World’s best chef quits kitchen after torrent of abuse allegations | World | News
Redzepi co-founded multi-award winning Noma (Image: Getty)
The head chef of the world’s best restaurant has resigned after harassment allegations became too extreme.
Rene Redzepi, co-founder of multiple award-winning Noma, walked away following allegations that his employees were subjected to physical and psychological mistreatment.
Former employees accused the celebrity chef of creating a toxic work environment with reindeer brain jelly, edible soil and foraged ingredients.
Allegations included that he punched employees in the face, poked them with kitchen utensils and slammed them into walls.
“I decided to step away and let our extraordinary leaders guide the restaurant to the next level,” said Redzepi, 48, an Albanian-Danish.
Writing on Instagram, he added that recent weeks “have brought attention and important conversations about our restaurant, our industry, and my past leadership.”
He said: “I have worked to become a better leader and Noma has made great strides to transform the culture over many years. I recognize that these changes do not repair the past. An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.”
Redzepi co-founded multi-award-winning Noma in Copenhagen (Image: Getty)
Formerly a three-Michelin-starred restaurant in Copenhagen, Denmark, Noma has been named the best restaurant in the world five times.
It was gearing up for a Los Angeles residency, but corporate sponsors, including American Express, withdrew after allegations of abuse and protests outside the pop-up location.
Bookings for the Noma pop-up in Los Angeles, costing £1,120 per person, sold out in minutes.
“For those wondering what this means for the restaurant, let me be clear: the Noma team today is the strongest and most inspiring team it has ever been,” Redzepi said.
“We have been open for 23 years, and I am incredibly proud of our employees, our creativity, and the direction Noma is heading.”
Redzepi also resigned from the board of directors of MAD, a non-profit organization he founded in 2011 that helps those new to the restaurant industry.
The allegations against Redzepi first emerged in the New York Times, when former employees accused the chef of creating an abusive culture in the kitchen and a toxic work environment that included verbal threats and physical mistreatment at the restaurant he founded in 2003.
The report was based on interviews with 35 former employees and described a “pattern of physical punishment” and “lasting trauma resulting from layers of psychological abuse, including intimidation, body shaming and public ridicule.”
Redzepi said following the accusations: “I am deeply sorry to those who have suffered because of my leadership, poor judgment, or anger, and I have worked to change.”
He admitted to “shouting and pushing people in unacceptable ways” and admitted seeking therapy to manage his anger.
