A Reckoning at Noma

Photo Credit: Thibault Savary / AFP / Getty Images

Dear Pros,

Erika here. By now, you've certainly heard about Noma. What started as a single Instagram post from former fermentation lab employee Jason Ignacio White alleging a culture of abuse in the kitchen at the landmark Copenhagen restaurant erupted into a firestorm of controversy. Within a month, a New York Times investigation dropped and major sponsors pulled out of Noma's $1,500-per-person Los Angeles pop-up. Then came another bombshell on the first night of the 16-week residency. Founding chef René Redzepi was stepping away from his role as the face of Noma, and the dinner series would continue without him.

The chef broke the news in an Instagram story, while Noma communications sent out a press release detailing the next steps for the organization. Shortly after, the official @nomacph account posted an uncomfortably slick video of Redzepi telling his staff that the future of Noma was now in their hands while the camera zoomed in on their faces to catch their raw reactions.

As multiple chefs told my colleague Kat Kinsman, the Redzepi fallout reverberates far beyond Noma's walls and gardens. We have been through news cycles like this before — Mario Batali, John Besh, Blaine Wetzel — and each time, the point is underscored: Restaurant kitchen culture must change.

As Kat wrote earlier this week, catalyst for that evolution lies with everyone who interacts with restaurants, not just kitchen leadership. As diners, voting with your dollars may sound trite, but it is a concrete action that effects real change. Just look at Chicago’s Warlord, where a lawsuit brought against chef and co-owner Trevor Fleming estimates that the chef’s abusive behavior cost the restaurant $1.4 million. The action helps empower a version of the industry where we don’t have to factor in ethical breaches when we're making a reservation.

Pros, what's your reaction to the Noma reckoning? How do you think this will impact the industry? Let me know at the email below.

Take care,
Erika

Erika Adams

Restaurant Editor

IG: @erika.lea.adams

erika.adams@foodandwine.com

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