The year began on a shocking note as Chef René Redzepi of Noma–it won the first spot in the World’s 50 Best Restaurants Awards in 2021–announced the closure of one of the most ardently worshipped temples of haute gastronomy. Redzepi’s bold attempts to reimagine a new course for Scandinavian cuisine will, post 2024, only partake in sporadic pop-ups and venture into a permanent food lab, which basically means that it will become the latest trouper in the realm of direct-to-consumer food.
Even as star chefs, admirers and critics jointly communicated a mix of regret, respect and disbelief, feted Indian chef, Prateek Sadhu of Masque fame also left the award-winning restaurant just when it got into the World’s 50 Best category. “My personal plans do include a comeback with a restaurant very soon. But for now, the focus is only on research and development. For the past 6-7 years, I have travelled extensively within India and discovered so many ingredients; I am just building on that research and trying to create something more meaningful”, shares Sadhu.
