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René Redzepi, the head chef and co-founder of Noma, announced Wednesday 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 before 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, jabbed them with kitchen implements and slammed them against walls”.
“I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter,” he wrote in an Instagram story.
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.
His announcement came after American Express and Blackbird, a hospitality company, 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.
Noma’s LA residency is charging $1,500 a ticket, but sold out in three minutes, Eater reported.
Noma has been repeatedly ranked No 1 on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
