 2003 in Copenhagen.

It was through a video on Instagram that René Redzepi announced his withdrawal from the structure he had been running for more than 20 years. “Noma has taken big steps to transform the culture over many years. I recognize these changes do not repair the past. An apology is not enough".

Founded in 2003, Noma (short for "Nordic food", "nordisk mad" in Danish) was named "best restaurant in the world" by the World 50 Best in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2021, before joining the list of "Best of the Best".

In 2023, René Redzepi closed the restaurant to dedicate it as an innovation laboratory while organizing pop-ups, the next one being held since March 11th in Los Angeles, California. At the announcement of this overseas pop-up, Jason Ignacio White, the former head-chef of the fermentation laboratory of Noma revealed numerous accusations of verbal and physical violence that René Redzepi would have exercised on former employees and interns. Following these revelations, the New York Times interviewed about thirty former employees who testified to physical or psychological abuse allegedly committed by the chef between 2009 and 2017 in the kitchens of his restaurant.

Renowned for his fermented cuisine and ultra-worked broths, the chef trained in the kitchens of El Bulli by Ferran Adria has often criticized the classic model of the restaurant which he considered "difficult to sustain".

"For anyone wondering what this means for the restaurant [...] this team will carry forward together," adds the 48-year-old chef. "Noma has always been bigger than any one person" he concludes