Contents
René Redzepi
Helping transform Nordic cooking through Noma’s focus on local ingredients and fermentation.
Noma · The Noma Guide to Fermentation
- Born
- 16 December 1977
- Birthplace
- Copenhagen, Denmark
More people
René Redzepi
Danish chef and co-founder of Noma whose approach influenced restaurants internationally. He stepped away from its day-to-day leadership in 2026 following abuse allegations.
Early life
Two food cultures
Grew up with a Danish mother and an Albanian father, spending time in Denmark and the former Yugoslavia.
Culinary training
Entered cooking school as a teenager and gained experience in Danish and international kitchens.
Career
- 1990s–2003
Restaurant training
Worked in several leading kitchens before co-founding Noma.
- 2003–2010s
New Nordic cooking
Built Noma’s reputation around regional ingredients, foraging and experimentation.
- 2026
Leaving leadership
Stepped away from day-to-day leadership following allegations of staff mistreatment, retaining a creative-director role.
Restaurants & projects
Noma
A Copenhagen restaurant that helped reshape international perceptions of Nordic food.
The Noma Guide to Fermentation
A book with David Zilber explaining the restaurant’s fermentation techniques.
Omnivore
A documentary series exploring ingredients and the human stories behind food.
Beyond work
Family life
Married Nadine Levy Redzepi, a cook and author.
Kitchen culture
His departure followed allegations of abuse; he publicly took responsibility for his own actions.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and references ↗Publisher: The Noma Guide to Fermentation ↗AP: Noma leadership change, July 2026 ↗Photo: Zaldiaran.jpg : Irekia derivative work: Ecemaml. CC BY-SA 3.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
