Mario Batali | |
|---|---|
 Batali in 2012 | |
| Born | Mario Francesco Batali (1960-09-19)September 19, 1960 (age 65) Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
| Education | Rutgers University Le Cordon Bleu |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Relatives | Miles Cahn Lillian Cahn (founders ofCoach Inc.) |
| Culinary career | |
| Cooking style | Italian |
Rating
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Current restaurant
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Previous restaurant(s)
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Television show(s)
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| Website | www |
Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an Americanchef, writer, and formerrestaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants mainly inNew York City along withLas Vegas; andLos Angeles including his flagship restaurantBabbo inNew York City, which received aMichelin star for several years. Other notable Batali restaurants wereDel Posto, Lupa, andThe Spotted Pig where Batali was an investor.[1][2][3][4][5] Batali has appeared on theFood Network, on shows such asMolto Mario andIron Chef America, on which he was one of the featured "Iron Chefs". From 2011–2017 he was a host on ABC'sThe Chew. In 2017, the restaurant review siteEater revealed multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Batali and, in March 2019, he sold all his restaurant holdings.[6]
Batali was born inSeattle on September 19, 1960, to Marilyn (LaFramboise) and Armandino Batali, who founded Seattle'sSalumi restaurant in 2006.[1][7][8] His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of part French-Canadian ancestry.[9] His paternal grandmother was fromChieti, while his paternal grandfather hailed fromLucca.[10] Batali attendedRutgers University inNew Brunswick, New Jersey, while working as a cook at the pub/restaurant Stuff Yer Face.[11] While atRutgers, he was roommates with actorJames Gandolfini. Batali graduated fromRutgers in 1982.[12]
In 1994, he married Susi Cahn and together they have two sons.[13][14] Batali is the son-in-law ofMiles andLillian Cahn, founders ofCoach New York.[15] Batali's brother Dana Batali was Director ofPixar RenderMan development from 2001 to 2015.[16][17]
At 29, Batali was asous chef at theFour Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara after previously working as a sous chef for the then-Four SeasonsClift Hotel San Francisco[18] (since 1995, known as "The Clift", under changed ownership).[19] Early in his career, Batali worked with chefJeremiah Tower at his San Francisco restaurantStars.[20] Stars was open from 1984 until 1999 and is considered one of the birthplaces of the institution of thecelebrity chef. Batali appeared in his mainFood Network showMolto Mario[21] which aired from 1996 to 2004 and focused on Italian Cooking. The show made Batali a household name and popularized the Food Network. Batali was also a star in other Food Network shows such asIron Chef America, Ciao America with Mario Batali, and Mario Eats Italy.
In 1998, Batali,Joe Bastianich, andLidia Bastianich formed the B&B Hospitality Group,[22] also known as Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. The flagship restaurant for B&B isBabbo in New York City which had aMichelin star for several years.[23]
Batali was a co-host of theABC daytime talk showThe Chew from its premiere in 2011 until 2017.[24]
In 2012, a lawsuit was settled by Batali (and B&B) with 117 members of the restaurant staff,[25] who alleged that the Batali organization had skimmed a percentage of the tip pools in his restaurants over a period of years.[26]
Batali is a critic ofhydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, a method ofnatural gas extraction. He has signed onto the cause of Chefs for the Marcellus, whose mission is to "protect [New York's] regional foodshed from the dangers of hydraulic fracturing for natural gas (fracking)."[27][28] In May 2013, Batali co-wrote an opinion article with chef Bill Telepan for the New YorkDaily News, in which the two wrote that "Fracking ... could do serious damage to [New York's] agricultural industry and hurt businesses, like ours, that rely on safe, healthy, locally sourced foods."[29] Batali was the subject of a 2007 book titledHeat byBill Buford which detailed his philosophy to various aspects of social activism, as well as cooking and life.
Batali served as an ambassador and on the board of directors forThe Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization which provides a daily meal to students of township schools inSoweto,South Africa. In December 2017, Batali stepped down from his role with the organization in response to sexual misconduct allegations against him.[30]
In 2008, Batali and his wife Susi Cahn founded the Mario Batali Foundation, funding various children's educational programs and pediatric disease research.[30]
He supports the practice ofTranscendental Meditation through theDavid Lynch Foundation.[31][32]
In a 2012 interview, Batali said that good Italian cooking was characterized by simplicity, an insight he attributed to his time working at a restaurant inBorgo Capanne, Italy.[clarification needed][33]
On December 11, 2017, restaurant news websiteEater reported that four women accused Batali of sexual harassment and sexual assault.[34][24][35] By the following day, four more women had come forward.[36] Batali took a leave of absence from his position at the management company Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.[30][37] Producers of ABC'sThe Chew fired him on December 14, 2017.[38]Food Network halted plans to release episodes of his television showMolto Mario after the allegations.[39]Target announced that it was no longer selling Batali's pasta sauces and cookbooks.[40][41]
In May 2018, more accusations ofsexual assault against Batali were aired on an episode of60 Minutes, and the New York Police Department confirmed it was investigating Batali for his past behavior, including an alleged assault that took place atThe Spotted Pig, a restaurant where Batali was an investor.[42] Batali denied an allegation of sexual assault, but said "My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions."[42] Days later, Batali's company B&B Hospitality Group announced it would be closing its threeLas Vegas Strip restaurants after theLas Vegas Sands Corporation terminated the companies' relationship.[43]
In January 2019, New York City police declined to charge Batali over two alleged sexual assaults in his New York City restaurants due to insufficient evidence.[44]
In March 2019, Batali surrendered[clarification needed] ownership of his stakes in Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, a partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family, including Joe and Lidia Bastianich.[45] He also sold his minority ownership inEataly, an Italian food marketplace.[45] The Bastianiches said B&B Hospitality Group's name would change.[46][47] Batali was the first chef to surrender ownerships in all his restaurants after reports of sexual misconduct.[45][47]
In July 2021, Batali, Bastianich, and their former restaurant company agreed to a settlement in the New York state case that was under investigation by theAttorney General of New York wherein they would pay $600,000[47] to more than 20 former employees (men and women) of three restaurants in Manhattan.[48][49]
In May 2019, Batali was charged with indecent assault andbattery inBoston.[50] In court, the accuser alleged that Batali had groped her in April 2017 at a bar in Boston. Batali pleaded not guilty and chose abench trial.[49][51][52][53]
On May 10, 2022, Batali was acquitted inBoston Municipal Court by a judge who ruled that Batali's conduct during the alleged incident was "not befitting of a public person of his stature" but agreed with the defense's arguments that his accuser had credibility issues.[49][54][55]
| Show name | Year | Network | Role | Notes & citation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Molto Mario | 1996–2004 | Food Network | Host | A culinary tour of Italy, hosted by Batali[56] |
| Mediterranean Mario | 1998 | A culinary tour of Morocco, Spain, France, Greece, hosted by Batali | ||
| Mario Eats Italy | 2001–2002 | A culinary tour of the Italian countryside[57] | ||
| Ciao America with Chef Mario Batali | 2003 | A culinary tour of the Italian in America; only three episodes[58] | ||
| Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters | ||||
| Iron Chef America: The Series | Judge or participant | |||
| ICA: All-Star Special | ||||
| Mario, Full Boil | 2007 | Food Network | A one-hour documentary special, following Batali and Bastianich opening an Italian restaurant in New York City (Del Posto)[59][60] | |
| Emeril Live | 2006 | Guest appearance | "Italian Favorites with Mario Batali" | |
| Chefography | 2006, 2007 | Guest appearances | Season 0, episode 7 and season 2, episode 6 | |
| Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations | 2005 | Travel Channel | Guest appearance | Season 1, episode 3: "New Jersey"[61] |
| Spain... on the Road Again | 2008 | PBS | Co-host | |
| Fantastic Mr. Fox | 2009 | 20th Century Fox | Rabbit | Stop-motion animated film directed byWes Anderson, based on the book byRoald Dahl |
| The Daily Show | 2010, 2011, 2012 | Comedy Central | Guest appearances | |
| Faces of America | 2010 | PBS | Guest appearance | [62] |
| Bitter Feast | Dark Sky Films | Gordon | American psychological horror film directed and written by Joe Maggio | |
| Saturday Night Live | Cameo | |||
| The Chew | 2011–2017 | ABC | Co-host | |
| Good Morning America | Guest appearances | |||
| Fuck, That’s Delicious | 2016 | Viceland | Guest star | Season 2, episode 6: "The Caesar Brothers" |
| Moltissimo | 2017–2017 | Viceland/Munchies | Host | |
| Worth It | 2017 | BuzzFeed | Guest appearance | Season 2, episode 5: "$2 Pizza vs. $2,000 Pizza, New York City"[63] |
| The Simpsons | Treehouse of Horror XXVIII | |||
| The Untitled Action Bronson Show | Season 1, Episode 19, Mario Batali,Joanna Jędrzejczyk | Talk show guest |
Batali is also a main subject ofBill Buford's bookHeat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (2007)ISBN 978-1400034475
Mario Francesco Batali .
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
