Mistreated workers in fine dining: a complaint implicates the prestigious Noma restaurant

BarcelonaOn March 11, the famous Danish restaurant Noma will unveil a pop-up in Los Angeles. It will run until June 26th and the menu will cost $1,500 (about €1,273). It's sold out. What was meant to be a routine stay abroad for René Redzepi's iconic establishment has been marred by a major controversy. A few weeks ago, a former employee, Jason Ignacio WhiteShe began a strong campaign on Instagram denouncing the mistreatment she suffered and witnessed at the Nordic restaurant. She also offered her platform to anonymously give a voice to former employees so they could share their experiences. Since then, she has continued to publish a steady stream of accounts detailing scenes of abuse. has created a websitewhere he compiles these messages. White tags the event's sponsors in Los Angeles, such as American Express, urging them to reconsider their partnership with Redzepi. He has also called for a protest on the 11th at the location where the restaurant is scheduled to open. pop-up in the United States.

Jason Ignacio White was in charge of Noma's fermentation lab from 2017 to 2022, and he describes a terrifying work environment. He accuses Redzepi of physically assaulting workers and poking them in the legs with a barbecue skewer from under the stove, so diners couldn't see. He claims Redzepi threatened to blacklist people so they would never find work in the industry again. He alleges that Redzepi exploited and unpaid workers while distributing millions in dividends. He cites the consequences for former employees who suffer from post-traumatic stress after working there. He has also reported sexual harassment by some employees in positions of authority. And finally, one of the most serious accusations: he claims to have seen a young cook burn her face and that Redzepi's reaction was to laugh, without taking any action. This is not the first time that abuse allegations linked to the Copenhagen restaurant (and many others) have surfaced. According to White, the reason why Redzepi announced the closure of the restaurant It was to quell the wave of criticism stemming from the abuse suffered by his workers, so he made this distraction maneuver. Subsequently, the restaurant has not closed.

What does Noma have to say?

The Danish restaurant responded to the ARA, stating that when these criticisms were first raised, they did not ignore them. "We have listened carefully and implemented significant changes across the organization to strengthen our culture, policies, and accountability. These changes shape how we operate today. In recent days, some of these past criticisms have resurfaced on social media. While we review all claims carefully, they do not reflect the workplace."

Regarding the accusation... stagiaire who burned her face with steam, however, they completely deny the accusations. They maintain that they have spoken with her and that there are witnesses who prove that she was attended to immediately. According to them, the account given does not reflect what happened. Finally, the restaurant spokesperson clarifies that the accusations are circulating "without regard for whether they are accurate or whether they are five, ten, or fifteen years old," which has resulted in "harassment" of current employees, who, she emphasizes, "are not involved in the stories being shared nor are they responsible." "Members of our team are receiving harassment, threats, and targeted intimidation as a result of a false accusation," they conclude.

Until now, the restaurant had maintained a low profile when responding publicly to these accusations. Recently, in a comment onone post InstagramThey also reiterated that this image does not reflect the current work environment and that they have "a fully paid internship program, improved hours and time off, enhanced benefits, a dedicated HR team, leadership training, and much more."

What's happening in the restaurant world

The allegations surrounding Noma were the central topic at the Repsol Suns luncheon in the Tarragona amphitheater, and at the Macarfi gala. The chefs asked each other if they had seen what was circulating on social media. The truth is, it's not the first time restaurants of this caliber have been tainted by such accusations. "Just wait until names start coming out," they said. Others pointed out that this hurt everyone, because it's not true that this is the case everywhere.

One of the voices many people were waiting to hear was that of Ferran Adrià. The former El Bulli chef spoke with journalist Carlos G. Cano on the program Gastro SER from Cadena SER. "It's on a stratospheric scale. It's a very sad issue, because gastronomy should be about happiness. But just talking for the sake of talking is alarming. If it's true, I don't understand why people haven't left. When I was 20, I punched a head chef because he touched my shoulder." When Cano pointed out that sometimes you don't react because you're paralyzed, Adrià said he didn't understand how some people hadn't reacted "if two thousand people have passed through there, like at El Bulli." "If it happened, it's despicable. But I don't know," he said.

Chef Jeffrey Ruiz, co-owner of La Corte del Mos in Palamós, has a very different view. and chef of the yearAs a young chef who has worked in many restaurants, he explains that "this has happened in 90% of the world's top restaurants," although he knows that things have changed a lot at Noma. "Many terrible things have been done in the hospitality industry. Everything has been done, and nothing has been said for fear of ruining your career," he explains. He only dares to categorically single out a few exceptions. "At El Celler de Can Roca, Via Veneto, or with chef Paco Pérez, that has never happened, I'd stake my life on it," he asserts. However, Ruiz explains that it's not just a fine dining issue, but a global one for the sector. It's just that in the high-end sector, "it gets more attention," he says. He cites as an example the worst experience he's had, which took place far from the spotlight: a catering company in Sant Cugat. "When I was 18, they told me I'd never amount to anything. They made me work 48 hours straight and let me sleep for an hour on a bench in the locker room." She was paid 680 euros a month, and they also employed many undocumented workers to exploit her. "When there was a mistake, they'd say all sorts of things to you. There's a difference between being strict and being a bad person," she explains. With this, she responds to Adrià's question about leaving and why she's speaking out now. "If they spend all day telling you you're worthless, you end up believing it. Those who are reporting it are people who have already established their careers and can no longer be harmed," she explains. Finally, she points out that incidents like this cause many people to abandon the profession. No one from her background works in the industry anymore.