The culinary world is gearing up for the most anticipated and talked-about return in recent years. Copenhagen’s Noma, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant that redefined the standards of contemporary cuisine, is set to reopen its doors on August 5. This will not, however, be a simple reopening: the era of “Noma 3.0” marks a true “Copernican revolution” in the restaurant’s organizational structure and philosophy.
The New Structure: Redzepi Steps Back
The most groundbreaking news concerns the iconic founder, René Redzepi. The chef who brought foraging and Nordic cuisine to global prominence will no longer be in charge of the day-to-day operations of the kitchen. While remaining firmly anchored to the organization as founder and creative director, Redzepi has decided to step back from day-to-day management. His new focus will center on a sort of “laboratory of the future”: a transition toward technology applied to food and long-term research on cutting-edge ingredients such as insects, seaweed, legumes, and mushrooms. The decision comes in the wake of a media and labor storm that has engulfed the restaurant. Earlier this year, a New York Times investigation gathered testimonies from dozens of former employees who reported psychological and physical abuse that occurred between 2009 and 2017. These are serious allegations, partially admitted by Redzepi himself, who has publicly acknowledged that his past behavior was “harmful” to the staff (we have reconstructed the entire story here).
The Future
The Noma of the future speaks a different language, one based on sound management and the empowerment of the team.
- Annika de Las Heras, a pillar of the company for over a decade, takes on the role of new CEO, with the goal of “professionalizing” the organization and steering it out of the shadows of the past through internal reforms already underway (including paid internships, a human resources team, and an external audit) .
- Command of the kitchen officially passes to chef Pablo Soto, who has already led the team through the complex move to California.
- Management of the legendary Research and Development (R&D) division is entrusted to Mette Brink Søberg, who will lead a creative team of 12 people.
Soto’s Crucial Role
During the challenging move to Silver Lake, California, Soto found himself on the front lines managing operations during the height of the media controversy. He openly acknowledged the difficulty of that situation, emphasizing the responsibility he felt to protect the team from past dynamics that had nothing to do with the current staff. In his new leadership role in Copenhagen, Soto aims to bring a radically renewed philosophy: the goal is not only to teach culinary techniques of excellence, but to introduce structured management systems and a more sustainable approach to work organization, based on open and transparent communication between management and kitchen staff. Although in the past he sought out the Noma environment precisely to test his limits under extreme pressure, today Soto wants the experience to be grounded in respect and inclusion, with a concept as simple as it is ambitious: allowing people to come to Noma “simply to eat well,” enveloped in the positive energy of the dining room.
Goodbye to the three seasons: introducing the menu in 12 micro-seasons
From a culinary perspective, Noma 3.0 is moving away from the classic three-season format introduced in 2018 to embrace a concept of extreme seasonality divided into 12 micro-seasons. The goal is to follow Copenhagen’s natural cycle almost obsessively: ingredients will be served only at the exact moment they reach peak quality, meaning the menu will change radically within a matter of weeks.
On the financial front, however, there is a bit of a mystery regarding the prices listed on the website and in official communications: prices for the experience range from 4,500 Danish kroner (about $700) for the basic menu option, up to 6,500 kroner (about $1,000) if the high-end wine pairing is included. Reservations will open on June 24 exclusively through the restaurant’s newsletter. For Noma’s new chapter, this is a total gamble.
