Famed New York chef Mario Batali will not face any charges for alleged sex attacks on two women at his restaurants.
In March, a woman filed a police report accusing Batali of rape on at one of his West Village restaurants, according to TMZ.
The woman claims she was drinking at the bar at Batali’s West Village eatery Babbo when the incident occurred.
The NYPD was also investigating allegations that he sexually assaulted another woman in 2005 at the Spotted Pig in which Batali invested.
Famed New York chef Mario Batali (pictured) will not face any charges for alleged sex attacks on two women at his restaurants
Now law enforcement sources told The New York Post that the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office helped the NYPD with its probe of one of the cases.
They have jointly determined there wasn’t enough evidence to bring charges.
A number of women alleged in interviews with 60 Minutes back in May that they had been sexually harassed and groped by the married father-of-two, 57, who they referred to as ‘The Red Menace.’
These incidents all occurred at The Spotted Pig according to the women, a restaurant in Manhattan’s West Village that Batali has had an ownership stake in since it opened.
The stories these women told had for the most part previously been reported back in December 2017 by The New York Times.
Every woman but one who appeared on 60 Minutes had previously spoken to the Times, including former general manager Jamie Seet and former server Trish Nelson.
Seet claimed in that interview ‘she intervened when she saw on the security camera feed that Mr. Batali, who was drunk, was groping and kissing a woman who appeared to be unconscious’ back in 2008.
A woman has claimed she was raped by Mario Batali in 2004 while out drinking at his New York City restaurant Babbo (pictured)
The NYPD was also investigating allegations that he sexually assaulted another woman in 2005 at the Spotted Pig (above)
‘We called him the Red Menace,’ Nelson told the Times.
‘He tried to touch my breasts and told me that they were beautiful. He wanted to wrestle. As I was serving drinks to his table, he told me I should sit on his friend’s face.’
Batali had amassed a vast culinary empire — his brand spanned dozens of restaurants in six U.S. states and Singapore, and his name was attached to several culinary products. He also authored more than a dozen cookbooks.
This summer, a former employee of Batali (above) said on 60 Minutes that she believes the chef may have drugged and sexually assaulted her in 2005
Batali also had a strong presence in Southern California, including his Mozza restaurants in Los Angeles and Newport Beach and the Eataly marketplaces that opened in New York City and LA.
After becoming persona non grata in New York, Batali fled abroad to volunteer to teach cooking to migrants and refugees in Rwanda, Greece, and Iraq.
Recently Batali has been hiding out in Northport, Michigan, where his family own a summer house.
Batali and his wife Susan (above) appear to still be together in spite of the allegations being made by the women
He has apparently been driving around in a bright orange Dodge Power Wagon and still wears his uniform of a fleece vest and Crocs.
Batali stepped down last December from daily operations at his restaurant empire and cooking show The Chew after four women accused him of inappropriate touching over a period of 20 years.
In April it was revealed by the New York Times that Batali would divest from his restaurants, allowing his partners to buy out his stake which could have been worth as much as $100 million at its height, and is currently in the tens of millions, at least.
His career took off after opening Po in New York City in the early 1990s, and he skyrocketed to fame with the airing of Molto Mario, a show that ran on the Food Network for eight years, until 2004.
It was there that his signature look, a fleece vest, shorts, and orange Crocs, became recognizable to most people. He has also won several prestigious James Beard awards.
Batali and his wife Susi appear to still be together in spite of the allegations being made by these women, and the couple have two teenage sons.