Somewhere along the way to chefs becoming celebrities, we lost the plot completely.
In recent weeks, allegations of assault and harassment against Noma chef René Redzepi, arguably the most famous chef in the world, have resurfaced online. On Wednesday, the chef and his team plan to begin a 16-week residency in Los Angeles featuring $1,500-a-seat dinners, a documentary, a Noma Projects store in Silver Lake and collaborations with chefs around the city. Several sponsors and partners have already withdrawn.
Normally, an event of this scale would justify coverage. Instead, I found myself not making plans to attend and even reconsidering how I approach my work.
Pop-up reserves were sold out in minutes. They invited me to one of the dinners, but I declined. We do not accept free meals. And there's something about supporting a chef who, according to several former employees, punched a colleague in the ribs (and berated him until he admitted he liked giving oral sex to DJs), among other abhorrent behavior, that makes me lose my appetite.
I have worked in restaurants, but never in the kitchen. For years, chefs have shared horror stories about the high-pressure environment, as if the constant drive and ambition to be the “best” justified all bad behavior.
My job is to evaluate restaurants. I do not take lightly their place or importance in the world. But let's not forget that we are talking about restaurants. These are not operating rooms or battlefields. Are some chefs so important that they believe their role is above moral and social obligations?
Redzepi apologized to his more than 1 million followers on social media. It racked up tens of thousands of likes and heart emojis from chefs and fans around the world. Some took to the comments to share positive work experiences under his leadership. I am genuinely grateful that they did not suffer any abuse. But there were those who did and deserve to be heard.
Weeks before the planned pop-up in Los Angeles, former Noma fermentation lab director Jason Ignacio White began sharing anonymous accounts of alleged abuse at the hands of Redzepi. He is organizing a protest with the nonprofit group One Fair Wage, which advocates for a $30 minimum wage within the restaurant industry.
Chef René Redzepi outside his restaurant Noma in Copenhagen.
(Laurie Ochoa / Los Angeles Times)
Much of the criticism surrounding Noma over the years has focused on the restaurant's use of free interns to staff its kitchens. It's a practice the group says it will have stopped in 2022. Shortly after, the restaurant announced that its fine-dining model was unsustainable and that it needed to close. But the price of the Los Angeles pop-up once again raised concerns about how the restaurant is run and who benefits from all those years of unpaid work.
There are fine dining restaurants in Los Angeles, where ordering drink pairings and complementary dishes will easily cost close to $1,500. But those restaurants are Los Angeles restaurants, with Los Angeles staff and the Los Angeles communities they serve.
Earlier this year, Redzepi told The Times that the price would offset accommodation for 130 people and schooling costs for staff children. He also said he hoped to break even.
I've heard the argument that Noma pop-ups will be good for the Los Angeles economy. That they will bring wealthy diners who would not otherwise visit Los Angeles. I so want this to be true. In recent weeks, Noma hosted collaborative events at Courage Bagels and Holbox, two restaurants that already attract some of the longest lines in the city. I have yet to hear from any business owners who are now full of bookings because Noma is in town.
And we continue to ignore the big elephant stirring in the room.
All forms of aggression, including slamming someone against a wall, stabbing, and hitting, are not okay. It's not okay to treat others poorly because you see yourself as an innovator or leader in your field.
It's impossible to know exactly what goes on in someone's kitchen. But there are dozens of fine dining restaurants that have earned the highest culinary accolades, while fostering safe, equitable and supportive environments. Providence, Kato and Baroo in Los Angeles are just the first ones that come to mind.
The thought of giving a platform to someone who abuses their staff is something that makes me lose my appetite and fall asleep. If your food, like Redzepi's, pioneers a global movement, does it deserve coverage anyway? It's a question I ask myself in every restaurant I choose for this article and in every dish of food I post on social media.
I'm not defending cancel culture. People must be given the ability to recognize their behavior, take real responsibility, and do better. But what the former Noma employees allege is assault, a word that both Redzepi and Noma have failed to use in their recent statements.
I have no doubt that many more heart emojis will appear on Redzepi and Noma's social media pages.
I hope we at least take this as an opportunity to acknowledge how toxic masculinity, inequity, and the perpetuation of supposedly abusive behavior in the kitchen became ingrained in restaurant culture decades ago. Now more than ever, systemic change is needed.
So, for everyone still asking, no, I will not be eating at Noma in Los Angeles.
