Chef René Redzepi resigns from Noma amid abuse allegations

René Redzepi, the caput cook of Denmark's Noma, has resigned from the edifice amid abuse allegations and protests extracurricular his Los Angeles pop-up location.

Redzepi's Danish edifice Noma is 1 of the highest-rated successful the world. For months, helium and his unit person been mounting up a impermanent determination successful L.A., with reservations priced astatine $1,500 per person. The six-week tally sold retired successful conscionable minutes. 

"The caller weeks person brought attraction and important conversations astir our restaurant, industry, and my past leadership," Redzepi wrote successful an Instagram post. "After much than 2 decades of gathering and starring this restaurant, I've decided to measurement distant and let our bonzer leaders to present usher the edifice into its adjacent chapter."

Former NOMA cook and manager of fermentation Jason White protests with labour activists extracurricular the NOMA pop-up successful Silver Lake, Los Angeles, connected March 11, 2026.  Sarah Reingewirtz/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images

Redzepi added that helium resigned from his nonprofit's board. The organization, named MAD, said connected its website that it focused connected helping radical caller to the restaurant industry.

Several firm sponsors, including American Express, pulled retired of Noma's L.A. determination aft the New York Times reported past week that dozens of erstwhile employees accused Redzepi of creating a toxic enactment situation with changeless verbal maltreatment and adjacent carnal mistreatment. 

"To beryllium honorable with you, I deliberation the repercussions of staying soundless are worse than maine speaking up and lasting with my peers against violence," said Jason Ignacio White, erstwhile Noma employee. 

White said helium witnessed wide maltreatment during the 5 years helium worked for the personage cook arsenic manager of fermentation, 1 of the highest levels of enactment successful the company. 

"People being stabbed with barbecue forks, to different lawsuit wherever Rene really dropping his kid truthful helium tin choke a squad subordinate for a strawberry," White said. 

Redzepi responded to allegations with an apologetic connection connected societal media. He added that helium has been moving connected his choler absorption successful therapy.  

Protesters demonstrated extracurricular of Noma's L.A. pop-up determination astatine the Paramour Estate successful Silver Lake. 

"Who wants to devour successful an situation of abuse," said Saru Jayaraman, a subordinate of One Fair Wage, an enactment that called for Redzepi's resignation. "Who wants to devour nutrient that comes from the tears and sweat of radical who are suffering?"  

Redzepi said Wednesday his squad volition proceed their enactment astatine the L.A. location. In different Instagram post, Redzepi shared a video showing him announcing his resignation to his unit and apologizing.

"This squad volition transportation guardant unneurotic into our L.A. residency, which volition beryllium a almighty infinitesimal for them to amusement what they've been moving toward and to invited guests to thing genuinely special," Redzepi wrote.