E-Paper
Celebrity chef punched, kicked, publicly humiliated employees at 3 Michelin star restaurant: ‘Work felt like war’
Former employees accuse Noma's chef René Redzepi of verbal and physical abuse, detailing instances of public humiliation and threats.
Former employees of one of the world’s top-rated restaurants have accused its founding chef of verbal and physical abuse. The celebrity chef behind Noma, one of the most influential restaurants in the world, has been accused of punching and kicking employees, initiating public shaming rituals, humiliating staffers, and even threatening to use his connections to get them blacklisted from the industry.
Chef René Redzepi is the brainchild behind Noma, a three-Michelin-star restaurant and food lab in Copenhagen that has been ranked as the world’s top restaurant five times by Restaurant magazine.
Redzepi’s past conduct is in the spotlight as Noma prepares for its $1,500-per-ticket pop-up in Los Angeles, set to begin on March 11.
Violent punishments at Noma
According to a New York Times exposé published today, at least 35 former Noma workers have confirmed that celebrity chef René Redzepi routinely engaged in the mistreatment of employees. (Also read: Pregnant public sector banker alleges toxic workplace harassment by manager: ‘First trimester was tough’)
Some notable instances stand out. In February 2014, for example, Redzepi ordered the entire kitchen staff to follow him outside into the cold, pausing dinner service.
Once outside, the employees formed a circle around Redzepi and a sous-chef. Redzepi then began taunting the employee, escalating his attack until he was screaming and kicking the sous-chef.
The sous-chef’s mistake? He had played techno music — a genre that Redzepi disliked — in the production kitchen. Redzepi refused to stop his physical and verbal attack until the sous-chef said, loud enough for all to hear, that he liked giving oral sex to DJs.
Employees who were part of the circle never mentioned this incident again. They told NYT that such incidents were common at Noma.
‘Work felt like war’
“Going to work felt like going to war,” said Alessia, a former Noma employee. “You had to force yourself to be strong, to show no fear.”
Former employees told the New York Times that such incidents were part of a broader pattern of abuse that spanned several years. The newspaper said it independently interviewed 35 former staff members, whose accounts described a workplace where physical punishment and psychological intimidation were routine.
Between 2009 and 2017, they alleged, Redzepi punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen tools and slammed them against walls.
Ex-employees also described enduring psychological abuse, including intimidation, body shaming and public ridicule. Some said Redzepi threatened to use his influence to have them blacklisted from restaurants around the world, deported, or to get their spouses fired from their jobs.
In January 2023, Redzepi announced that Noma would transition away from traditional restaurant service. It continues to operate as a food lab with pop-up events. (Also read: World's top restaurant Noma is shutting down, here's all you need to know)
