Copenhagen’s famed Noma restaurant to reopen without founder Redzepi at helm
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Denmark’s iconic Noma restaurant is set to reopen on Aug. 5 with neither its founder and celebrity chef René Redzepi at the helm nor its three stars in the Michelin Guide. Redzepi…
Copenhagen's renowned Noma restaurant is scheduled to reopen on August 5th without its founder and world-famous chef René Redzepi at the helm, nor with the three Michelin stars the establishment has held since 2021. Redzepi announced his departure from the Copenhagen institution in March, following numerous allegations of abuse and assault dating back several years.
During his tenure of 23 years at Noma, the restaurant received numerous international accolades, topping the World's 50 Best Restaurants List five times for its innovative "New Nordic" cuisine.
Five months after Redzepi's public downfall, Noma claims it is embarking on a "new chapter" with its longtime chefs taking charge and a menu that will change monthly to emphasize the seasonality of ingredients. Executive head chef Pablo Soto expressed the difficulties faced by the restaurant, stating that there has been a significant amount of media attention and questions about the restaurant's direction. Despite the scrutiny, the staff remains committed to their work.
Redzepi, widely regarded as the world's top chef, had been under scrutiny for years due to reports of mistreatment of his staff and the practice of using unpaid interns to staff the restaurant. The allegations escalated just days before the opening of a Noma pop-up in Los Angeles, with an article in The New York Times detailing accounts of verbal abuse and physical assault by Redzepi and his deputies against former employees between 2009 and 2017.
Redzepi, 48, later issued an apology and expressed his intention to "step away" from his role in a tearful video posted to the restaurant's Instagram page.
The absence of Redzepi and the absence of the three Michelin stars will be noticeable when Noma reopens. The restaurant has not made Redzepi, who now holds a creative director role, available for an interview. However, Redzepi expressed excitement about the "fresh energy" that will be brought into the restaurant. The Michelin Guide declined to include Noma in its 2026 edition, citing the restaurant's failure to meet the guide's requirements for being open long enough during that year.
The Copenhagen location closed in January ahead of the Los Angeles pop-up and remained closed for most of the year.
Written by urgent.news from Associated Press's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
