A few weeks before René Redzepi's Noma was due to open in LA, allegations started to appear about abuse at the chef's restaurants. Rumours had been circulating before, but this time around, there was a concentrated effort to get people's stories out there. This was primarily due to an Instagram account by Jason Ignacio White, the former R&D head of Noma's fermentation lab. White started posting personal stories about abuse, and that snowballed as others began sharing their own experiences.
In the run-up to the Noma LA launch, there may have been more news about the $1500 price for tickets, but the real story was brewing in the background. And as the launch finally arrived, protests outside the pop-up made it impossible for the media to ignore. Larger investigations took place, particularly one from The New York Times, and then one of the key supporters of the pop-up, American Express, pulled out.
That was the final straw, and late yesterday, René Redzepi announced that he would be standing down from Noma.
His Instagram post said, "I have worked to be a better leader and Noma has taken big steps to transform the culture over many years. I recognize these changes do not repair the past. An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions. After more than two decades of building and leading this restaurant, I’ve decided to step away and allow our extraordinary leaders to now guide the restaurant into its next chapter."
In all honesty, it's not the greatest apology, but it is progress of sorts, and the real work remains for the team behind. Can they change the culture, or will the brand be forever tarnished? We'll have to see.
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