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René Redzepi, the award-winning Danish chef who founded Noma in Copenhagen, issued a public apology after a New York Times investigation detailed allegations from dozens of former employees who accused him of physical and psychological abuse at work.
He shared his response on Instagram, acknowledging harmful past behavior and saying he has worked to change, days before Noma begins a 16-week residency in Los Angeles that’s priced at $1,500 per person.
Noma said the claims "do not reflect the workplace Noma is today,” in a statement to People. The statement added: "Although the 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."
Read More on Work
Newsweek has contacted Redzepi for comment via Noma on email.
Why It Matters
Noma has been a global culinary touchstone, earning three Michelin stars and topping The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list five times. The allegations and Redzepi’s response carry industry-wide significance amid broader conversations about chef leadership and kitchen standards.
The New York Times report included detailed accounts from 35 former employees alleging punching, pushing, jabbing with kitchen tools, and public humiliation between 2009 and 2017, raising questions about workplace culture at one of the world’s most influential restaurants.
What To Know
The New York Times reported that former Noma workers alleged multiple instances of violence and intimidation, including a 2014 episode where Redzepi allegedly punched a sous-chef during a public shaming outside the kitchen, with one former worker describing the environment as feeling like “going to war.”
In a post on his Instagram account on March 8, Redzepi 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,” adding, “To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgment, or my anger, I am deeply sorry and I have worked to change.”
He wrote that when he started cooking, he worked in kitchens where “shouting, humiliation, and fear were simply part of the culture,” and that after opening Noma and facing pressure, he became the kind of chef he had promised never to be, saying that pressure “should never justify losing my temper.”
Redzepi added that a decade earlier, he began speaking openly about his behavior, including “outbursts, the anger, and at times even physical aggression, where I shouted and pushed people,” and said he sought therapy, stepped back from day-to-day service, and continues to learn how to manage his anger.
The New York Times article arrived as Noma prepared a sold-out Los Angeles residency from March 11 to June 26, where bookings are offered as a $1,500 package, with the team describing the residency as “cooking, listening, learning, and building a body of work rooted in this place,” according to the Noma website.
Noma, a three Michelin-starred restaurant, has topped The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and 2021. Two decades since opening in 2004, Noma marked 2024 as “the last season of Noma as we know it,” the restaurant said at the time, as the organization shifted toward a test kitchen focused on food innovation and flavor development.
What People Are Saying
Several other chefs and other public figures on Instagram shared their responses to Redzepi’s post.
Bel Coelho (@belcoelho), the Brazilian chef who runs Clandestina in São Paulo, Brazil, wrote: “With all due respect, Rene, an apology without a real commitment to actions that repair the harm done to victims and regenerate this violent culture serves no purpose. I am here to contribute to changing this harmful culture that continues to stain our profession every day. Best regards.”
Michelin-starred English chef Tom Aikens (@tomaikens) wrote on Instagram: “We all have ghosts from the past, every person does regret something that they did and it's not just in kitchens. When you are young, immature mentally, and have something to prove, this is in anything. You may cross the line of normality, it happens , its human nature to be competitive, in that time you can so often become blinkered to many things around you and ones own behavior. Facing demons is never easy, but we have all had to at some point.”
Alberto Landgraf (@albertolandgraf), the chef at Oteque in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, wrote: “a lot of us can relate to that! congrats for the courage to change, it takes a lot of guts for that!”
Pilar Guzman (@pilar_guzman), the editorial director of Oprah Daily and O, The Oprah Magazine, wrote: “Way to take responsibility. All we can do is own our stuff and do our best to make changes moving forward. I applaud this caveat-free apology.”
What Happens Next
Noma said in a statement to People: "We’re committed to making Noma a supportive and rewarding environment for everyone who works here. We’re proud to be a place shaped by exceptionally talented professionals who care deeply about their craft and moving our industry forward.”
A protest is reportedly being planned for the opening night of the Noma LA residency, calling for accountability, according to the New York Post and KTLA.
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