René Redzepi, the chef behind Copenhagen’s Noma, has resigned from the iconic restaurant he co-founded, as well as its food nonprofit MAD, amid abuse allegations. The move comes after protesters gathered outside Noma’s 16-week pop-up residency in Los Angeles on Wednesday.
A recent New York Times article reports that former employees of the restaurant allege a pattern of abuse—including “punching, slamming, and screaming”—between 2009 and 2017. The Times interviewed dozens of former employees who worked with Redzepi throughout 18 of his 23 years at the restaurant. The report also alleges unpaid interns worked 16-hour days.
On Wednesday, protestors outside Noma’s L.A. pop-up chanted and held up signs that read “Unpaid Labor Built Your Empire,” and “No Michelin Stars for Violence.” (The price for dinner at the L.A. residency is a staggering $1,500 a person.)
Fast Company has reached out to Noma for comment on the allegations and protest.
Noma, which under Redzepi, put New Nordic cuisine on the map, holds three Michelin stars and is considered one of the best restaurants in the world, if not the best.
“An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions,” Redzepi wrote on Instagram. “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.
“After more than two decades of building and leading this restaurant, I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter,” he added.
As a result of the controversy, a number of corporate sponsors have withdrawn their support for the L.A. pop-up, including American Express and its booking platform Resy, Blackbird, and Cadillac.
Redzepi’s fall from grace is especially surprising, given the number of accolades the chef has received over the years and the cult status Noma achieved.
However, he is not the first celebrity chef to resign amid accusations of abuse. Perhaps the most notable is Mario Batali, who was forced out of the Italian food hall chain Eataly in 2017 after sexual harassment and assault accusations, and had to sell his minority stake in the company. He was later found not guilty in a Boston court while on trial for indecent assault and battery in 2019.