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René Redzepi Resigns From Noma After Abuse Allegations and Public Apology

Mounting pressure from detailed staff accounts drove the decision.

Overview

  • In an Instagram video, the 48-year-old said he is stepping back after 23 years, saying “an apology is not enough” and that he takes responsibility.
  • The New York Times interviewed about 35 former employees who described physical assaults, threats, and public humiliation largely between 2009 and 2017.
  • Allegations include punching staff, jabbing them with kitchen tools, throwing people against walls, and using influence to threaten careers, according to former employees.
  • Protests greeted Noma’s newly opened Los Angeles pop-up, where a menu costs about $1,500, as former staff demonstrated outside.
  • Sponsors including Cadillac and Resy/American Express withdrew or suspended support, and Noma has not announced who will lead the kitchen next.