press
‘It’s not a food show in the traditional sense’: René Redzepi’s decade-long vision comes to the screen
Mumbrella
““It’s not a food show in the traditional sense. It certainly stands on the shoulders of many of them, but it’s not a traditional food show. It’s also not a René Redzepi documentary, nor is it a Noma documentary. At the same time, it’s both of those things, because it speaks to a mission and purpose and philosophy that he’s practised inside his restaurant for over twenty years.”
By Nathan Jolly - 27th August, 2024
“The new AppleTV+ series Omnivore is correctly being billed as an epic taking viewers on an immersive journey into the world of food. The idea for the project came from René Redzepi, the chef behind Copenhagen’s multiple Michelin star-winning restaurant noma. He had been hatching the idea for a TV show for several years. To simplify the pitch, the ambitious concept was to try and do for food what David Attenborough had achieved in his nature documentaries. In the early 2010s, then London-based Ben Liebmann met Redzepi during a visit to Denmark, where he shared his TV idea with the then Shine Group TV executive. Liebmann would later join noma as its chief operating officer. It was near the end of that time with Redzepi the idea for a series crystallised and a plan put into action.”
By James Manning - 15th August, 2024
Sydney-based producer Ben Liebmann helped take Omnivore global with AppleTV+
Media Week
Giving Food the 'Planet Earth' Treatment: René Redzepi and Australian Noma Alum Ben Liebmann Chat 'Omnivore'
Concrete Playground
“Taking inspiration from natural history documentaries, especially David Attenborough-fronted greats such as Planet Earth, gave rise to a show that treats the nutritional staples that fuel humanity with the same care and reverence. As it travels the globe, pairing meticulous footage of each ingredient's life cycle with portraits of folks whose existence revolves around them, this isn't a talking heads-led show. It observes. It appreciates."
By Sarah Ward - 18th July, 2024
‘Groundbreakers can’t survive any more’: Is Australia’s restaurant industry on the brink?
The Sydney Morning Herald
“There’s no quick fix … it’s always hard to repair the car while you’re driving down the freeway,” says Ben Liebmann. “But why aren’t we having a conversation around GST relief on hospitality? Why aren’t we having a conversation about fringe benefits tax, about rebates and offsets to future-proof the industry around ESG [environmental, social and governance pillars] or technology?” He believes we do ourselves a disservice as a society if we don’t support the restaurants that are part of our identity as Australians. “Hospitality adds tens of billions of dollars to the economy and employs thousands of people”.
By Dani Valent - 27th February, 2024
‘World’s best restaurant’ Noma will be no more, so how will fine dining fare from here?
The Sydney Morning Herald
Ben Liebmann, who was Noma's chief operating officer for seven years, notes this (intern) model isn't unique to Noma, or even hospitality, but says that interns benefited from their experience, and the system also allowed restaurants to experiment and push creative limits in ways that otherwise wouldn't have been possible. However, he says, the move does speak to wider changes. "Whether accelerated by a pandemic, scrutiny, or sustainability, the entire restaurant industry is changing. "And irrespective of what accelerates that change, and irrespective of whether it has come to the industry later than it should, it is a positive, important, and necessary, step for the future."
By David Matthews - 14th January, 2023
The Washington Post
Will TikTok Eat the Michelin Guide’s lunch?
“As the younger generation increasingly turns to TikTok for food recommendations, could Michelin become the culinary equivalent of the Oscars or Emmy awards: one-time arbiters of excellence that lose relevancy? I put that question to Ben Liebmann, former chief operating officer of Noma, the 3-star Michelin restaurant founded by superstar Danish chef Rene Redzepi. Liebmann enumerated the many threats to Michelin’s influence since the turn of the century - (from) The World’s 50 Best Restaurants, to Chef’s Table, and Instagram. “I don’t think Michelin is going anywhere,” says Liebmann, who now runs Understory, a media consulting and production company. “Does it need to redefine itself for a new generation? Or migrate its content and tell its stories across new platforms or mediums? There are absolutely opportunities there. If you put aside what one thinks of the guide and starred review, the brand still stands for something.”
By Trung Phan - 1st November, 2022
Cary Joji Fukunaga, Chef René Redzepi Set Docuseries ‘Omnivore’ at Apple
Variety
Cary Joji Fukunaga and chef René Redzepi are teaming for a new docuseries at Apple, Variety has learned exclusively. Narrated by Redzepi of the famed restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, the series is titled Omnivore. It will look at the world through the lens of food and explores how food binds and defines us, powers politics, shapes our beliefs, explains our past, and forecasts our future. Each episode will take viewers on a journey around the world, exploring the ingredients that have built societies, shaped spirituality, and forever altered the human story.
By Joe Otterson - 11th February, 2022
How expat Ben Liebmann, MasterChef licensing architect, ended up COO at the world’s best restaurant, tasked with scaling Noma through creativity, media; now coming back for seconds
Mi3
“The founder of Noma, the world’s best restaurant, hired the man behind the $700m MasterChef juggernaut – and hand-picked by Elizabeth Murdoch to run Shine360 – to scale his world renowned Copenhagen fine dining establishment and brand. But René Redzepi and Australian expat Ben Liebmann didn't want to take the same TV show, steak knife and pans approach as proven TV cooking formats, nor the path trodden by the likes of Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver. Instead scale would come through 'restrained creativity'. The number crunchers shook their heads. Liebmann delivered the pop-up sensation, Noma Sydney – which sold out 5,500 seats in three minutes. The team renegotiated the commercial contracts that underpin fine dining’s wafer thin margins, launched spin-off – but entirely different – restaurants with Noma’s top talent. And Noma is about to launch its first series via a global streaming platform, with a slate to follow. Just as it starts, Liebmann’s leaving, heading back to Sydney without a gig yet.”
By Paul McIntyre & Brendan Coyne - 29th November, 2021