Mario Batali | |
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Born | Mario Francesco Batali September 19, 1960 Seattle, Washington, U.S. |
Education | Rutgers University Le Cordon Bleu |
Spouse | Susi Cahn (m. 1994) |
Children | 2 |
Culinary career | |
Cooking style | Italian |
Current restaurant(s)
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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 American chef, writer, and former restaurateur. Batali co-owned restaurants in New York City; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Newport Beach, California; Boston; Singapore; Westport, Connecticut; and New Haven, Connecticut, including Babbo in New York City, which received a Michelin star for several years. [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] Batali has appeared on the Food Network, on shows such as Molto Mario and Iron Chef America , on which he was one of the featured "Iron Chefs". In 2017, the restaurant review site Eater revealed multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against Batali and, in March 2019, he sold all his restaurant holdings. [6]
Batali was born in Seattle on September 19, 1960, to Marilyn (LaFramboise) and Armandino Batali, who founded Seattle's Salumi restaurant in 2006. [1] [7] [8] His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of part French-Canadian ancestry. [9] Batali attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, while working as a cook at the pub/restaurant Stuff Yer Face. [10]
In 1994, he married Susi Cahn and together they have two sons. [11] [12] Batali is the son-in-law of Miles and Lillian Cahn, founders of Coach Inc. [13] Batali's brother Dana Batali was Director of Pixar RenderMan development from 2001 to 2015. [14] [15]
At 29, Batali was a sous chef at the Four Seasons Biltmore in Santa Barbara after previously working as a sous chef for the then-Four Seasons Clift Hotel San Francisco [16] (since 1995, known as "The Clift", under changed ownership). [17] Early in his career, Batali worked with chef Jeremiah Tower at his San Francisco restaurant Stars. [18] Stars was open from 1984 until 1999 and is considered one of the birthplaces of the institution of the celebrity chef. Batali appeared in the Food Network show Molto Mario [19] which aired from 1996 to 2004. The show made Batali a household name and popularized the Food Network.
In 1998, Batali, Joe Bastianich, and Lidia Bastianich formed the B&B Hospitality Group, [20] also known as Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. The flagship restaurant for B&B is Babbo in New York City which had a Michelin star for several years. [21]
Batali was a co-host of the ABC daytime talk show The Chew from its premiere in 2011 until 2017. [22]
In 2012, a lawsuit was settled by Batali (and B&B) with 117 members of the restaurant staff, [23] who alleged that the Batali organization had skimmed a percentage of the tip pools in his restaurants over a period of years. [24]
Batali is a critic of hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking, a method of natural 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)." [25] [26] In May 2013, Batali co-wrote an opinion article with chef Bill Telepan for the New York Daily 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." [27] Batali was the subject of a 2007 book titled Heat by Bill 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 for The Lunchbox Fund, a non-profit organization which provides a daily meal to students of township schools in Soweto, South Africa. In December 2017, Batali stepped down from his role with the organization in response to sexual misconduct allegations against him. [28]
In 2008, Batali and his wife Susi Cahn founded the Mario Batali Foundation, funding various children's educational programs and pediatric disease research. [28]
He supports the practice of Transcendental Meditation through the David Lynch Foundation. [29] [30]
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 in Borgo Capanne, Italy.[ clarification needed ] [31]
On December 11, 2017, restaurant news website Eater reported that four women accused Batali of sexual harassment and sexual assault. [32] [22] [33] By the following day, four more women had come forward. [34] Batali took a leave of absence from his position at the management company Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. [28] [35] Producers of ABC's The Chew fired him on December 14, 2017. [36] Food Network halted plans to release episodes of his television show Molto Mario after the allegations. [37] Target announced that it was no longer selling Batali's pasta sauces and cookbooks. [38] [39]
In May 2018, more accusations of sexual assault against Batali were aired on an episode of 60 Minutes , and the New York Police Department confirmed it was investigating Batali for his past behavior, including an alleged assault that took place at The Spotted Pig, a restaurant where Batali was an investor. [40] Batali denied an allegation of sexual assault, but said "My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions." [40] Days later, Batali's company B&B Hospitality Group announced it would be closing its three Las Vegas Strip restaurants after the Las Vegas Sands Corporation terminated the companies' relationship. [41]
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. [42]
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. [43] He also sold his minority ownership in Eataly, an Italian food marketplace. [43] The Bastianiches said B&B Hospitality Group's name would change. [44] [45] Batali was the first chef to surrender ownerships in all his restaurants after reports of sexual misconduct. [43] [46]
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 the Attorney 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 and battery in Boston. [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 a bench trial. [49] [51] [52] [53]
On May 10, 2022, Batali was acquitted in Boston 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 and was motivated by financial gain to make her accusation. [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 by Wes Anderson, based on the book by Roald 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 of Bill Buford's book Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (2007) ISBN 978-1400034475
Lidia Giuliana Matticchio Bastianich is an Italian-American celebrity chef, television host, author, and restaurateur. Specializing in Italian and Italian-American cuisine, Bastianich has been a regular contributor to public television cooking shows since 1998.
Anne W. Burrell is an American chef, television personality, and former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education. She is the host of the Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-host of Worst Cooks in America. She was also one of the Iron Chefs, Mario Batali's sous chefs in the Iron Chef America series and appears on other programs on the network such as The Best Thing I Ever Ate. She was a contestant on the fourth season of The Food Network competition show, The Next Iron Chef Super Chefs being eliminated in episode 6. She was also a contestant on the first season of Chopped All-Stars Tournament, winning the "Food Network Personalities" preliminary round to advance to the final round, where she placed second runner up to Nate Appleman (winner) and Aarón Sanchez. In 2015, Burrell won the fourth installment of the Chopped All-Stars tournament winning $75,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. She also hosted the series Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell in 2012–2013.
David Lynch is an American writer and wine expert. Lynch was raised in Connecticut and graduated from Boston College. He worked as a senior editor for Wine & Spirits magazine and has authored wine-related articles for numerous periodicals and websites. He received a James Beard Journalism Award for his writing in 2001. In 2000, Lynch, along with Joseph Bastianich, spent time in Italy researching and writing Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy, a book published in 2002.
Joseph Bastianich is an American restaurateur, author and television personality. He, along with his mother and business partner Lidia Bastianich, co-owns thirty restaurants in four countries, including Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, which the owners expanded in 2010. Earlier that same year, they teamed up with businessman Oscar Farinetti to bring Eataly, an upscale food and wine market, to Dallas, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New York City, London and Stockholm.
The James Beard Foundation Awards are annual awards presented by the James Beard Foundation to recognize chefs, restaurateurs, authors and journalists in the United States. They are scheduled around James Beard's May 5 birthday. The media awards are presented at a dinner in New York City; the chef and restaurant awards were also presented in New York until 2015, when the foundation's annual gala moved to Chicago. Chicago will continue to host the Awards until 2027.
John Besh is an American chef, TV personality, philanthropist, restaurateur and author. He is known for his sexual assault scandal in addition to efforts in preserving the culinary heritage of New Orleans cuisine.
The Best Thing I Ever Ate is a television series that originally aired on Food Network, debuting on June 22, 2009.
Eataly is a chain of large format/footprint Italian marketplaces comprising a variety of restaurants, food and beverage counters, bakery, retail items, and a cooking school. Eataly was founded by Oscar Farinetti, an entrepreneur formerly involved in the consumer electronics business, and collaborates with Slow Food.
The Chew is an American cooking-themed talk show that aired for seven seasons from September 26, 2011, to June 28, 2018, having replaced the soap opera All My Children, on ABC as part of the network's weekday daytime lineup. The name was inspired by fellow ABC talk show The View, but The Chew centered on food and lifestyle topics rather than the news of the day.
Tanya Bastianich Manuali is an American restaurateur and writer. She is the daughter of chef Lidia Bastianich, who is of Italian descent.
The Spotted Pig was a gastropub located at 314 West 11th Street in the West Village in Manhattan in New York City. The 100-seat gastropub was owned by Ken Friedman. Mario Batali was a primary investor. The chef was April Bloomfield, a British expatriate celebrity chef who was hired after flying to New York and interviewing with Mario Batali and Friedman. The restaurant held a single Michelin Star from about 2006 to 2016. The restaurant closed on January 26, 2020.
April Bloomfield is a British chef who has opened two New York restaurants: The Spotted Pig and The Breslin Bar & Dining Room. Bloomfield had previously worked at several restaurants in the United Kingdom, including The River Café and Bibendum.
Carlo Cracco is an Italian chef and television personality.
Nostrana is an Italian restaurant and pizzeria in southeast Portland, Oregon, United States. Cathy Whims opened the restaurant in 2005 and serves as chef and owner. Nostrana serves classic Italian cuisine and has been dubbed "Portland's capital of the Negroni". The restaurant has received a generally positive reception, especially for its pizzas and happy hour menu. In 2018, Whims opened the European wine bar Enoteca Nostrana next door to the restaurant.
Edouardo Jordan is an American chef and restaurateur based in Seattle, Washington.
Felix Gabriel "Gabe" Erales is an American chef specializing in modern Mexican cuisine based in Austin, Texas. In 2021, Erales won the eighteenth season of Top Chef, becoming the series' first Latino winner.
Ken Friedman is a restaurateur.
Osteria Mozza is a Michelin Guide-starred Italian restaurant in Hollywood, California.
Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca is an Italian restaurant in New York City. Opened in 1998 by Mario Batali, the restaurant received the James Beard Foundation Award for Best New Restaurant in 1999. Batali sold his ownership stake in the restaurant in 2019 after being embroiled in misconduct claims. The restaurant received a Michelin star for several years and was featured in the book Heat by Bill Buford.
Mario Francesco Batali .
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