In news that has ripped through the culinary world, Rene Redzepi has announced that his endlessly acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, will be closing for good in 2024.
After two decades of epicurean magnetism, attracting well-heeled foodies from around the world, the three Michelin-starred eatery will, at some point next year, serve its very last 20-course tasting menu before closing down and transforming into a “food laboratory.”
Speaking to The New York Times, Redzepi cited financial issues as the primary reason for the shock announcement.
“Financially and emotionally, as an employer and as a human being, it just doesn’t work,” said the chef, who revolutionised an era of fine dining with Noma’s innovative and eccentric kitchen.
“We have to completely rethink the industry… this is simply too hard and we have to work in a different way.”
Redzepi said he had time to re-evaluate the fine dining business model after rounds of lockdowns and decided the best course of action, for himself and his staff, was to close the seminal restaurant permanently and transform the space into a “full-time food laboratory.”
The lab will be used to power Redzepi’s e-commerce business, Noma Projects, which is a strong indication of the direction fine dining is heading post-pandemic.
Considering the legendary chef is almost always one step ahead of culinary trends, the news is not just a sad comment on the state of high-end dining, but a concerning sign that this is just the beginning of the end for some of the world’s most sought-after restaurants.
Importantly, Redzepi seemed to deny that he was closing Noma because it no longer qualified for the very influentials World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The Copenhagen institution has topped the list five times now, which means it can no longer be considered by the panel.
The news of Noma’s eventual demise comes just three months after Redzepi began paying interns and trainee chefs – a move that the chef claims had added at least $70,000 to its monthly wage bill.
If you want to grab your last serving of beetle with berry leathers and black garlic, you’d need to get in fast. The news of Noma’s closure was only revealed this morning and already bookings are beginning to stack up.
By all reports, Redzepi will still be going ahead with the highly-anticipated Noma pop-up in Kyoto in the kitchens of Ace Hotel later this year. Noma will also be opening up its dining rooms for the occasional pop-up as Redzepi transitions from being a chef to the chief creative officer of Noma Projects as the business folds into yet another direct-to-consumer food product.
