In the long history of institutions built on brilliance and brutality, Copenhagen's Noma now attempts something rarer than a three-Michelin-star meal: genuine reinvention. After founder René Redzepi stepped aside following widespread accounts of physical and psychological abuse spanning nearly a decade, the world's most celebrated restaurant reopens Wednesday under new executive head chef Pablo Soto. The moment asks a question that extends well beyond the kitchen — whether a culture of excellence can be rebuilt without the cruelty that was once mistaken for its source.
Noma reopens under new leadership after abuse allegations force Redzepi's departure
Dozens of former employees reported physical and psychological abuse including punching, screaming, and public shaming between 2009-2017, with one describing work as 'going to war'.
Brilliance doesn't require cruelty, but proving it will take time.
Mark
When you say it's still the same Noma, what do you actually mean? The leadership is different, the menu structure is different, the culture is explicitly different.
Mimi
The core of what made Noma special—the obsession with ingredients, the creativity, the team that built it—that hasn't changed. What's different is the pressure around it. The same people are cooking, but they're not being screamed at while they do it.
Mark
Do you think Redzepi's absence will be felt in the kitchen?
Mimi
Absolutely. He shaped everything about this place for two decades. But there's a difference between absence and erasure. He's still involved creatively. The question is whether that creative input can exist without the control and the anger that came with it.
Mark
The allegations describe a decade of abuse. How do you rebuild trust with staff after something like that?
Mimi
You don't rebuild it overnight. You change the structure so the abuse can't happen again. You hire leadership that prioritizes people's lives outside work. You prove it through action, not words.
Mark
Is it possible Noma becomes better without Redzepi running it day-to-day?
Mimi
That's what Soto seems to believe. He's not claiming Redzepi wasn't brilliant. He's saying brilliance doesn't require cruelty. Whether that's true—whether you can maintain three Michelin stars and a healthier workplace—that's what the next few months will answer.
The Pulse
- Dozens of former Noma employees described years of punching, screaming, and public humiliation under Redzepi, with one comparing the daily experience to going to war.
- The allegations, surfacing during a Los Angeles pop-up, forced Redzepi to publicly acknowledge his conduct and resign from both the restaurant and his nonprofit MAD within days.
- A reopening that was never guaranteed — Soto admits there were moments he doubted Noma would survive at all — is now anchored by the loyalty of the core team who chose to stay.
- New leadership is dismantling the old high-pressure model: monthly evolving menus replace rigid seasonal formats, and staff wellbeing — families, pets, hobbies — is now an explicit operational priority.
- Redzepi retains creative involvement but no longer runs daily operations, leaving the restaurant to prove that its identity was never solely his to define.
In the long history of institutions built on brilliance and brutality, Copenhagen's Noma now attempts something rarer than a three-Michelin-star meal: genuine reinvention. After founder René Redzepi stepped aside following widespread accounts of physical and psychological abuse spanning nearly a decade, the world's most celebrated restaurant reopens Wednesday under new executive head chef Pablo Soto. The moment asks a question that extends well beyond the kitchen — whether a culture of excellence can be rebuilt without the cruelty that was once mistaken for its source.
Copenhagen's Noma, five times ranked the world's best restaurant and holder of three Michelin stars since 2003, reopens Wednesday under new leadership — a moment that would have seemed unthinkable just months ago. The change follows a New York Times investigation in which dozens of former employees described years of physical aggression, screaming, and public humiliation under founder René Redzepi between 2009 and 2017. One former staff member said arriving at work felt like going to war. Redzepi acknowledged enough truth in the accounts to offer a public apology and, within days, announced his departure from the restaurant and his nonprofit organization.
Pablo Soto, who spent nearly a decade at Noma, now leads as executive head chef alongside chief executive Annika de Las Heras and head of research Mette Brink Søberg. Redzepi retains a creative role but no longer controls daily operations. Soto has been deliberate in framing the transition as a recalibration rather than a rupture. What gave him confidence through the uncertainty, he said, was that the core team — the people who had built Noma's reputation — chose to stay.
The reopening brings meaningful operational changes. The restaurant abandons its three fixed seasonal menus in favor of a dynamic monthly format driven by what is available at any given moment — opening with berries, flowers, and sweet seafood before shifting to wild mushrooms and game by October. More significantly, Soto has made staff wellbeing a stated priority, insisting that the roughly 100 employees should be able to maintain full lives outside the kitchen. The menu remains priced at 4,500 Danish kroner per person, but the philosophy behind it has shifted.
The harder test lies ahead. Noma must now demonstrate that the pursuit of culinary excellence and a humane workplace are not opposing forces — and that an institution shaped so visibly by one man's vision can endure, and perhaps deepen, without his dominance at its center.
Copenhagen's Noma restaurant, a place that has claimed the title of world's best five times over and earned three Michelin stars since its founding in 2003, is reopening its doors on Wednesday under new leadership. The change comes after René Redzepi, the restaurant's star chef and co-founder, stepped away following allegations of systematic abuse that threatened to dismantle one of the culinary world's most celebrated institutions.
Earlier this year, as Noma launched a pop-up in Los Angeles, dozens of former employees spoke to the New York Times about their experiences working under Redzepi between 2009 and 2017. They described a workplace marked by physical aggression, screaming fits, and public humiliation. One former staff member said the experience of going to work "felt like going to war." Redzepi responded by acknowledging that while he didn't recognize every detail in the accounts, he could see enough of his own behavior reflected in them to understand the harm he had caused. "To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgment or my anger, I am deeply sorry," he said. Within days, he announced his departure from the restaurant and resigned from MAD, his nonprofit organization.
Pablo Soto, who has spent nearly a decade working at Noma, now takes the helm as executive head chef. He is joined in leadership by chief executive Annika de Las Heras and Mette Brink Søberg, head of research and development. Redzepi remains involved in creative matters but no longer controls the restaurant's daily operations. Soto was careful to frame this not as a replacement but as a recalibration. "This is still his restaurant," Soto said. "He is now simply moving to the side to continue on other creative ventures."
The reopening marks a significant moment for the restaurant, which had originally planned to transform its Copenhagen location into a food laboratory before the allegations forced a reconsideration. The decision to reopen the physical restaurant instead was made to provide stability to the team after months of turbulence. Soto described the period following Los Angeles as difficult and uncertain, with moments when he questioned whether Noma would survive at all. What gave him confidence was the fact that the core team—the people who had built Noma's reputation over the years—remained committed to the restaurant.
The reopening will introduce operational changes that signal a shift in philosophy. The restaurant is moving away from its previous model of three distinct seasons—seafood in winter, vegetables in spring and summer, game and forest ingredients in autumn—toward a dynamic monthly menu that evolves based on what is available at any given moment. When the restaurant opens, the focus will be on berries, flowers, vegetables, and sweet seafood. By October, the menu will shift to wild mushrooms, game, stone fruits, and red shellfish.
Beyond the menu, Soto has made staff wellbeing a central priority. The restaurant employs about 100 people, and he is committed to ensuring they can maintain lives outside work—having children, keeping pets, pursuing hobbies. This represents a deliberate departure from the high-pressure, all-consuming culture that characterized the Redzepi era. "This is nothing new but is definitely something that is a priority, that people can continue their lives and continue to be at work," Soto said.
The price point remains substantial: the menu costs 4,500 Danish kroner, roughly £515 per person, with wine pairings adding another 2,000 kroner or £229. Despite the changes, Soto insists the restaurant remains fundamentally Noma. "It's the same Noma," he said. "We are simply back home—that is what is different." The real test will come in the weeks and months ahead, as the restaurant attempts to rebuild its reputation and prove that excellence and a healthier workplace culture are not mutually exclusive.
Notable Quotes
To those who have suffered under my leadership, my bad judgment or my anger, I am deeply sorry and I have worked to change.— René Redzepi, in response to abuse allegations
The team that has done it for so many years is still here. And that's the number one marker of confidence right now.— Pablo Soto, new executive head chef
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