‘Resignation’ of top Noma chef turns out to be major sleight of hand

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Noma, the most influential restaurant of the past 25 years, has ridden the wave of controversy over its owner-founder René Redzepi by giving him a new job title. Redzepi, The Observer reported this week, will be Noma’s creative director despite indicating he was stepping down from the restaurant less than three months ago. Redzepi’s “resignation” followed a New York Times report in which he was accused, between 2009 and 2017, of physically and emotionally abusing colleagues. He said he didn’t recognise every detail outlined in the allegations, which included punching staff in the face, but saw his actions had been “harmful” to people who had worked with him. Noma returns to its Copenhagen home in August after its LA residency, where a ticket costs $1,500. The fact that the pop-up has operated near capacity for every service suggests diners will be happy to give the restaurant their custom.

Further reading: How Noma’s René Redzepi became untouchable