After originally ending in 2005, Food Network's "Molto Mario" was set to return in 2018. Then
it didn't. What scandal kept chef Mario Batali's show off the airwaves? Watch for all the details.
Mario Batali was climbing the ladder of the food world prior to the premiere of his show.
He was the sous chef at the Four Seasons Hotel in San Francisco and then chef at
the Four Seasons Hotel in Santa Barbara. Batali even studied cooking abroad during a three-year
apprenticeship in a small Italian village. By 1993, Batali had already opened his own place,
Pó, an Italian fine dining restaurant located in Manhattan. By 1996,
the Food Network was knocking at his door, and Molto Mario premiered later that year.
During episodes of Molto Mario, Batali explained his cooking techniques and taught guests new
recipes. He did so for a handful of guests — often celebrities — who sat and watched nearby.
They sipped wine, asked Batali questions, and eventually — tasted Batali's creations on camera.
"I started to discuss the geo-specificity of ingredients and the regional variations
in Italian cooking all over the country of Italy."
Batali was then already known for his Italian cuisine. However, the chef was accused of not
really being Italian himself, thanks to his bright red hair and the fact that he grew up
in the Seattle area. However, Batali's father is of Italian descent, The New Yorker reported.
Molto Mario was well received. Viewers appreciated Mario Batali's expertise as well
as his personality. The show originally filmed over 75 episodes. A writer for The New York Times,
in a review of Molto Mario, said that Batali was "likable" and a qualified host. The critic wrote:
"He whips up the kind of elegant Italian dishes he serves at Pó, his New York City
restaurant. In fact, it almost feels like I'm in the restaurant kitchen with him."
Off-screen, Batali, his partner Joe Bastianich and Bastianich's mother Lidia, began making moves. In
1999, the trio founded the Batali & Bastianich Restaurant Group. Together they opened more than
15 restaurants located all over the world. During the peak popularity of Molto Mario, Batali was one
of the men awarded the title of GQ's Man of the Year in 1999. His restaurants were also
successful and Batali began to rack up a handful of his own James Beard awards and nominations.
Molto Mario continued filming for almost a decade, until 2004. The Food Network stopped producing new
episodes, but reruns aired for a few more years, until 2007. Food Network then announced it would
stop airing Molto Mario reruns, but the end of Molto Mario wasn't due to any beef between
Mario Batali and the Food Network. Batali continued to appear on other Food Network
shows such as Iron Chef America. The chef also got his own travel show the next year on PBS, titled
Spain... On the Road Again, alongside actress Gwyneth Paltrow and food writer Mark Bittman.
If anything, Batali was riding high. He wasn't the only chef
to leave the Food Network around that same time.
Batali was busy with his own restaurants and had published several successful cookbooks.
"How many books have you written?"
"Eleven."
And it would be only a few years until Batali would go on to build his famous
Eataly empire. The Italian specialty grocery store chain — founded by the B&B company — would by 2012
account for around a third of the company's annual revenue of approximately $250 million.
In November 2017, 10 years after removing reruns of the show,
the Food Network began to hint at a new season of Molto Mario, starring Mario Batali.
Six new episodes would soon be released, Food & Wine reported,
at the time of the reboot announcement. Production of the new season had already finished,
and the show was ready to go. The episodes were rumored to drop the next year, in early 2018.
Just weeks after the Food Network's Molto Mario reboot was announced, Mario Batali was accused
of sexual misconduct during the peak of the Me Too movement. On December 11, 2017, Eater published an
article that included the testimonies of several women who accused Batali of sexual harassment
and assault. The women who came forward were both former employees and restaurant industry workers.
The incidents went back decades, but were as recent as October 2017,
just two months prior. To make matters worse, it wasn't the first time Batali made bad press.
In 2012, Batali and his partner Joe Bastianich had agreed to pay
$5.25 million to settle a tip-stealing lawsuit filed by former restaurant workers of theirs,
according to The New York Daily News. The lawsuit had accused Batali and Bastianich
of repeatedly taking money from the worker's nightly tip pool for their personal profits.
However, 2017's news had far worse implications for Batali's career.
ABC was one of the first of Batali's business partners to react. The same day the accusations
against Batali were announced, a spokesperson from ABC's The Chew said that Batali would be taking
a break from their show — which Batali hosted alongside fellow celebrity chefs Michael Symon,
Clinton Kelly and Carla Hall. A few days later, ABC said they'd officially
"terminated their relationship" with the former host, the network told The Hollywood Reporter.
Additionally, reruns of The Chew featuring Batali were officially removed, so that any episodes
featuring the host were effectively banned from the air. After the disgraced chef's departure,
the show didn't last long. The Chew was eventually canceled the following year.
Food Network didn't wait long to axe their Molto Mario reboot.
Also on December 11, the network revealed that the return of Molto Mario would be paused.
The previously filmed episodes would be held indefinitely.
As many reckoned with Batali's new accusations, they noted how important the Food Network show
was in making both Batali's career and reputation, even at times blurring the
lines between the chef's on-screen demeanor and his real personality. The Wall Street
Journal said Batali's Food Network show "originally brought him to fame."
The Chicago Tribune reported that the cooking show contributed to Batali's reputation as a, quote,
"master of excess," The outlet went on to add:
"[N]o one expects the Orange Croc wearing 'Molto Mario' to
work a crowd with the demeanor of a teetotaling accountant."
The Eataly company responded quickly to the accusations against Mario Batali. Within days,
Batali's products were reportedly being removed from Eataly's shelves.
Several of Batali's grocery items like olive oils, vinegars,
and pasta sauces disappeared from the chain's many locations. Travel And Leisure reported that many
of these items also happened to include images of Batali's face on their labels.
Other companies followed suit, wanting to cut ties with the chef as soon as possible. Within
one week of the news, Walmart and Target were also removing Batali's products from their stores,
according to the Los Angeles Times. Even the company that produced Batali's grocery
items for him, Summer Garden Foods, suggested it wouldn't be working with the chef in the future.
In May 2018, the B&B restaurant group revealed they were ending business with Mario Batali for
good. Later that month, Batali's partner announced that three of their Las Vegas restaurants
would close. By 2019, Batali's restaurants had dissolved all existing partnerships with the chef.
As more ties were cut, Batali was also bought out of eateries like The Spotted Pig, where he
was a minority owner, and where harassment that Batali was accused of took place. Even
Batali's restaurants that remained open reported that business slowed down after the scandal.
That same year, Batali was bought out of Eataly, giving up his partial stock in the grocery chain.
As more women came forward to accuse Mario Batali of misconduct, some of the victims
appeared on an episode of 60 Minutes to speak about their experiences with the chef.
"I think Mario Batali's a monster."
The next day, the NYPD confirmed that they were
conducting criminal investigations into the accusations against Batali.
The Boston Police Department also launched their own investigation into a claim that a
fan was sexually assaulted by Batali in a Boston bar while trying to take a picture with the chef.
By 2019, the NYPD's criminal investigations had concluded. No charges were filed against Batali.
The NYPD claimed they lacked sufficient evidence to arrest the chef in one case,
and that the statute of limitations had run out in another, reported CNN.
But in the Boston case, Batali was charged with indecent assault and battery.
He pled not guilty to the charges in 2019, according to NPR. However,
the New York Attorney General's office had been conducting their own investigation as well,
and in 2021, ordered the B&B Restaurant Group to pay $600,000 for Batali's harassment of around
20 employees. The money was then divided and distributed among those employees.
Today, Mario Batali's restaurant empire continues to unravel.
As recently as April of 2021, his former restaurant Del Posto closed,
citing reasons like lots of, quote, "change in fine dining over the last few years."
Not surprisingly, the general manager also said that he wanted a break from the B&B
company. The company is now conducting business under a different name, according to Grub Street.
Batali is rumored to be living at his fish camp in Traverse City, Michigan, away from the spotlight,
along with his wife of 27 years, Susie Cahn. He has two children. He once called the Michigan
town the, quote, "antidote for New York City," during an interview with Bon Appetit.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault,
help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website
or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).