Noma Is Officially Back. So What Changed?

Noma is back in Copenhagen — and this time with a new leadership structure, a creative-director role for René Redzepi, and a menu format that scraps the old three-season model for 12 microseasons. Justin and Ray dig into what the reopening actually signals for the industry: whether the Wall Street Journal's "controversial celebrity chef" framing does a disservice to the team doing the work, why Noma still doesn't appear anywhere in the Michelin Guide, and what a genuine redemption arc would have to look like from the inside.From there, the conversation turns to money. The story of Chef Seth Stowaway and Osito — a Michelin-starred restaurant with great food, great intentions, and bounced paychecks — anchors a hard look at why culinary talent without financial literacy keeps producing the same outcome. Also on the docket: André Chiang's 1887 in Singapore earning two Michelin stars in five months (and Michelin publicly explaining why), restaurants stretching Michelin branding to locations that never earned it, Firstborn and Vinfolk rethinking menu pricing, the James Beard Foundation's $4 million host-city ask, and luxury real estate developers courting chefs.

Links:

Noma Is Back (Wall Street Journal)

1887 by André Michelin Review

Vin Folk Bistro

Seth Stowaway Financial Issues (San Francisco Chronicle)

Luxury Real Estate x Restaurants

Reddit Michelin Thread

Interested in Chef Tech Stack?⁠⁠Learn more here.⁠⁠

Want 1-on-1 Coaching with Repertoire?⁠⁠Apply here.

💬 Notice something we missed?If you come across something we had to search for, send us a message—we're always looking to make these show notes even better.

💌 The Repertoire Newsletter⁠⁠Subscribe here⁠⁠

🎙 Share the Podcast⁠⁠Listen & Share⁠⁠

📸 Instagram⁠⁠Follow @joinrepertoire⁠⁠

Disclaimer: We earn commission income from qualifying purchases made through Amazon's Affiliate Program and other affiliate links in this description.

🙏 Thank you for listening!

🎙️ Enjoy More from Repertoire