Mario Batali

Mario Batali
Mario Batali in 2005
Born Mario Francesco Batali
(1960-09-19) September 19, 1960
Seattle, Washington, United States
Education Rutgers University
Le Cordon Bleu
Spouse(s) Susi Cahn
Children 2
Culinary career
Cooking style Italian
Website www.mariobatali.com

Mario Francesco Batali[1] (born September 19, 1960)[2] is an American chef, writer, restaurateur, and media personality. He is currently under investigation for sexual harassment and assault to several women that worked for him. Batali co-owns restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Boston, Singapore,[3] Westport, Connecticut and New Haven, Connecticut.[4] Batali is also known for his appearances on the Food Network, on shows such as Molto Mario and Iron Chef America, on which he was one of the featured "Iron Chefs."

Early life

Batali was born in Seattle, Washington on September 19, 1960, to Marilyn LaFramboise and Armandino Batali.[5][1] Batali attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey while working as a cook at the pub/restaurant Stuff Yer Face.[6] In 1994, he married Susi Cahn.[7] He is son-in-law to Miles and Lillian Cahn, founders of Coach Inc.[8]

Career

At 29, Batali was a sous chef at the Four Seasons Biltmore after previously working as a sous chef for the then Four Seasons Clift Hotel San Francisco,[9] (since 1995, known as "The Clift", under changed ownership[10]). Early in his career, Batali worked with chef, Jeremiah Tower at his San Francisco restaurant, Stars.[11] 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 [12] which aired from 1996 to 2004 and made Batali a household name and popularized the Food Network.

In 1998, Batali, Joe Bastianich and Lidia Bastianich formed the B&B Hospitality Group,[13] also known as Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. The flagship restaurant for B&B is Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca in New York City which has a Michelin star.[14] Batali also co-owns multiple Eataly locations.

Batali was a co-host of the ABC daytime talk show The Chew when it premiered in 2011 till 2017.[15]

In 2012, a lawsuit was settled by Batali (and B&B) with 117 members of the restaurant staff,[16] who alleged that the Batali organization had skimmed a percentage of the tip pools in his restaurants over a period of years.[17]

Philanthropy and social activism

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)."[18][19] 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."[20]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. As of December 2017, Batali released in response to the sexual misconduct allegations, he would step down from his role with this organization.[21]

In 2008, Batali and his wife Susi Cahn founded the Mario Batali Foundation, funding various children's educational programs and pediatric disease research.[21]

He supports the practice of Transcendental Meditation through the David Lynch Foundation.[22][23]

Cooking philosophy

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.[24]

Sexual misconduct allegations

On December 11, 2017, Eater, the restaurant news website, made public the accusations of four women who accused Batali of sexual harassment and sexual misconduct.[25][15][26] By the following day, four more women had come forward.[27] Batali took a leave of absence from his position at the management company Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.[21][28] Producers of ABC's The Chew asked him to step aside temporarily, while his fellow co-hosts publicly addressed the allegations on air,[15][29] and he was fired from the show on December 14, 2017.[30]

Food Network halted plans to release episodes of his television show Molto Mario after the allegations.[31] Target announced it pulled Batali's pasta sauces and cookbooks out of sales.[32][33]

In May 2018, more accusations of sexual misconduct against Batali were aired on an episode of 60 Minutes, and the New York Police Department confirmed it was investigating Batali.[34] Batali denied an allegation of sexual assault, but said "My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions."[34] 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 Corp. terminated the companies' relationship.[35]

Television and movie credits

Show name Year Network Role Notes & citation
Molto Mario 1996–2004 Food Network host a culinary tour of Italy, hosted by Batali.[36]
Mediterranean Mario 1998 Food Network host a culinary tour of Morocco, Spain, France, Greece, hosted by Batali.
Mario Eats Italy 2001–2002 Food Network host a culinary tour of the Italian countryside.[37]
Ciao America with Chef Mario Batali 2003 Food Network host a culinary tour of the Italian in America, only three episodes.[38]
Iron Chef America: Battle of the Masters Food Network
Iron Chef America: The Series Food Network 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 NYC (Del Posto).[39][40]
Emeril Live 2006 Food Network guest appearance "Italian Favorites with Mario Batali"
Chefography 2006, 2007 Food Network guest appearances (Season 0, Episode 7)(Season 2, Episode 6)
Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations 2005 Travel Channel guest appearance Season 1, Episode 3, "New Jersey".[41]
Spain... on the road Again 2008 PBS co-host
Fantastic Mr. Fox 2009 20th Century Fox "Mr. 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
Bitter Feast 2010 Dark Sky Films "Gordon" American psychological horror film directed and written by Joe Maggio, Mario Batali as Gordon
Saturday Night Live 2010 cameo
The Chew 2011–2017 ABC co-host
Good Morning America guest appearances
Worth It 2017 BuzzFeed guest appearance Season 2, Episode 5, $2 Pizza vs. $2,000 Pizza in New York City.[42]
The Simpsons 2017 guest appearance Treehouse of Horror XXVIII

Awards

  • 1998 – "Best New Restaurant of 1998" from the James Beard Foundation for "Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca"
  • 1999 – "Man of the Year" in GQ's chef category
  • 2001 – D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America
  • 2002 – "Best Chef: New York City" from the James Beard Foundation
  • 2004 – Three Stars from The New York Times for "Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca" from Ruth Reichl.
  • 2005 – "All-Clad Cookware Outstanding Chef Award" from the James Beard Foundation (national award)
  • 2008 – One Michelin star, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, Michelin Guide[43]
  • 2008 – "Best Restaurateur" for Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali for Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca from the James Beard Foundation.[44]
  • Culinary Hall of Fame Induction.[45]

Bibliography

  • Mario Batali Simple Italian Food: Recipes from My Two Villages (1998), ISBN 0-609-60300-0
  • Mario Batali Holiday Food : Family Recipes for the Most Festive Time of the Year (2000), ISBN 0-609-60774-X
  • Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy (contributor) (2002), ISBN 0-609-60848-7
  • The Babbo Cookbook (2002), ISBN 0-609-60775-8
  • The Artist's Palate (foreword) (2003), ISBN 0-7894-7768-8
  • Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes to Cook at Home (2005), ISBN 0-06-073492-2
  • Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style (2006), ISBN 0-89204-846-8
  • Spain...A Culinary Road Trip (2008), written with Gwyneth Paltrow, and Julia Turshen. ISBN 978-0-06-156093-4
  • Italian Grill (2008), written with Judith Sutton. ISBN 978-0-06-145097-6
  • Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking (2010), written with Mark Ladner. ISBN 978-0-06-192432-3
  • Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals from My Home to Yours (2011), ISBN 978-0-06-209556-5
  • America – Farm to Table: Simple, Delicious Recipes Celebrating Local Farmers written with Jim Webster
  • Mediterranean Summer, A Season on France's Côte d/Azur and Italy's Costa Bella (2007), written by David Shalleck and Erol Munuz ISBN 978-0-7679-2048-3 Contributor Foreword by Mario Batali
  • Heat: An Amateur's Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany (2007), written by Bill Buford ISBN 978-1400034475(Batali is the subject of the book)

See also

References

  1. 1 2 Gates, Henry Louis, Jr. (2010). Faces of America: How 12 Extraordinary People Discovered their Pasts. NYU Press. p. 129. ISBN 978-0814732649.
  2. ↑ "Batali, Mario". Current Biography Yearbook 2011. Ipswich, MA: H.W. Wilson. 2011. pp. 54–57. ISBN 9780824211219.
  3. ↑ "Restaurants | Mario Batali". MarioBatali.com. Retrieved 2018-09-19.
  4. ↑ Inzitari, Vanessa. "Check Out Mario Batali's Westport Restaurant". The Westport Daily Voice. Retrieved July 13, 2012.
  5. ↑ Roger Downey (2002-12-25). "A Batali Family Christmas". Seattle Weekly. Retrieved 2012-04-03.
  6. ↑ "Hall of Fame". Stuff Yer Face. Archived from the original on July 27, 2017. Retrieved February 7, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Who is Mario Batali's wife, Susi Cahn?". Newsweek. 2017-12-11. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  8. ↑ Adams, Rachel (2017-02-11). "Miles Cahn, Co-Founder of Coach Handbags, Dies at 95". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-02-26.
  9. ↑ Coren. "CNN Transcripts Interview with Mario Batali". CNN. Retrieved 2012-09-14.
  10. ↑ "Clift Hotel's debt sold". SFGate. February 21, 1995. Retrieved 2017-03-13.
  11. ↑ "Jeremiah Tower, a Forgotten Father of the American Food Revolution". The New Yorker. Retrieved 2018-06-10.
  12. ↑ Keil, Braden (2007-09-05). "Food Net Chef Mario Flames Out". New York Post. Retrieved 2007-09-17.
  13. ↑ "Joe Bastianich, restaurateur and winemaker". Las Vegas Sun. 2009-06-12. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  14. ↑ "First Look at La Sirena, the Latest From Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich". Grub Street. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  15. 1 2 3 Staff, Variety (December 11, 2017). "Mario Batali Out as Co-Host of 'The Chew' Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations". Variety. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  16. ↑ "Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Settles Lawsuit With His Waitstaff". NPR.org. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  17. ↑ Weiser, Benjamin. "Mario Batali Agrees to $5.25 Million Settlement Over Employee Tips". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 2, 2018. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  18. ↑ "Chefs for the Marcellus: Look Who's Signed On". Archived from the original on May 28, 2013. Retrieved May 30, 2013.
  19. ↑ "Chefs for the Marcellus: About Us". Archived from the original on 26 May 2013. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  20. ↑ Batali; Telepan. "Fracking vs. food: N.Y.'s choice". New York Daily News. Retrieved 30 May 2013.
  21. 1 2 3 "Mario Batali's Businesses Distance Themselves From His Name". Eater.com. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  22. ↑ Schneier, Matthew. "The Transcendentalists". Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  23. ↑ "For Some of New York's Most Successful, Transcendental Meditation". Observer. 2014-08-06. Retrieved 2018-02-06.
  24. ↑ Anna Coren. "Transcript: Interview with Mario Batali". Talk Asia. CNN International.
  25. ↑ Plagianos, Irene (December 11, 2017). "Mario Batali Steps Away From Restaurant Empire Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations". Eater.com.
  26. ↑ Disis, Jill (December 11, 2017). "Mario Batali: 'The Chew' host steps away amid sexual misconduct allegations". CNN. Retrieved December 13, 2017.
  27. ↑ Vagianos, Alanna (2017-12-12). "Now It's 8 Women Accusing Chef Mario Batali Of Sexual Misconduct". Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-12-13.
  28. ↑ Hauser, Christine; Severson, Kim; Moskin, Julia (2017-12-11). "Mario Batali Steps Away From Restaurants Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  29. ↑ "The Chew Co-Hosts Address Mario Batali's Sexual Misconduct Allegations On-Air". People. 2017-12-13. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  30. ↑ "Celebrity chef and 'The Chew' co-host Mario Batali fired by ABC following sexual misconduct allegations". KTRK-TV. December 14, 2017. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  31. ↑ "Food Network Freezes Plans to Release New 'Molto Mario' Episodes". Eater. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  32. ↑ "Target Is Pulling Mario Batali's Products From Its Stores". Eater. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  33. ↑ "Mario Batali Products Pulled From Target Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  34. 1 2 Anderson Cooper (May 20, 2018). "Mario Batali and the Spotted Pig". 60 Minutes. CBS News.
  35. ↑ Al Mancini, 3 Mario Batali restaurants on Las Vegas Strip to close, Las Vegas Review-Journal (May 25, 2018).
  36. ↑ "Chef Mario Batali - Show Molto Mario - Show List A to Z - TV". Food Network. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  37. ↑ Mario Eats Italy, Food Network, retrieved 2017-12-13
  38. ↑ "Food Network: Ciao America with Mario Batali". September 24, 2003. Archived from the original on September 24, 2003.
  39. ↑ "Healthy Recipe Collections, Party Ideas, Quick & Easy Recipes". Food Network. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  40. ↑ Dennett, Darcy (2016-06-07), Mario Batali - DEL POSTO, retrieved 2017-12-13
  41. ↑ "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations: New Jersey". TV.com. Retrieved 2010-09-21.
  42. ↑ "BuzzFeed's food-fest series 'Worth It' has racked up 280 million views — and cable TV should be worried". Business Insider. Retrieved 2017-12-14.
  43. ↑ Michelin_Guide New York City 2000000 Archived 2011-09-17 at the Wayback Machine.
  44. ↑ "2008 James Beard Awards, Final Nominees Announced". Eater NY. Retrieved 2018-01-07.
  45. ↑ "Mario Batali Inducted". www.culinaryhalloffame.com.
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