René Redzepi resigns from Noma after admitting to worker abuses
The chef has announced it to his team and posted a video on social media explaining his reasons for quitting.
BarcelonaDanish chef René Redzepi has posted a video on social media announcing to the staff of Noma that he is stepping down as head chef of the restaurant. He has been surrounded by strong controversy in which he is accused of inflicting abuses on workersFrom punches and shouting to threats of being blacklisted, the abuse was felt by a former employee, Jason Ignacio White, the former head of the R&D lab, who started this public denunciation on social media. His intention was to create a version of Me Too in the food industry, taking advantage of the pop-up that Noma was doing in Los Angeles.
"I'm sorry you're all in this situation. I don't think this represents our team. I'm very proud of us as an organization," Redzepi tells his team. "Until everyone feels 100% safe, I'm going to step aside. Running this restaurant now will depend on you," he tells them as they all form a circle around him. "I won't shirk my responsibilities. Many of you have seen the change. I ask that I step up and fight to win over diner by diner," he adds. The chef has also resigned from leading the non-profit MAD Foundation, which he founded in 2011.
The video is accompanied by a text in which he apologizes and emphasizes that he has tried to change. "I have worked to be a better leader, and Noma has taken great strides in transforming its culture over many years. I recognize that these changes do not undo the past. An apology is not enough; I take responsibility for my own actions," he writes. And he ends the text by saying, "Noma has always been greater than any one person. And this step I am taking honors that belief."
Redzepi's resignation comes after The sponsors of the Los Angeles event will withdraw from the projectPart of the online campaign's strategy involved pressuring the event's sponsors, where each diner pays $1,500. The pressure finally paid off on Monday, but only after the newspaper The New York Times He published a lengthy article in which he had spoken with more than 30 workers who confirmed what they described as a "climate of terror." Following this article, and others that had already appeared in the press, the chef made a post On Instagram, he acknowledged his mistakes and apologized. The statement wasn't enough, and sponsors like American Express and Cadillac ended up withdrawing their support.
