After allegations emerged this week that René Redzepi had abused his staff at Noma, once considered the best restaurant in the world, sponsors announced Tuesday that they would end their support for the chef’s upcoming events in Los Angeles.
The New York Times reported that American Express and hospitality company Blackbird cut ties with Noma ahead of the Copenhagen restaurant’s four-month temporary move to Los Angeles, which was set to begin this week.
The development came days after the newspaper detailed shocking allegations of psychological and physical abuse against Redzepi by staff at the posh restaurant where he was head chef and co-owner. For years, Redzepi allegedly berated employees and inflicted violence on them, according to the report, including punching them in the face and body and slamming them into walls.
In response to the allegations, Redzepi posted a statement online, writing: “While I do not recognize all the details in these stories, I can see enough of my past behavior reflected in them to understand that my actions were harmful to the people who worked with me.”
He apologized to those who “suffered under my leadership, my poor judgment or my anger” and said he had “worked to change,” including therapy and finding “better ways to manage my anger.”
The world-famous Noma announced in 2023 its plans to close its doors as a full-time restaurant and reinvent itself as a food laboratory and test kitchen, while continuing to host pop-up events around the world. The Los Angeles pop-up, despite costing $1,500 to enter, sold out in three minutes.
This week, both Blackbird and American Express said they would end their partnerships with Noma ahead of the pop-ups in Los Angeles.
“René’s past practices, by his own admission, were unacceptable and abhorrent. We cannot rely on elapsed time and claims of rehabilitation when these things resurface. Regardless of the context, this is highly problematic behavior,” Blackbird CEO Ben Leventhal told Eater Los Angeles.
His company purchased $100,000 worth of tickets to the events, according to the Times, and Leventhal said Blackbird would give refunds to customers and donate proceeds from ticket sales to advocacy groups for industry professionals and hourly workers.
Meanwhile, American Express had purchased six nights for its Platinum cardholders. According to the Times, customers who already purchased tickets through AmEx can request refunds.
Noma said in a statement last week that the recent claims do not reflect its current workplace.
“Although the stories appear to date back many years, we take them seriously and are investigating them carefully,” the restaurant said in a social media post.
“We have since improved the process to address concerns. We continue to do so with an independent audit that ensures we keep our standards high and our workplace safe.”
