India, March 8 -- Former employees of one of the world's top-rated restaurants have accused its founding chef of verbal and physical abuse. The celebrity chef behind Noma, one of the most influential restaurants in the world, has been accused of punching and kicking employees, initiating public shaming rituals, humiliating staffers, and even threatening to use his connections to get them blacklisted from the industry.

Chef Rene Redzepi is the brainchild behind Noma, a three-Michelin-star restaurant and food lab in Copenhagen that has been ranked as the world's top restaurant five times by Restaurant magazine.

Redzepi's past conduct is in the spotlight as Noma prepares for its $1,500-per-ticket pop-up in Los Angeles, set to begin on Marc...