The stink began long before the fermentation set in.

As service begins at a fine dining restaurant’s Los Angeles residency, allegations of the chef’s abusive workplace practices have resurfaced, sparking backlash, protests and major sponsors like American Express and dining concierge startup Blackbird pulling out.

Only this isn’t just any “LA restaurant pop-up.” The restaurant is Copenhagen-based Noma, once a three-star Michelin restaurant and the 2021 “Best Restaurant in the World,” according to The World’s 50 Best Restaurants list. The existing claims were re-ignited by 35 additional former employees who came forward in a recent bombshell New York Times investigation.

We’re not talking about Gordon Ramsey-like temper tantrums and screaming depicted for entertainment in shows like “Hell’s Kitchen.”

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