Noma chef resigns amid allegations of physical abuse of staff

René Redzepi also steps down from non-profit board after accusations of physical and psychological abuse

René Redzepi, the head chef and co-founder of Noma, has announced his resignation from his internationally acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant following allegations he physically abused his staff.

Redzepi had been facing protests in Los Angeles before a four-month pop-up that launched this week. His resignation on Wednesday comes after the New York Times detailed allegations of physical and psychological abuse, including claims that he “punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls”.

He wrote in an Instagram story: “I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter.”

Redzepi said the recent weeks had “brought attention and important conversations about our restaurant, industry and my past leadership”, writing: “I have worked to be a better leader and 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; I take responsibility for my own actions.”

The chef said Noma’s team would “carry forward together into our LA residency, which will be a powerful moment for them to show that they’ve been working toward”.

Redzepi said he was also resigning from the board of Mad, a food industry non-profit he founded in 2011. He also posted a video of himself apologizing to staff and announcing his departure.

American Express and Blackbird, a hospitality company, had cut ties with Noma in the lead-up to the LA pop-up.

The New York Times report on his abuse was based on interviews with 35 former employees and described a “pattern of physical punishment” and “lasting trauma from layers of psychological abuse, including intimidation, body shaming and public ridicule”. The chef threatened to get employees blacklisted from the industry, have their families deported and have family members fired from jobs at other businesses, the report said.

He responded to that piece by issuing a statement that said: “Although I don’t recognize all details in these stories, I can see enough of my past behavior 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.”

Noma’s LA residency, which is charging $1,500 a ticket, sold out in three minutes, Eater reported.

Noma has been repeatedly ranked No 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.

It has three Michelin stars, and has been called the “most influential restaurant of the last decade”.

Redzepi is a big influence in the culinary world, with more than 1m Instagram followers, his own Apple TV show, countless awards and a cameo on the TV series The Bear.

In a 2008 documentary, Noma at Boiling Point, he was filmed screaming at his cooks, and since then has apologised several times for his behaviour in the kitchen.

Over its 23-year history, Noma maintained a reputation for inventive cooking and its use of foraged ingredients. It was also controversial for hiring dozens of unpaid interns at a time, only beginning to pay them in the final years of its existence in Copenhagen.

At the end of 2024 the restaurant closed for regular service, opting to hold pop-up residencies instead.

Noma’s LA residency was much anticipated, with the restaurant posting teasing clips to its 1.5m+ Instagram followers in the weeks before the event.

When former restaurant staff reported years of abuse by Redzepi, the restaurant’s LA residency was overshadowed by public outcry from protesters and sponsors alike.

Speaking with the New York Times, staff said Redzepi threatened to use his influence to get them blacklisted from restaurants around the world, to have their families deported, or to get their wives fired from their jobs at other businesses.

Jason Ignacio White, one of the protest’s organisers, stood behind a “Noma Broke Me” sign and addressed the crowds gathered outside of its hilltop LA venue. Once Noma’s head of fermentation, he started posting on social media about Redzepi’s abuse last month.

“I think the repercussions of staying silent are worse than me speaking up and standing with my peers against violence,” Ignacio White said.

Blackbird purchased around $100,000 of tickets for the pop-up, and this week announced it would offer refunds to its guests.

Ben Leventhal, Blackbird’s chief executive, told Eater Los Angeles: “René’s past practices, by his own admission, were unacceptable and abhorrent. We cannot lean on time elapsed and rehabilitation claims when these things resurface. Regardless of context, this is highly problematic behavior.”

In a statement last week, Noma said: “We’re aware of the stories circulated online and want to be clear: these claims do not reflect the workplace Noma is today.

“Although stories appear to date back many years, we take them seriously and are looking into them carefully. Since that time, we have improved the process to address concerns. We are continuing to do so with an independent audit that ensures we keep our standards high and our workplace safe.”