The Food Chain
Apr 1, 2026
Is the culture of professional kitchens shifting?
In recent weeks, one of the restaurant world’s most influential figures stepped down amid allegations about his conduct at work. It’s been widely reported that former employees accused René Redzepi, founder of Copenhagen’s Noma, of creating a toxic working environment involving verbal and physical abuse. Redzepi has since apologised publicly, saying he has worked to change.
Ruth Alexander uses this moment as a starting point to explore a broader question: what is, and what should be, the culture inside professional kitchens?
For many chefs, stories of gruelling hours, intense pressure and explosive tempers have long been part of the industry. But are those conditions still the norm today, or is a different kind of kitchen culture beginning to take shape?
Ruth is joined by three chefs from different generations and parts of the world, each reflecting on their own experiences of coming up in the industry, and how those experiences have shaped the way they run their kitchens now.
Jun Tanaka, chef-owner of Michelin-starred restaurant The Ninth in London, looks back on starting out more than three decades ago. Preeti Mistry, executive chef at Silver Oak in California, shares her perspective after 25 years in the industry. And Manon Fleury, head chef at Datil in Paris and co-founder of an organisation working to prevent violence in kitchens, explains why she believes change is both necessary and possible.
They discuss whether the old hierarchies and harsh environments are being left behind, what a healthier kitchen culture could look like, and what still needs to change.
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Producer: Izzy Greenfield Sound engineer: Annie Gardiner Image: credit - getty
