Danish luxury restaurant Noma reopens, controversial chef will keep his distance from the kitchen

Noma, the prestigious restaurant in Copenhagen, has reopened after five months, with chef René Redzepi, who stepped down following allegations of abusive behavior, returning as an advisor and creative director, but not cooking. The restaurant offers a tasting menu at $700 per diner, and new chef Pablo Soto faces the pressure and expectations.

Noma, the prestigious restaurant in Copenhagen, reopened today (Wednesday) after five months of closure. Chef René Redzepi, one of the founders of the restaurant in 2003, who led it to win the title of best restaurant in the world, returns as an advisor and creative director, but will keep his distance from the kitchen. This follows a New York Times investigation published in March that revealed abuses on his part, including violence and public humiliations, after which he resigned and said he takes "full responsibility for my actions." The revamped restaurant opens under new management and without the three Michelin stars it had previously earned. The new menu, priced at $700 per diner including a bottle of wine, will change monthly. New chef Pablo Soto said the allegations add pressure to the role, and that he bears a heavy responsibility to ensure that past patterns of behavior do not return. Redzepi focuses on the vision of "Noma 3.0" — turning the restaurant into a kind of brain of the food world, with research on fermentation, algae, and insects in the diet.