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Behind Michelin Stars: Former Noma staff describe ‘war’ zone kitchen and ‘physical abuse’ by celebrity chef René Redzepi
Punching, attack with kitchen tools, and public humiliation: A new investigation into the famed restaurant Noma alleges a dark history of worker mistreatment and the unsustainable cost of culinary perfection.
René Redzepi allegedly ordered the entire kitchen staff outside into the cold during dinner service (Image source: @reneredzepinoma/Instagram)
René Redzepi, a celebrity chef, has triggered a controversy after being accused of punching and kicking staff, humiliating employees publicly, and threatening to blacklist them from the industry.
According to the New York Post, Redzepi is the visionary behind Noma, a three-Michelin-star restaurant and food lab in Copenhagen, which has been ranked the world’s top restaurant five times by Restaurant magazine. A New York Times investigation reports that at least 35 former Noma employees confirmed Redzepi routinely mistreated staff.
In February 2014, Redzepi allegedly ordered the entire kitchen staff outside into the cold during dinner service. He asked the employees to form a circle around him, and a sous-chef was then subjected to taunting and escalating physical abuse, including kicking, the report added.
The incident unfolded after the sous-chef allegedly played techno music in the kitchen, a genre Redzepi disliked. The chef only stopped his assault after forcing the employee to loudly declare, in front of the circle, that he enjoyed giving oral sex to DJs, the report added.
Employees who witnessed the episode said they never discussed it again. They told the New York Times that such incidents were commonplace at Noma.
“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.”
According to the report, the former staff described a pattern of abuse spanning several years. Between 2009 and 2017, Redzepi allegedly punched employees in the face, jabbed them with kitchen tools, and slammed them against walls.
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Employees also reported psychological mistreatment, including intimidation, body shaming, and public humiliation, the report stated. Some former staff also said Redzepi threatened to leverage his influence to get them blacklisted from restaurants worldwide, deported, or have their spouses fired.
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