Commentary: Noma's $1,500 meal is the antithesis of L.A. and the way we eat

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Ulises Menchaca idled in his pickup truck on a steep street in Silver Lake, late for work.In front of him, activists were emerging from a tour bus to gather in front of the historic Paramour Estate.Menchaca, a landscaper, had landed in the middle of a traffic jam sparked by Los Angeles’ latest referendum on itself.It was opening day for Noma L.A., a dinner series by Danish chef René Redzepi.

For the next 16 weeks, the man behind one of the most famous restaurants in the world was going to work with his 130-member team at the five-acre compound to create multi-course meals costing $1,500 a seat.Food Less than a Super Bowl ticket, more than almost every other L.A.

restaurant: A meal at Noma’s Los Angeles residency will cost $1,500.Copenhagen chef Rene Redzepi explains the price and how he’s come up with more affordable ways to experience the restaurant’s flavors.“Imagine?” Menchaca, 52, said in Spanish when I explained Noma L.A.’s premise.

Gardening tools weighed down the bed of his well-worn Ford Ranger.“I would have to work every day, all day, for three months to afford that.

And if I had that money, why would I spend it on just one dinner?”The price point is the least of Redzepi’s sins.A recent New York Times article detailed allegations of abuse that Redzepi inflicted on his workers, from not paying interns to punching workers to jabbing them with forks to threatening their family members with deportation.The chef, who has admitted to his “bully” past before, posted a weak-salsa apology on Instagram after the article published.

On Wednesday, hours after the protest, Redzepi announced his resignation from Noma via a self-pitying video featuring forlorn crew members looking on as he urged them to “fight” for what he predicted would be “the restaurant of the decade.”“He’s an a———!” cracked Jim Longeretta while waiting behind Menchac...