The head chef and co-founder of Noma, one of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants with three Michelin stars, has resigned after being accused of physically and emotionally abusing staff.
René Redzepi announced on social media on Wednesday that he is stepping down as the manager of a Copenhagen restaurant.
This follows a March 7 report in the New York Times detailing allegations of abuse by Redzepi from 2009 to 2017.
The report, which spoke to 35 former employees, said Redzepi “punched employees in the face, poked them with kitchen utensils, and slammed them against walls.”
“The past few weeks have brought attention and important conversations about our restaurants, our industry, and my past leadership,” Redzepi said in a statement on Instagram.
“I have worked hard to become a better leader, and Norma has taken great steps to change the culture over the years,” Redzepi continued. “I recognize that these changes do not repair the past. An apology is not enough. I take full responsibility for my actions.”
“After more than 20 years of building and leading this restaurant, I have decided to step down and allow outstanding leaders to lead the restaurant into its next chapter,” he said in a statement.
Redzepi said he also resigned from the board of MAD, a nonprofit organization he founded in 2011 to support burgeoning chefs.
CNN has reached out to Redzepi and Noma for comment.
His resignation comes after the opening of a new pop-up by Norma in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Meals include a tasting menu and cost $1,500 per person. Reservations for the 16-week stay reportedly sold out within three minutes.
Protesters from wage advocacy group One Fair Wage gathered on Wednesday outside the Parramore Estate, where the pop-up restaurant is being held. They are led by Jason Ignacio White, the former director of Norma’s Fermentation Institute, who has collated allegations of abuse by Redzepi on Instagram and his website.
In a separate statement on Instagram posted over the weekend, Redzepi said, “I would like to address past stories about my leadership in the kitchen that have recently resurfaced. I don’t remember all the details of these stories, but I can see enough of my past actions reflected in them, and enough to know that my actions were harmful to those who worked with me.”
In his statement, he apologized “to those who have suffered under my leadership,” adding that he has “worked hard to change.”
In response to reports circulating over the weekend about the allegations, Norma posted on Instagram: “While this story appears to date back many years, we take it seriously and are investigating it carefully. Since then, we have improved our process for addressing concerns.”
“I have been a bully for most of my career, yelling at people and pushing people around,” Redzepi wrote about his actions in a 2015 essay. In his essay, he said he tried to change his behavior and change his kitchen environment.
In a 2022 interview with the London Times, he said he had “never hit anyone” but “probably bumped into people.”
Founded in 2003 by Redzepi and Claus Meyer in the Danish capital, Noma quickly gained worldwide attention as a champion of New Nordic cuisine, which relies on local and foraged ingredients.
It was ranked the best restaurant in the world five times on the World’s 50 Best Restaurants list and had three Michelin stars until it ceased service in 2024. Noma is now a “giant laboratory” dedicated to food innovation, the restaurant said in a statement at the time.
