Noma co-founder René Redzepi is stepping down.
The famed chef late Wednesday said he will no longer be involved in daily operations of a Noma residency in Los Angeles, effective immediately, and he has also resigned from the board of the nonprofit MAD, which he founded.
The move came on the first night of a 16-week popup residency in Los Angeles for the world-renowned restaurant, for which tickets were $1,500 per person.
The announcement came after the New York Times published an account over the weekend of abuse in the kitchen at Noma in Copenhagen, once considered the world’s best restaurant. Redzepi’s bullying style had long been known, but the article included accounts from about 35 former employees who spoke of physical abuse, including punches, jabs with kitchen implements and being slammed against walls, as well as threats and intimidation.
Redzepi has admitted his behavior, saying he has changed and that those days are over.
In an emotional speech to his team, posted on Noma’s social media account, the chef explained that his decision to step down was to ensure they felt safe, and to allow them to take up the reins to make Noma “the restaurant of the decade.”
“I’m not running away from responsibility, I’m not,” Redzepi told the team. “I know how I have been. Many of you have experienced how we’ve gone through this change. So I need you to step up and fight, please.
“This is your restaurant now,” he added. “You guys are running the show now.”
In a written statement Wednesday, Redzepi outlined operational moves at Noma since 2022 that have transformed the culture, and how those changes have translated to the LA residency.
Interns are now paid, for example, with improved hours and time off and extended benefits. The restaurant has a dedicated HR team, and offers leadership training, mentorship programs and more, he said. An independent audit ensures that standards are high and the workplace is safe.
“I have worked to be a better leader and Noma has taken big steps to transform the culture over many years,” said Redzepi in the statement. “I recognize these changes do not repair the past. An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my actions.”
Redzepi said the Noma residency will continue, and he expressed full confidence in the restaurant’s team.
“Noma’s mission for the future is to keep exploring ideas, discovering new flavors, and imagining what food can become decades from now,” he said. “Noma has always been bigger than any one person. And this next step honors that belief.”
With Redzepi stepping back, the restaurant also outlined an organizational restructuring, including new hires that were not specified, and flexibility for staff to move into new roles.
The restaurant has moved to a four-day work week, to allow for more time off from service.
A pension fund was created, along with individual financial planning support.
Staff benefits have been expanded to include 28 weeks fully paid maternity and 14 weeks paid co-parent leave, health insurance that includes dental care and physiotherapy.
An in-house physical therapist will also offer subsidized weekly treatment for all staff.
Those in management positions will get leadership training, and one-on-one leadership coaching.
The statement also outlined support systems created to help the 130 employees who traveled to Los Angeles from Copenhagen for the residency and for local hires, ensuring their compensation and benefits are in line with California and Danish laws.
On Wednesday, the first day of the Noma residency, protesters picketed outside the venue, including former Noma chef and director of fermentation Jason Ignacio White, who created a social media account (noma_abuse on Instagram) and website, on which other workers posted anonymous accounts of their experience working with Redzepi.
Joining White were representatives of One Fair Wage, who sought to link the abuse in Noma’s kitchen with broader structural problems in the restaurant industry, and the need for a higher minimum wage.
The event lost two significant sponsors after the New York Times piece renewed the controversy over Redzepi’s past behavior. Both American Express and the reservation platform Blackbird withdrew, and both offered ticket holders refunds for those who wished to cancel.
Redzepi, meanwhile, told his team he would be around, but not as he has been for the past 23 years. He said he would be planning for the next phase.
“You can break things in minutes. And to build it up again can take forever,” he told his team. “We win guests over one by one. And, long term, that will do it.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.