The biggest news in hospitality this season is that Noma, considered by many to be the best restaurant in the world, will be permanently closing its doors in 2024. Noma epitomises fine dining: highly technical and creative multi-course tasting extravaganzas, prepared by a vast staff, served to the few diners fortunate enough to secure a coveted seat. They have defined an era of gastronomy – and now, despite unwavering popularity, they will be shutting the restaurant doors.
Noma epitomises fine dining: highly technical and creative multi-course tasting extravaganzas, prepared by a vast staff, served to the few diners fortunate enough to secure a coveted seat. – Caitlin Kennedy
According to Head Chef and Owner René Redzepi, the organisation has come to the conclusion that the fine dining model is unsustainable, both financially and for the well-being of their employees. He suggests that the whole industry needs to be rethought and reinvented.
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The reality is that high-end dining requires a huge amount of manpower to execute the painstakingly precise dishes that are their hallmark. This is often achieved with the help of interns or “stagiaires” – chefs willing to work for free for the experience gained in prestigious kitchens. In an unprecedented move, Noma started paying their thirty-plus stagiaires last year – a huge financial burden for the business, and cited as one of the reasons for the closure.
Recent global awareness around ethics in the workplace has put a lot of pressure on top-end restaurants – notorious for long hours, poor pay and gruelling working conditions. As a result, the world has seen a trend toward more conscious dining options. – Caitlin Kennedy
But does this spell the end for fine dining?
A look at the South African industry says not. If anything, the latest openings suggest a revival of high-end cuisine, which is taking place alongside a shift towards a healthier workplace and more ethical dining.
The Luke Dale Roberts group has opened a new fine dining spot, Salon, less than two years after the closure of the Test Kitchen. Salon originally opened as a cocktail and canapé bar, then changed direction slightly to offer a more Test Kitchen-esque tasting experience, suggesting that this may be the formula that their patrons are looking for.
In April this year, Chef’s Warehouse announced that their restaurant at Maison in Franschhoek would be closing. Then only a few weeks later, the estate was bought over by entrepreneurs who have announced that they plan to keep the much-loved institution open – rumour has it that this was the motivation for the purchase.
Darren Badenhorst and Callan Austin have recently opened Dusk in Stellenbosch, an innovative restaurant intended to challenge the boundaries of the industry. One of the ways in which they hope to achieve this is with a focus on positive work culture and the mental health of their employees.
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Galjoen, an exciting new fine dining establishment opening this month in Cape Town, will be serving sustainably sourced local seafood tasting menus – one of South Africa’s first offerings of this nature.
Whatever the reason for this resurgence, it will be interesting to keep an eye on the industry in the next couple of years.
Will the global trend continue to move away from haute cuisine, and will South Africa shift in that direction? Or will we remain a hub for quality fine dining? – Caitlin Kennedy
The increased focus on ethics in fine dining establishments certainly seems like a step in the right direction, and hopefully, the two aren’t as mutually exclusive as the Noma team seems to believe.
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