What Noma did next: how the ‘New Nordic’ is reshaping the food world

> Noma is notorious for using free labour and underpaying and overworking everyone else. Their restaurant literally couldn't exist in most countries as they'd violate a ton of labour laws...

That's any restaurant, you don't work at these places because its a good business proposition with good work-life balance, you do it mainly out of passion. It just so happens that Michelin awarded places have deeper talent pools to draw from.

I should know, I worked at a new 'concept' headed by a 3-star chef and lasted 5 weeks before I realized what a scam it was and walked out. Just for context, I've been a Sous-chef but I'm often the highest paid BOH hourly worker in most my restaurant jobs as just a cook, making more per hour than almost all sous-chefs on a weekly basis with 1/2 the responsibilities. I can usually jump from BOH or FOH if/when needed.

I also had the privilege of working with one of the rockstars from El Bulli Hotel, who pretty much said the same.

> They're actually great ventures, there's just a lot of restaurateurs who don't know how to make money.

What first hand experience do you have with this? I've ran kitchens before (granted, it was in Europe) and the food, maintenance, utility and labour costs are only ever really reasonable when you run lean as hell and alcohol sales are through the roof (think late Spring/Summer and holidays). Otherwise buy-outs are the only thing to be seen as a healthy ROI.

> Anyhow, Noma is influential in the foodie world, but their influence on popular culture and eating habits outside Scandinavia is way overstated.

Wrong again:

https://www.eater.com/2018/11/8/18068596/dan-giusti-brigaid-...

I grant you a lot of it is good PR, as most high-profile 'foodie/chef' stuff typically is. but it has made a significant impact in the end consumer that wasn't there. And its trying to disrupt archaic, bloated budgets in Government run crony-capitalist systems (school lunch programs).

Dan Barber's trajectory to its current notoriety is a good example of how collaborative efforts help elevate profiles:

https://www.vogue.com/article/rene-redzepi-dan-barber-lela-r...

Now, would I personally travel to eat at Noma DK/MX, no... not really. I'm not into molecular gastronomy, I come from a Scientific background with several years working in a lab, and most of their novelty relies on HS level lab/bench work.

Its interesting, and I'm glad they're successful; but unless I'm a being treated to a menu for free I'm not going, also I'm not there target demographic as I cook.

Traditions are weird like that, the biggest maker of Lutefisk is in Minnesota I believe.

The problem is the smell and the fact people don't know how to handle it to avoid the smell.

(Hint: for starters you have to open it under water people!)

Growing up in the 80s In the US lutefisk was a rumor... supposedly it hadn’t been seen since my grandfather last made it when my parents were kids and he’d been banned since then. I asked some friends in Norway and then said theres a joke to the effect that all the real Norwegians moved to Minnesota long ago. In any case, no one they knew had ever had it! I do remember we would make lefse around the holidays... I made it for my kids and they said it tasted like wet newspaper with butter and sugar... Of course they still ate it all.

> I can think of one person I know who likes it, and most others hate it, with a few being closer to neutral on it.

It's the same way in the US. My father enjoys it, my wife and I tolerate it, and the rest of my family mostly just chokes down a piece out of Christmas tradition (and to clear up the plate for Swedish meatballs afterward)