René Redzepi, head chef and co-founder of Noma, announced Wednesday that he was resigning from his internationally acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant following allegations that he had physically abused his staff.
Redzepi had been facing protests in Los Angeles ahead of a four-month pop-up that launched this week. His resignation comes after the New York Times detailed shocking allegations of physical and psychological abuse, including claims that he “punched employees in the face, hit them with kitchen utensils, and slammed them into walls.”
“I have decided to step aside and allow our extraordinary leaders to guide the restaurant into its next chapter,” he wrote in an Instagram story.
Redzepi said the past few weeks had “brought important attention and conversations about our restaurant, our industry, and my past leadership,” writing, “I have worked to be a better leader and Noma has made great strides in transforming the culture over many years. I recognize that these changes do not make up for the past. An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.”
The chef said the Noma team will “move forward alongside our residency in Los Angeles, which will be a powerful moment for them to show what they’ve been working for.”
Redzepi said he was also resigning from the board of Mad, a food industry nonprofit he founded in 2011. He also posted a video of himself apologizing to staff and announcing his departure.
Its announcement came after American Express and Blackbird, a hotel company, cut ties with Noma in the run-up to the Los Angeles 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 “long-lasting trauma due to layers of psychological abuse, including bullying, body shaming and public ridicule.” The chef threatened to blacklist employees from the industry, deport their families and fire members of their families from jobs at other companies, according to the report.
Noma’s Los Angeles residence charges $1,500 per ticket, but it sold out in three minutes, Eater reported.
Noma has repeatedly held the number 1 spot on the list of the 50 best restaurants in the world.
