René Redzepi Steps Down From Noma Amid Abuse Allegations
René Redzepi is resigning.
The 48-year-old celebrity chef and Noma co-founder stepped down from the restaurant he helped to found over two decades ago amid protests and backlash due to allegations of abuse.
The chef announced he will be stepping away from the Copenhagen restaurant, while also resigning from his nonprofit MAD.
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The announcement came amid abuse allegations and a protest at Noma’s L.A. pop-up, detailed in an explosive report from the New York Times, in which dozens of former employees said he inflicted physical and psychological violence on the staff for years.
The claims include intimidation, stabbing, punching, and threats of retaliation.
“Between 2009 and 2017, they said, he punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls. They described lasting trauma from layers of psychological abuse, including intimidation, body shaming and public ridicule. Mr. Redzepi, they said, 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,” the Times reported.
René Redzepi issued a statement on his Instagram Story per the LA Times, writing that “an apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.”
“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. This team will carry forward together into our L.A. residency, which will be a powerful moment for them to show what they’ve been working toward and to welcome guests to something truly special…Noma has always been bigger than any one person. And this next step honors that belief.”
Noma, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, was founded in 2003 and is often credited with pioneering New Nordic cuisine, focusing on Scandinavian ingredients and known for experimental tasting menus.