American Express and Blackbird cut ties with restaurant after René Redzepi accused of abusing his staff
After allegations emerged this week that René Redzepi had abused his staff at Noma, once considered the world’s best restaurant, sponsors on Tuesday announced they would end their support for the chef’s upcoming events in Los Angeles.
The New York Times reported that American Express and the hospitality company Blackbird have cut ties with Noma ahead of the Copenhagen restaurant’s four-month pop-up in LA, which was set to kick off this week.
The development came days after the newspaper detailed shocking allegations of psychological and physical abuse against Redzepi by staff at the fine dining eatery where he was the head chef and co-owner. For years, Redzepi allegedly berated employees and inflicted violence on them, according to the report, including punching them in the face and body slamming them into walls.
In response to the allegations, Redzepi posted a statement online, writing:“Although I don’t recognize all details in these stories, I can see enough of my past behavior reflected in them to understand that my actions were harmful to people who worked with me.”
