The Copenhagen restaurant Noma debuted a temporary retail shop in Silver Lake on Thursday following weeks of protests at its L.A. pop-up and allegations of abuse.
Noma Projects launched in 2022 as an offshoot of the world-famous restaurant, offering the fine-dining juggernaut’s small-batch hot sauces, coffees, vinegars and other products for home cooking. With a run scheduled through the summer — if not longer — this marks Noma Projects’ first long-term storefront. Previously, the goods could be found only online, through a subscription service or via brief pop-ups in New York City or the restaurant’s own greenhouse in Denmark.
The shop, which sells bottled, canned and dried food and drink products as well as merchandise such as tote bags, hats and T-shirts, opened in the Sunset Row shopping plaza following weeks of protests spurred by a New York Times article that spotlighted allegations of physical and verbal abuse under Noma co-founder and figurehead chef René Redzepi.
A former Noma employee, Jason Ignacio White, shared some of these and his own accounts via his personal social media, then partnered with worker-advocacy nonprofit One Fair Wage to stage protests of Noma’s $1,500-a-seat pop-up dinner series, also held in Silver Lake. The allegations and protests resulted in the loss of event sponsors, and Redzepi announcing his “stepping away” from the restaurant and resigning from the board of MAD, Noma’s tandem nonprofit.
Staff say Noma Projects extends beyond Redzepi and represents team effort — as well as accessibility.
“We’ve built this crazy archive of flavors that maybe only a few thousand people ever get to try when they book a flight, make a reservation, come to the restaurant,” said Annika de Las Heras, the head of Noma Projects. “So we had this idea of, ‘One day wouldn’t be great if we can find a way to share some of these flavors with a wider audience?’ … Knowing that we were coming to L.A. and knowing that the reservations might book out very fast, it was important for us to have a publicly accessible version of what we’re doing here.”
The shop offers about a dozen food products, including an umami-packed mushroom garum — Noma Projects’ first-ever product — and a wild rose vinegar; a pumpkin version of Japanese katsuobushi, which is traditionally smoked, cured bonito; and a newer product, “staff chili sauce,” often served during Noma staff meals and now prepared for retail. Hot sauces start at $18 for a small bottle. The pumpkin-bushi is $36.
The items are produced by hand by the Noma team in Copenhagen, though staff said they plan to unveil new, more-L.A.-focused products during the shop’s Silver Lake tenure. One unique item already being sold is a trio of kombucha flavors made in partnership with Long Beach-based Fermensch Kombucha, such as saffron passion fruit. On the tables, bottles of hot sauce mingle with display jars of various fermentations, including a kombucha scoby and a pea-based miso.
White previously told The Times that he and One Fair Wage intended to stage protests outside the storefront when the pop-up shop opened. This week he could not be reached for comment regarding protests planned for the Noma Projects shop, but posted to Instagram, “Quick update: One Fair Wage has no connection to my current or long-term efforts. Moving forward I am working directly with communities and avoiding institutional/PR agendas.”
A representative for One Fair Wage told The Times that it is no longer working with White but that protesting the shop is still “under consideration.” The organization is instead focused on an upcoming panel discussion regarding alleged abuse at Noma and reforming broader hospitality-industry practices. The nonprofit is also collecting signatures that support a $30 minimum wage. The panel, set to occur in New York City on Monday, will feature attorney and One Fair Wage organizer Sarumathi “Saru” Jayaraman alongside New York Times reporter Julia Moskin and others.
“If there were any grassroots organizers doing a protest [of the shop], I’m sure we would get behind it in the same way that we did for Jason [White],” said Angelo Greco, a strategist with One Fair Wage. “If anyone has a desire to, we would amplify and would be happy to support that effort.”
De Las Heras said she had not yet seen protesters at the pop-up shop, but that they will welcome them if they arrive.
“It’s possible, but if they come, we give them kombucha,” she said. “I think when you meet people on a personal level and share the excitement of what we’re doing, we’ve been met with a lot of positivity.”
Noma Projects is open Thursday and Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 3300 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, nomaprojects.com
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