Noma chef and co-founder René Redzepi resigns amid abuse allegations

René Redzepi, the co-founder and head chef of Noma, has announced his resignation on social media.

In an Instagram post, the chef said: “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.”

His exit comes after a recent report from The New York Times that included accounts from 35 former employees at the former three-Michelin-starred Copenhagen restaurant, which alleged “a pattern of physical punishment Mr Redzepi inflicted on his staff”.

Redzepi said: “An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions.”

Noma’s upcoming residency in Los Angeles will go ahead helmed by Noma’s wider team, which Redzepi described as “the strongest and most inspiring it has ever been”.

“We’ve been open for 23 years and I’m incredibly proud of our people, our creativity, and the direction Noma is heading,” he added.

Redzepi has also resigned from the board of MAD, the non-profit he founded in 2011.

Redzepi’s departure follows an apology issued earlier this week, where he said that “shouting, humiliation and fear were simply part of the culture” when he began his culinary career.

Redzepi opened Noma in 2003 and closed it in 2024 to relaunch it as a “giant lab” test kitchen in 2025, operating via international pop-ups and seasonal runs instead of a conventional restaurant format.

Photo: Laura Lajh Prijatelj