The Evolution of Fine Dining:
Top Chefs Weigh in on the Future of Restaurants
Trout at Kitchen Table
When René Redzepi announced in early 2023 that his acclaimed Copenhagen restaurant Noma would close within two years, the culinary world was stunned. Despite ranking five times at the top of The World's 50 Best list and establishing Redzepi as a culinary pioneer, the restaurant, it seemed, wasn’t quite the raving success diners, critics—and the industry itself—had thought.
Redzepi revealed the closure was due in large part to the inherent challenges fine-dining restaurants face. In an interview with The New York Times, he declared the business model—with its grueling hours, intense workplace culture, and razor-thin profit margins—unsustainable. “We have to completely rethink the industry,” he told the newspaper. “Fine dining is at a crossroads, and there have to be huge changes.”
If one of the world’s most acclaimed restaurants couldn’t make it, chefs and restaurateurs were left to wonder, is anyone safe? In the wake of the news, one thing was clear: Fresh approaches to the antiquated (and, yes, Michelin-obsessed) model were—and still are—desperately needed. But what will they look like?
LUXURY MAGAZINE spoke with six culinary innovators about their visions for the evolving landscape—how they are responding to economic pressures, committing to sustainability, and enforcing fair labor practices, all while pursuing continued excellence and innovation in (and even out of) the kitchen. Here’s what they had to say.
Chef Nicolai Nørregaard
Inspired by the way his grandfather cooked and preserved food, Nørregaard founded Kadeau, his esteemed Nordic restaurant on the Danish island of Bornholm, in 2007. His second outpost, Kadeau Copenhagen, opened in 2011 and currently carries two Michelin stars. In addition to running a sustainable farm on Bornholm, the chef recently opened a glamping retreat called Eco Beach.
What Will Fine Dining Look in 10 Years?
“I think it’s going to be less stiff. I think the general approach will go more down-to-earth.”
A Humanistic Staffing Approach
“We have so many chefs or front-of-house [staff] who have kids, so people work with us 3.5 days a week, so they have time to have a life on the side. It’s more expensive than having people work five or six days a week, but it’s important. To make it work financially, we adjust spending as well as our prices.”
The chef and owner of Mexico City’s Michelin-starred Rosetta—currently ranked No. 34 on The World’s 50 Best list—Reygadas was named The World’s Best Female Chef by The World’s 50 Best list in 2023. With the honor comes great influence, which the chef has wielded for good, advocating for biological, social, economic, political and cultural justice in her native country and beyond.
Preserving Native Cuisines and Ingredients
“The contemporary agri-food system—which promotes a concerning homogeneity of food—is one of the major causes of our current environmental crisis, while also promoting a diet harmful to human health. Across continents, we’re beginning to eat the same ingredients, using fewer of the lesser-known ones, and leading to a dangerous loss of flavors, history, and culture.”
Responsible Sourcing
“As awareness grows, it will become increasingly clear that restaurants are just one element within a gigantic ecosystem. Without farmers, there is no cuisine. This awareness is already taking root, with more projects creating networks and dialogues with producers, fostering fair trade, preserving traditions, and supporting environmentally respectful production models.”
Along with former partner René Redzepi—with whom he created Noma—Refslund is a founding father of the New Nordic cuisine movement. The chef made his way to New York City more than a decade ago and in 2023, finally opened his dream project, ILIS, whose wood-fired kitchen focuses on a new region and its ingredients: North America’s seasonal plants and native seafood and game.
Pared-Down Luxury
“When we created the restaurant, I really believed that people should have choices and create their own universe—create their own menu à la carte, but still fine dining. I learned that most people come to a restaurant, and they want to just feel taken care of. They don’t want to have so many choices.”
A Fresh Focus
“People have more focus about vegetables and clean, healthier food. You become what you eat. And that’s definitely the way I’m thinking.”
Memoir in the Making
“Three years before we opened, we began building a [flavor] library of North America and we are still building it—fermentation two years before, tuna cured half-a-year before. I want to write about that period of my life, to create the whole story of how you open up a restaurant, how we created this restaurant, and then one year in.”
Jordan Kahn
Kahn’s acclaimed Los Angeles restaurant, the two-Michelin-starred Vespertine, reopened in April after a four-year closure. The experimental menu, which Kahn has said he composes like a music album, is composed entirely of ethically sourced ingredients that come from biodynamic, organic, or wild origins.
Reinventing Vespertine for 2024
“Vespertine 1.0 started in the head, and 2.0 has moved into the body, into the heart. Once we start to turn our modern brains off and connect with the body, the things that happen are miraculous, and that’s where we put a lot of emphasis in our cuisine. The food, the service, and the ingredients work to create an experience where, by the end of it, you felt a lot of sensations, experienced a lot of moods. It’s about feeling your food first and tasting it second.”
What If There Were No Rankings?
“[Rankings] are not part of our framework. Obviously, we were invited to the Michelin Guide ceremony and that was an extraordinary honor, but these things do not play a role in our process whatsoever. They’re a part of our culture that I do not think is leaving anytime soon though.”
James Knappett
Knappett co-founded London’s two-Michelin-starred Kitchen Table with his wife, sommelier Sandia Chang, whom he first met while working at Per Se. (The duo went on to work at Noma together too.) In 2021, Kitchen Table reopened following a 15-month closure due to the pandemic.
Sourcing Takes Center Stage
“Guests are less impressed with molecular cooking and want substance over looks. People want to know the ingredients, where the cow comes from, where the radishes are grown. They also put a great importance on sustainable cooking.”
Adapting for Financial Sustainability
“We introduced a ticketing system so that if guests cancel at the last minute, we can at least cover ourselves for the loss. We have kept our menu cost as low as possible to be more approachable in the current economy, but we offer optional supplements for guests who can spend more. We introduced turning seats, but it really jeopardized our guest experience, so we decided to stop that.”
An early proponent of the farm-to-table movement, Palmer is perhaps best known for Aureole, his legendary New York City restaurant that opened in 1988. His accolades include 13 Michelin stars and two James Beard Awards—all of which has earned him a reputation as a titan in American hospitality.
Dining Is Experiential
“People are yearning for the opportunity to be together and to socialize maybe more than I’ve ever seen before in my 30 years of doing this. The younger generation is a lot more interested in experience. Are they learning something? Are they exposed to something that’s totally new and different? Diners more than ever want to know about what they’re eating, where it came from, and the quality of the product itself.”
The Rise of the Culinary Hotel
Over the next five years, Palmer plans to open five “culinary-first” hotels where food is at the forefront of guest experience. “It’s about somehow giving the guest the feeling of what it’s like to live in that very unique place,” he says of the project, called Appellation. “[It’s about] rubbing shoulders with the winemakers—being able to meet the makers, where they exist.”
