The New York Times published an investigation on March 7 in which 35 former Noma employees described years of physical and psychological abuse by chef Rene Redzepi. Punching. Jabbing with kitchen tools. Slamming workers against walls. Body shaming. Public ridicule. The allegations span 2009 to 2017. Redzepi posted an apology. Three days later, American Express, Resy, Tock, and Blackbird all pulled their sponsorship of Noma's 16-week LA pop-up — a $1,500-per-person residency in Silver Lake that opens today. Former employee Jason Ignacio White is organizing a worker protest at the venue on opening day.
1. He Said Sorry. He Should Get to Cook. (Restaurant Industry Supporters)
People change. The behavior was a decade ago. Killing the pop-up punishes everyone who works there now.
Many prominent chefs publicly backed Redzepi after his apology. A large number of rather famous chefs commented their support in response to Redzepi's post. And Chef Jeffrey Ruiz said "this has happened in 90% of the world's top restaurants," while saying that things have changed at Noma.
The allegations are from 2009 to 2017 — not today. Redzepi closed Noma in Copenhagen at the end of 2024, saying the fine dining model was "unsustainable." He's been public about trying to build something different. The pop-up employs current staff who weren't part of the old kitchen. Pulling sponsorship doesn't hold Redzepi accountable — it punishes the people working at Noma now.
Redzepi's apology was specific and unhedged. He didn't deny everything. He wrote: "To everyone who suffered from my leadership, poor judgment, or anger, I am so sorry and I have worked to change." That's more than most chefs accused of similar behavior have ever said.
2. An Apology Isn't Accountability (Former Employees, Worker Advocates)
Thirty-five people described being punched, humiliated, and retaliated against. An Instagram post doesn't fix that.
The scale of the allegations is not normal. Thirty-five former employees. Physical violence: punching, pushing, jabbing with kitchen tools. Psychological abuse: intimidation, body shaming, public ridicule, employment retaliation. One headline described Redzepi's tactics as "resembling a cult leader." This isn't one disgruntled cook with a grudge.
The protest demands aren't about cancellation — they're about reparations. Former employee Jason Ignacio White, working with a wage-advocacy nonprofit, is calling for two things: reparations for harmed workers and systemic changes to how chefs hire and retain staff. The framing isn't "shut it down." It's: you made money off our pain, and you owe us.
The sponsors understood the assignment. Resy's statement: "In light of the disturbing information that has come to our attention, American Express, Resy, and Tock have made the decision to step away." Four sponsors dropped out the day before opening. That's not cancel culture. That's brands deciding the risk isn't worth the association.
3. This Is Bigger Than One Chef (Food Writers, Kitchen Culture Critics)
Every famous kitchen had a version of this. Noma just got the New York Times story.
The food world knows this isn't just about Redzepi. The Appetites newsletter published a piece titled "Beyond Noma," arguing the conversation should be about systemic kitchen culture, not one chef. Restaurant Business Online reported that restaurateurs are "questioning what made kitchens like Noma's seem normal." The answer: basically all of fine dining.
LA's food community is genuinely divided, which reveals an underlying issue. Some see Redzepi as a changed person who deserves a second act. Others see a $1,500-a-plate event monetizing a brand built on exploitation. Both positions are held by people who work in kitchens. That means there's an industry-wide conflict.
The fine dining model itself is under scrutiny. Redzepi himself said the model was "unsustainable" when he closed Noma. The Week asked whether Noma's closure signals "the future of fine dining" — an industry built on unpaid stages, 16-hour shifts, and the cult of the genius chef. If the model produces abusers as reliably as it produces tasting menus, the problem isn't one chef's temper. It's the kitchen.
Where This Lands
The pop-up opens today with four fewer sponsors, a worker protest at the door, and an Instagram apology on the record. Redzepi admits he was hurtful. His supporters say he's changed. His former employees say an apology isn't reparations. And the broader food world is asking whether a system that made Noma possible is the same system that made the abuse possible. The $1,500 plates will probably sell out anyway.