Inspiration from NOMA
By Julia Soldic.
Last Thursday, November the 7th, we were at a lecture of René Redzepi (Noma. Copenhagen) about his new book ‘A Work in Progress’. Organized by Babooka, a bookstore in Leiden and LeidsLekkers to herald the Restaurant Week in Leiden. During this lecture René rapidly exchanged reading passages from his diary with images and videos of his restaurant and chefs. Julia Soldic, a Norwegian who recently graduated from the Hotelschool The Hague, has had an internship of a few weeks at Noma in 2012. She was at the lecture with us and writes in her column below of her experience and leaves between the lines a number of ‘learnings’, such as encouraging creativity and the importance of team building and contact with your guests.
The chefs at Noma consisting of rock artists, scientists, philosophes, contemporary artists and cooking experts – all fitting perfectly into the insane, innovative and creative restaurant concept that left Noma with their three executive years as the best restaurant in the world.
The creativity among employees is strongly encouraged by the management team setting an ambiance to “free the mind” by sending chefs and interns out in the woods to discover new herbs, insects and ideas to bring onto the menu. Yes, it’s actually true. As a stagier at Noma, you’re sent out in the woods or to the beaches alongside Copenhagen renowned for their beautiful scenery of breath-taking nature and wild horses enjoying their last breath of summer. A true inspiring, soul feeding and unforgettable experience – all irreplaceable keys to improve the competitive advantage Noma has being the foremost innovative restaurant in Nordic cuisine. The rumours are true, for once.
Working at Noma is tough, yet fun. There is no such saying as “a standard day”. At Noma, the chefs are dancing through piles of handpicked nettles, wild sorrel, wasabi plants, pea plants and sea cabbage at the rocking beats of Metallica one day- and the other day, being praised by Jodie Foster for the exquisite servings. The engagement between chefs and customers during service, as the chefs are serving the food, add an exciting dimension to the dining experience in Noma. In addition, it’s a lot of fun!
Despite the immense amount of work, tears and sweat behind the star winning meals produced at Noma, it is the impactful feeling of being a apart of Rene Redzepi’s team that makes it all worth it. Rene is fair and appreciates serious interns. This can be witnessed with his introduction of the Saturday Night Projects. The Saturday Night Project is an initiative made to provide all the interns the possibility to present their own signature dish to Rene and the entire kitchen team after Saturday’s shift (usually around 2AM). The meal is, thereafter, given feedback by Rene himself. Having your meal graded by Rene Redzepi is, by far, the most honourable memory of an intern’s career at Noma.
Lastly, the chefs at Noma work the same exhausting working hours as the interns except that these chefs are working there for their 3rd to 5th year. The chefs are so dedicated to their work that they even have their families over for a visit during the 1.5-hour daily break to be able to maintain a somewhat family feeling. The dedication and true passion for their work builds up a significant amount of respect and inspiration from the interns and guests alike. Noma is not only a fun and educating place to work, it has, also, proven to be a breeding institution for excessively talented chefs opening renowned restaurants, such as Radio, Studio, Amass. In other words, Noma can be said to be the birthplace to many of today’s most recognizable chefs cooking Nordic Food.
What makes Noma different from other restaurants? Their ability to deliver high quality meals made of untraditional ingredients with food innovation surprising the world time after time. Rene Redzepi is a genius and his hunger for new discoveries will never be forgotten. My favourite dish while being an intern at Noma was the Beef Tartar. Diced beef is hidden beneath a cape of wood sorrel and tiny onion rings on a plate dusted with juniper powder and dabbed with tarragon emulsion. You pick up some of the beef and sorrel in your hand and drag it through the powder and the emulsion before savoring its delicious flavor. This dish displayed perfect seasoning and perfect balance. It represents creativity, love for nature, innovation and broken borders. Deliciousness!
Bron: LinkedIn Julia Maria Soldic
Website: Babooka
