Mario Batali

Batali was born in Seattle on September 19, 1960, to Marilyn (LaFramboise) and Armandino Batali, who founded Seattle's Salumi restaurant in 2006.{{cite web|author=Roger Downey |url=http://www.seattleweekly.com/2002-12-25/food/a-batali-family-christmas/ |title=A Batali Family Christmas |newspaper=Seattle Weekly |date=2002-12-25 |access-date=2012-04-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101104051619/http://www.seattleweekly.com/2002-12-25/food/a-batali-family-christmas/|archive-date=November 4, 2010|url-status=dead |df=mdy-all}}{{Citation |url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6045047 |title=Salami: A Cure for What Ails You |publisher=National Public Radio |date= September 9, 2006 |work=All Things Considered }} His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of part French-Canadian ancestry.Stated on Faces of America, 2010 His paternal grandmother was from Chieti, while his paternal grandfather hailed from Lucca.{{Cite web|url=https://www.iitaly.org/magazine/article/culture-in-temple-food|title=Culture in the Temple of Food|website=iItaly| date=October 6, 2016}} Batali attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey, while working as a cook at the pub/restaurant Stuff Yer Face.{{cite web |url=http://stuffyerface.com/events/hall-of-fame/ |title=Hall of Fame |publisher=Stuff Yer Face |access-date= February 7, 2018 |archive-date=July 27, 2017|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20170727060256/http://stuffyerface.com/events/hall-of-fame/ |url-status=live}} While at Rutgers, he was roommates with actor James Gandolfini.{{Cite web |last=Saccenti |first=John |date=June 20, 2013 |title=Rutgers Remembers Gandolfini |url=https://patch.com/new-jersey/newbrunswick/remembering-gandolfini |website=patch.com}}

In 1994, he married Susi Cahn and together they have two sons.{{Cite news |url=http://www.newsweek.com/mario-batali-wife-susi-cahn-744245 |title=Who is Mario Batali's wife, Susi Cahn? |date=2017-12-11 |magazine=Newsweek |access-date=2017-12-14 |language=en|archive-date= January 7, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20180107094325/http://www.newsweek.com/mario-batali-wife-susi-cahn-744245|url-status=live}}{{Cite web|last=Reslen|first=Eileen|date=2017-12-13|title=Who is Susi Cahn? 9 Things You Should Know About Mario Batali's Wife|url=https://www.countryliving.com/life/entertainment/news/a46115/mario-batali-wife-susi-cahn-facts/|access-date=2020-09-08|website=Country Living|language=en-US}} Batali is the son-in-law of Miles and Lillian Cahn, founders of Coach Inc.{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/business/miles-cahn-dead-coach.html?_r=0 |title=Miles Cahn, Co-Founder of Coach Handbags, Dies at 95 |last=Adams |first=Rachel |date=2017-02-11 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2017-02-26}} Batali's brother Dana Batali was Director of Pixar RenderMan development from 2001 to 2015.{{Citation |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=-UHNCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA227 |page=227 |title= To Infinity and Beyond!: The Story of Pixar Animation Studios |first=Karen |last= Paik |publisher=Chronicle Books |year=2015 |isbn= 9781452147659 }}{{Citation |url= https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/morning_call/2015/03/the-right-combination-of-science-and-heart-renown.html |newspaper=Puget Sound Business Journal |title='The right combination of science and heart:' Renown Batali restaurant Salumi changes hands |first=Patti |last=Payne |date=Mar 26, 2015 }}

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{{cite web |last=Coren |title=CNN Transcripts Interview with Mario Batali |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1204/20/ta.01.html |publisher=CNN |access-date=2012-09-14}} (since 1995, known as "The Clift", under changed ownership).{{Cite news |url=http://www.sfgate.com/business/article/Clift-Hotel-s-debt-sold-3151465.php |title=Clift Hotel's debt sold |date=February 21, 1995 |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=2017-03-13}} Early in his career, Batali worked with chef Jeremiah Tower at his San Francisco restaurant Stars.{{Cite news |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/jeremiah-tower-a-forgotten-father-of-the-american-food-revolution |title=Jeremiah Tower, a Forgotten Father of the American Food Revolution |magazine=The New Yorker |access-date=2018-06-10|language=en-US}} 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{{cite news |url=https://www.nypost.com/seven/09052007/news/nationalnews/food_net_chef_mario_flames_out.htm |title=Food Net Chef Mario Flames Out |last=Keil |first=Braden |date=2007-09-05 |publisher=New York Post |access-date=2007-09-17}} 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,{{Cite news |url=https://lasvegassun.com/news/2009/jun/12/joe-bastianich/ |title=Joe Bastianich, restaurateur and winemaker |date=2009-06-12 |newspaper=Las Vegas Sun |access-date=2017-12-14|language=en}} 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.{{update after|2017|12|31|reason=still has star? Source is from 2017. Michelin does list annually. Places can be dropped.}} {{Cite news |url=https://www.grubstreet.com/2016/02/batali-bastianich-open-la-sirena.html |title=First Look at La Sirena, the Latest From Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich |magazine=New York; Grub Street |access-date=2017-12-14|language=en}}

Batali was a co-host of the ABC daytime talk show The Chew from its premiere in 2011 until 2017.{{cite news |author= |url=https://variety.com/2017/tv/news/mario-batali-the-chew-out-sexual-harassment-1202635704/ |title=Mario Batali Out as Co-Host of 'The Chew' Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations |date=December 11, 2017 |magazine=Variety |access-date=December 13, 2017 |language=en-US}}

In 2012, a lawsuit was settled by Batali (and B&B) with 117 members of the restaurant staff,{{Cite news |url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2012/03/08/148234113/celebrity-chef-mario-batali-settles-lawsuit-with-his-waitstaff |title=Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Settles Lawsuit With His Waitstaff |website=NPR.org |access-date=2017-12-14|language=en}} who alleged that the Batali organization had skimmed a percentage of the tip pools in his restaurants over a period of years.{{Cite news |url=https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/mario-batali-agrees-to-5-25-million-settlement-over-employee-tips/ |title=Mario Batali Agrees to $5.25 Million Settlement Over Employee Tips |last=Weiser |first=Benjamin |newspaper=The New York Times |date=March 7, 2012 |access-date=2018-02-06|language=en| archive-date= February 2, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202170134/https://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/mario-batali-agrees-to-5-25-million-settlement-over-employee-tips/|url-status=live}}

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)."{{cite web |title=Chefs for the Marcellus: Look Who's Signed On |url=http://chefsformarcellus.org/chefs-to-cuomo/ |access-date=30 May 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130528130646/http://chefsformarcellus.org/chefs-to-cuomo/ |archive-date=May 28, 2013 |df=mdy-all }}{{cite web |title=Chefs for the Marcellus: About Us |url=http://chefsformarcellus.org/about/ |access-date=30 May 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130526013749/http://chefsformarcellus.org/about/|archive-date=26 May 2013}} 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."{{cite web |title=Fracking vs. food: N.Y.'s choice |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/fracking-food-n-y-s-choice-article-1.1357913 |access-date=30 May 2013 |last=Batali; Telepan |newspaper=New York Daily News |date=May 30, 2013 }} 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.

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

He supports the practice of Transcendental Meditation through the David Lynch Foundation.{{cite web |last=Schneier |title=The Transcendentalists |url=http://www.style.com/trendsshopping/stylenotes/122313_David_Lynch_Italo_Zucchelli_Calvin_Klein |access-date=25 December 2013 |first=Matthew}}{{Cite news |url=http://observer.com/2014/08/for-some-of-new-yorks-most-successful-transcendental-meditation/ |title=For Some of New York's Most Successful, Transcendental Meditation |date=2014-08-06 |newspaper=The New York Observer |access-date=2018-02-06|language=en-US}}

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.{{clarify|reason=when and how long? Where in his timeline above?|date=December 2023}}{{cite web|author=Anna Coren |title=Transcript: Interview with Mario Batali |publisher=CNN International |work=Talk Asia |url=https://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1204/20/ta.01.html}}

{{See also|MeToo movement}}

On December 11, 2017, restaurant news website Eater reported that four women accused Batali of sexual harassment and sexual assault.{{cite web |last1=Plagianos |first1=Irene |last2=Greenwald |first2=Kitty |url=https://ny.eater.com/2017/12/11/16759540/mario-batali-sexual-misconduct-allegations |title=Mario Batali Steps Away From Restaurant Empire Following Sexual Misconduct Allegations |publisher=Vox Media |website=Eater |date=December 11, 2017}}{{cite news |url=https://money.cnn.com/2017/12/11/media/mario-batali-sexual-misconduct-allegations/index.html |title=Mario Batali: 'The Chew' host steps away amid sexual misconduct allegations |last=Disis |first=Jill |date=December 11, 2017 |publisher=CNN |access-date=December 13, 2017}} By the following day, four more women had come forward.{{Cite news |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/fifth-woman-accuses-chef-mario-batali-of-sexual-misconduct_us_5a30093ce4b07895028413a0 |title=Now It's 8 Women Accusing Chef Mario Batali Of Sexual Misconduct |last=Vagianos |first=Alanna |date=2017-12-12 |website=HuffPost |access-date=2017-12-13|language=en-US}} Batali took a leave of absence from his position at the management company Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group.{{cite news |url=https://www.eater.com/2017/12/13/16761754/mario-batali-net-worth-business-deals-books-sauces-tv-charities |title=Mario Batali's Businesses Distance Themselves From His Name |website=Eater |publisher=Vox Media |access-date=2017-12-13}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/11/dining/mario-batali-sexual-assault.html |title=Mario Batali Steps Away From Restaurants Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations |last1=Hauser |first1=Christine |date=2017-12-11 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2017-12-14|last2=Severson|first2=Kim|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|last3=Moskin|first3=Julia}} Producers of ABC's The Chew fired him on December 14, 2017.{{cite news |url= http://abc13.com/entertainment/mario-batali-fired-by-abc-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations/2782425/?sf176384728=1 |title= Celebrity chef and 'The Chew' co-host Mario Batali fired by ABC following sexual misconduct allegations |date= December 14, 2017 |publisher= KTRK-TV |access-date= 15 December 2017}} Food Network halted plans to release episodes of his television show Molto Mario after the allegations.{{Cite news |url=https://www.eater.com/2017/12/11/16761628/molto-mario-food-network-mario-batali-sexual-misconduct |title=Food Network Freezes Plans to Release New 'Molto Mario' Episodes |website=Eater |access-date=2017-12-14}} Target announced that it was no longer selling Batali's pasta sauces and cookbooks.{{Cite news |url=https://www.eater.com/2017/12/13/16773274/target-mario-batali-no-longer-carrying-products |title=Target Is Pulling Mario Batali's Products From Its Stores |website=Eater |access-date=2017-12-14}}{{Cite news |url=https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/the-wrap/article/Mario-Batali-Products-Pulled-From-Target-Amid-12428055.php |title=Mario Batali Products Pulled From Target Amid Sexual Misconduct Allegations |newspaper=San Francisco Chronicle |access-date=2017-12-14}}

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.{{Cite news |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mario-batali-and-the-spotted-pig-nyc/ |title=Mario Batali and the Spotted Pig |work=60 Minutes |publisher=CBS News |date=May 20, 2018|author=Anderson Cooper}} Batali denied an allegation of sexual assault, but said "My past behavior has been deeply inappropriate and I am sincerely remorseful for my actions." 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.Al Mancini, [https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/food/3-mario-batali-restaurants-on-las-vegas-strip-to-close/ 3 Mario Batali restaurants on Las Vegas Strip to close], Las Vegas Review-Journal (May 25, 2018).

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.{{Cite news |last1=Southall |first1=Ashley |last2=Moskin |first2=Julia |date=2019-01-09 |title=Police Close Sexual Assault Investigations of Mario Batali |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/08/dining/mario-batali-sexual-assault-no-charges-nypd.html |access-date=2022-05-09 |issn=0362-4331}}

In March 2019, Batali surrendered{{clarify|date=December 2023|reason=surrender is ambiguous. Did he sell? Did he forfeit? Did he donate?}} ownership of his stakes in Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, a partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family, including Joe and Lidia Bastianich.{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/06/dining/mario-batali-bastianich-restaurants.html |title=Mario Batali Exits His Restaurants |last=Moskin |first=Julia |date=2019-03-06 |newspaper=The New York Times |access-date=2019-03-07|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} He also sold his minority ownership in Eataly, an Italian food marketplace. The Bastianiches said B&B Hospitality Group's name would change.{{cite journal |url=https://www.nrn.com/operations/mario-batali-out-bb-hospitality-group?NL=NRN-02_&Issue=NRN-02__20190307_NRN- |last=Thorn |first=Bret |date= March 6, 2019 |title=Mario Batali out at B&B Hospitality Group |journal=Nation's Restaurant News |access-date=March 6, 2019}}{{Cite web |title=Mario batali |url=https://abc7news.com/tag/mario-batali/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |website=ABC7 San Francisco |language=en}} Batali was the first chef to surrender ownerships in all his restaurants after reports of sexual misconduct.

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 to more than 20 former employees (men and women) of three restaurants in Manhattan.{{Cite news|title=Mario Batali and partner settle sexual harassment probe for $600,000|language=en-US|newspaper=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/food/2021/07/23/mario-batali-sexual-harassment-settlement/|access-date=2021-08-27|issn=0190-8286}}{{cite news |last=Severson |first=Kim |date=May 10, 2022 |title=Mario Batali Found Not Guilty in Sexual Assault Trial |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/10/dining/mario-batali-not-guilty-sexual-misconduct-trial.html |issn=0362-4331}}

In May 2019, Batali was charged with indecent assault and battery in Boston.{{cite web|url=https://www.boston.com/news/local-news/2019/05/22/mario-batali-facing-criminal-charges-in-alleged-boston-assault |date=May 23, 2019|access-date=May 23, 2019|title=Mario Batali facing criminal charges in alleged Boston assault}} 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.{{Cite news|last1=Severson|first1=Kim|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/24/dining/mario-batali-arraignment.html|title=Mario Batali Appears in Court to Deny Charges of Indecent Assault|date=2019-05-24|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-02-10|last2=Berke|first2=Ben|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}{{Cite web |title=Mario Batali waives jury trial in sexual misconduct case |url=https://news.yahoo.com/chef-mario-batali-trial-boston-054727238.html |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=news.yahoo.com |date=May 9, 2022 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2022-05-09 |title=Celebrity chef Mario Batali opts for non-jury trial in sexual misconduct case |url=https://www.ctvnews.ca/entertainment/celebrity-chef-mario-batali-opts-for-non-jury-trial-in-sexual-misconduct-case-1.5894510 |access-date=2022-05-09 |website=CTVNews |language=en}}

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.[https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/mario-batalis-sexual-misconduct-trial-resumes-in-boston-tuesday/2715803/ Celebrity Chef Mario Batali Found Not Guilty in Boston Sexual Misconduct Trial], NBC News (March 10, 2022).{{Cite web |author=Mark Morales and Ray Sanchez |title=Celebrity chef Mario Batali is acquitted of groping woman at Boston restaurant |url=https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/10/us/mario-batali-trial-boston-tuesday/index.html |access-date=2022-05-12 |website=CNN|date=May 10, 2022 }}

• 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 GuideMichelin Guide [http://www.michelinguide.com/us/stars_nyc_08.html New York City 2000000] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110917130016/http://www.michelinguide.com/us/stars_nyc_08.html |date=2011-09-17}}
• 2008 – "Best Restaurateur" for Joe Bastianich/Mario Batali for Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca from the James Beard Foundation.{{Cite news |url=https://ny.eater.com/2008/3/24/6800933/2008-james-beard-awards-final-nominees-announced |title=2008 James Beard Awards, Final Nominees Announced |website=Eater NY |access-date=2018-01-07}}
• Culinary Hall of Fame Induction.{{cite web|url=http://www.culinaryhalloffame.com/culinary-media/press-releases/2853|title=Mario Batali Inducted|website=www.culinaryhalloffame.com|access-date=December 20, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130621194759/http://www.culinaryhalloffame.com/culinary-media/press-releases/2853|archive-date=June 21, 2013|url-status=dead}}

• 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

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}}

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category|Mario Batali}}

• {{Official website|http://www.mariobatali.com/}}
• [http://www.foodnetwork.com/mario-batali/index.html Biography on Food Network's site]
• [https://www.chefdb.com/nm/3397/ Mario Batali at the Chef and Restaurant Database]
• {{IMDb name|1602671}}

{{Daytime Emmy Award Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Batali, Mario}}

Category:1960 births

Category:20th-century American male writers

Category:21st-century American male writers

Category:American male chefs

Category:American people of French-Canadian descent

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:American restaurateurs

Category:American television chefs

Category:Alumni of Le Cordon Bleu

Category:Television chefs

Category:Chefs from New Jersey

Category:Chefs from New York City

Category:Chefs from Seattle

Category:Chefs of Italian cuisine

Category:Food Network chefs

Category:Head chefs of Michelin-starred restaurants

Category:James Beard Foundation Award winners

Category:Living people

Category:People from Seattle

Category:Rutgers University alumni

Category:Writers from New Brunswick, New Jersey

Category:Writers from New York City

Category:Writers from Seattle

Category:People of Abruzzese descent

Category:People of Tuscan descent