The current way of working is “unsustainable,” Redzepi says in a report The New York Times. At the prices consumers are now willing to pay, the chef says it’s impossible to “fairly compensate” his nearly 100 employees while maintaining high quality and standards.
A dinner in the restaurant, which has three Michelin stars, quickly costs 500 euros per person. The American newspaper noted that currently on the menu is “grilled reindeer heart,” served with saffron ice cream in a beeswax bowl.
“Never Paid Too Much”
Noma has been attracting foodies to the Danish capital for years. Since opening in 2003, the restaurant has been voted best restaurant in the world five times, winning out of a list of fifty. Noma topped the list in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014 and most recently in 2021.
Food journalist Joël Broekaert has joined Redzepi six times over the years. “It’s an expensive night, obviously, but really, I’ve never felt like I paid too much. It’s food art with a capital A.”
The praise for Noma lies in its constant innovation, says Broekaert. “Noma is the most influential restaurant of the last twenty years. Before that, luxury products arrived from all over the world. Truffles from Italy. Caviar from Russia. Redzepi broke with that. He started working with local seasonal products. It was necessary taste, feel and see where you were in the world and what time of year. That also meant he had to experience fermentation and ancient preservation techniques.”
Worldwide following
This was followed in all cuisines of the world. Broekaert: “Every self-respecting restaurant is now committed to fermentation and local products. It’s not entirely his credit, but his influence on this movement is great. You can also see his influence in the best global restaurants such as Central in Lima, White Rabbit in Russia and DOM in São Paulo. Chefs from all over the world follow the example of processing local products”.
With Noma 2.0, the previous “relaunch” of the original Noma, Redzepi has gone one step further. “He became a fish restaurant in the winter, because that’s when the fish is at its best. He cooked vegetarian in the summer, because that’s when the produce from the land tastes best. In the fall, he worked with game and forest products. I like it brilliant. And I’m very happy that I was able to complete my menu quartet.”
Redzepi has been praised worldwide as a culinary innovator and engine of international food tourism. But in addition to awards and stars, the restaurant has also received criticism. That, according to The New York Times, was about paying little or no wages to full-time employees who were sometimes hired as interns.
Starting again as a laboratory
This problem is more prevalent at the top gastronomic echelons, the paper writes. The innovative and creative way of working costs a lot of time and money. This puts the entire revenue model under pressure. It also leads to a working climate where stress and time pressure are quite normal. Redzepi also spoke several times about the high workload.
According to the chef, the work must be done differently. Noma will therefore experience a fresh start next year as a ‘laboratory’ for food innovation and the development of new flavours. The new Noma will occasionally open as a temporary restaurant.
“I hope we can show the world that you can age, stay creative and have fun in this industry,” Redzepi told the paper. “Instead of doing hard, horrible, poorly paid work in conditions that burn people.”
