Renowned three Michelin-starred Noma head chef Rene Redzepi has lifted the lid on his own toxic behaviour in the kitchen.
In an interview with The Times, Redzepi explained that he had taken part in ‘many, many, many, many hours of therapy,’ in order to understand why he would lose his temper at staff.
He said: ‘That’s a very specific moment, which I can’t talk about because it’s way too traumatic, when I started asking, “Where does all this anger come from?”
‘Finding that out was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. It’s something I’m still processing. Typically it comes from your childhood, and when I found that out, that’s when I could start really letting go of the anger and fear.’
Redzepi admitted that his behaviour stretched to ‘shouting and screaming,’ but says he ‘never hit anyone.’
‘When I came home at night I looked in the mirror and said to myself: “Why are these insignificant incidents in the kitchen disasters to you? It doesn’t make any sense.” I would tell myself: “Tomorrow, I’m not going to do it”. And then I’d go back, and within an hour I would be furious. Those are some of the worst times of my life.’
This isn’t the first time Redzepi has spoken openly about his outbursts. In an interview with The World’s 50 Best in 2020, Redzepi explained that he struggled with the intense pressure of success when Noma opened in 2003, and would often take it out on his staff.
‘It’s like a pressure cooker,’ he says. ‘The steam explodes in your face and you start seeing versions of yourself you didn’t know existed,’ he said.
Noma has been one of the most influential restaurants of its generation, winning multiple awards and holding three Michelin stars. As well as planning a Noma popup at Ace Hotel Kyoto in spring, Redzepi is also planning to reinvent the current iteration of Noma, evolving the restaurant into a new form (referred to as Noma 3.0) over the next two years.
Check out our in-depth guide to every three Michelin-starred restaurant in the UK.
Photo credit: City Foodsters/Flickr