Big renovations news out of Copenhagen today with word that René Redzepi is temporarily closing Noma for all of July in order to completely rebuild its famous kitchen. The restaurant's official blog explains that Noma's approaching 10-year anniversary (November 2013) is the impetus for the decision, particularly considering how Noma's status, staff and inventory have just totally blown up over the course of the decade. In that time, Noma went from being a 10-person operation to having a team of 70, adding on equipment like Pacojets, dehydrators and blast freezers.
This should create more room for all of that, per the blog: "What has become a jigsaw puzzle of kitchen equipment and workspaces, will be demolished entirely and rebuilt from scratch with a goal of not only increasing flow and utility in the kitchen thereby improving service, but with an aesthetic and design aimed at providing a more comfortable and communal environment for our chefs."
Noma will close as of July 1. While the renovations are expected to be completed by July 20, the restaurant will reopen on August 1 after a summer break. This is the second renovation for Noma in that time, having also rebuilt the upstairs space in 2011 to create an office and test kitchen.Here below is another rendering — as Redzepi tweeted, "check it out if you have a steel fetish" — and the blueprint of the new Noma kitchen.
Entrance to the kitchen:
[Rendering: Noma]
Kitchen blueprint:
[Blueprint: Noma]
· Noma's Kitchen Is Evolving [Official Site]
· All Noma Coverage on Eater [-E-]