Batali ‘tried to make out with woman’ in Friedman’s ‘room’

New details have emerged about the allegedly predatory behavior of celebrity chef, cookbook author and TV personality Mario Batali, including claims that he once attempted to kiss a seemingly unconscious woman at The Spotted Pig restaurant in Manhattan.

On Monday, Batali announced that he has stepped away from his restaurant empire and ABC said it asked him to step aside as co-host of the daytime food and talk show The Chew after he was accused of sexual harassment by four women in a report by the online food trade publication Eater NY.

Trish Nelson, a former server at Ken Friedman’s The Spotted Pig, where Batali is an investor, revealed to the New York Times on Tuesday that the ruddy-faced, orange-Crocs wearing chef was notorious for making lewd remarks to female staffers, and he allegedly did not stop there. 

‘We called him the Red Menace,’ said Nelson. ‘He tried to touch my breasts and told me that they were beautiful. He wanted to wrestle. 

 

‘Red Menace’: Former staff at Ken Friedman’s The Spotted Pig, where Batali is an investor, say his inappropriate conduct has earned him the nickname ‘Red Menace.’ Pictured: Batali is standing with a slice of pizza outside the restaurant 

When one of the alleged victims complained to her boss, Friedman (seen above in 2014), about Batali's conduct, she claimed the famed restaurateur replied: 'Get in f***ing line'

When one of the alleged victims complained to her boss, Friedman (seen above in 2014), about Batali’s conduct, she claimed the famed restaurateur replied: ‘Get in f***ing line’

Jamie Seet

Trish Nelson

Silence breakers: Ex-servers Jamie Seet (left) and Trish Nelson (right) spoke out about Batali’s antics, accusing him of making inappropriate comments, and even trying to kiss an unconscious woman 

‘As I was serving drinks to his table, he told me I should sit on his friend’s face.’ 

Another former employee, Jamie Seet, told The Times that on one occasion, she had to step in when she allegedly spotted Batali trying to make out with, and grope, a woman who appeared to be unconscious inside Friedman’s so-called ‘rape room’ on the third floor of the restaurant. 

These latest revelations about Batali were made in the context of an expose that focused on Friedman’s own suspected sexual misconduct. 

Also on Tuesday, The Washington Post published another article detailing Batali’s boozy antics involving women over the years, including at Friedman’s eatery.

A former staffer told the paper that one night in 2004, Batali asked her to fetch him cigarettes, which he then dropped, apparently on purpose, so she would have to pick them up.

As she bent over the retrieve the pack, the woman claimed Batali grabbed her thong and pulled it up.

When she complained to her boss, Friedman, about Batali’s conduct, she claimed the famed restaurateur replied: ‘Get in f***ing line.’

Batali, pictured with (L to R) Anthony Bourdain and his business partner Joe Bastianich at one of his ' Magic, Martinis and Mario' events in 2010, was accused by a former employee of grabbing her crotch at a similar party in Los Angeles that year

Batali, pictured with (L to R) Anthony Bourdain and his business partner Joe Bastianich at one of his ‘ Magic, Martinis and Mario’ events in 2010, was accused by a former employee of grabbing her crotch at a similar party in Los Angeles that year

In another instance, Holly Gunderson, an employee at Batali’s trendy Osteria Mozza in Los Angeles, claimed that during an event in March 2010 dubbed ‘Magic, Martinis and Mario,’ her apparently inebriated boss made a crude pass at her, saying, ‘”I want to see you naked in my hot tub back in the hotel.”’

According to Gunderson, later in the evening Batali went from words to actions, grabbing her crotch and touching her vagina and buttocks over her clothes as he walked by.   

Eater NY published a bombshell expose detailing the initial allegations of sexual misconduct against the 57-year-old businessman, cookbook author and married father-of-two.

Three of the unnamed accusers worked for Batali’s restaurant empire during the 1990s and 2000s, while the fourth was not an employee of his but had an encounter with him at a party in New Orleans a decade ago. 

Batali is accused of sexual misconduct

Batali is pictured with friend Gwyneth Paltrow on The Chew

Celebrity chef and restaurateur Mario Batali (pictured right with his friend Gwyneth Paltrow) on Monday was publicly accused of inappropriate touching and sexual misconduct

ABC, where Batali has been co-hosting the daytime cooking show The Chew, has asked the chef to step away from the program

ABC, where Batali has been co-hosting the daytime cooking show The Chew, has asked the chef to step away from the program

From quartet to trio: On Monday, ABC aired a previously recorded episode of The Chew, but Batali was nowhere in sight and there was no mention of him during the show

From quartet to trio: On Monday, ABC aired a previously recorded episode of The Chew, but Batali was nowhere in sight and there was no mention of him during the show

One former employee claimed that Batali repeatedly grabbed her from behind in a ‘disgusting bear hug’ and pressed her body against his on the job; another accused him of groping her and forcing her to straddle his legs, and a third said the famed chef grabbed her breasts at a party. 

The most detailed account comes from a female chef, then in her 20s, who ran into Batali at an after-party that followed a wine auction in New Orleans about 10 years ago and struck up a conversation with the revered restaurateur, but quickly realized that he was drunk.

The woman, who was not identified, claimed that a few minutes into their encounter, Batali turned ‘creepy’ and offered her a job on the spot at double the salary she was earning.

As they were talking, someone bumped the woman’s hand, prompting her to spill wine all over the front of her shirt. That is when, according to the chef, Batali proceeded to rub her breasts under the guise of helping her clean up.

‘He just went to town, and I was so shocked,’ the accuser told Eater NY. ‘Jaw on the ground, I just stepped back from him in utter disgust and walked away.’ 

Chef Mario Batali and Susi Cahn are seen in NoHo on June 21, 2017 in New York City.

Susi Cahn and chef Mario Batali attend 6th Annual Mario Batali Foundation Honors dinner at Del Posto on October 15, 2017 in New York City

Married man: Batali’s wife is Susi Cahn, the daughter of the late Miles Cahn, co-founder of Coach Handbags. The pair, pictured left in June and right in October 2017, have two teenage sons together

Batali attends Eataly Los Angeles Grand Opening Celebration at Eataly LA on November 3, 2017. He is a minority shareholder in the Eataly chain

Batali attends Eataly Los Angeles Grand Opening Celebration at Eataly LA on November 3, 2017. He is a minority shareholder in the Eataly chain

In response to the story, Batali issued a statement  apologizing for his ‘failures’ and announcing his decision to step away from the day-to-day operations of his business empire spanning 25 restaurants, which are part of the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. 

The explosive revelations come just two months after the gregarious Food Network star, known for wearing shorts paired with orange Crocs, was reprimanded and forced to undergo sexual harassment training after being accused of inappropriate behavior by an employee, according to Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. It was the first formal complaint against Batali.

The company, founded by Batali and Joe Bastianich – the son of celebrity chef and cookbook author Lidia Bastianich – employs over 1,000 people and includes the celebrated Del Posto and Babbo, which boast one Michelin star each.

A former waitress at the now-shuttered West Village eatery Po told Eater that on multiple occasions over the course of two years in the 90s, Batali grabbed her from behind ‘like a linebacker, like a disgusting bear hug,’ and pressed up against her, often while they were alone in a passageway between the kitchen and the dining room.

‘He would breathe on me, and sometimes take a deep inhale, like he was smelling me,’ she said.

Batali and chef Michael Symon (left) are pictured cooking together on The Chew, which the pair have been co-hosting since its premiere in 2011 

Batali and chef Michael Symon (left) are pictured cooking together on The Chew, which the pair have been co-hosting since its premiere in 2011 

Former employees are accusing Batali, pictured above with Jessica Alba in October, of groping them and behaving inappropriately 

Former employees are accusing Batali, pictured above with Jessica Alba in October, of groping them and behaving inappropriately 

Another former employee who worked for Batali in the late 90s said that on one occasion, he placed his hand on her buttocks and squeezed. When she later confronted him, Batali inquired asked her if she was a lesbian, according to the accuser.

Three years later, the woman had another encounter with Batali, during which she said he blocked her way by propping up his feet and forcing her to straddle his legs, twice.

The woman said it was ‘disappointing’ and ‘humiliating.’

A third woman who was briefly employed by Batali, of Food Network’s Iron Chef fame, claimed that during an industry party in 2011, a few years after she had stopped working for him, a seemingly inebriated Batali groped her breasts.

‘I took a step back and I pushed him away, and when I did that, I remember he said, “Oh, come on,”’ she told Eater. ‘In that moment I realized, “I’m just a body [to him].”’

In his statement to Eater NY on Monday, Batali said: ‘I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted.’

Batali, pictured in his orange Crocs, has been married to Cahn since 1994

Batali, pictured in his orange Crocs, has been married to Cahn since 1994

He went on to say: ‘that behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family.

‘I have work to do to try to regain the trust of those I have hurt and disappointed. To the people who have been at my side during this time — my family, my partners, my employees, my friends, my fans — I am grateful for your support and hopeful that I can regain your respect and trust. I will spend the next period of time trying to do that.’

ABC, where Batali has been co-hosting the daytime cooking show The Chew since it premiered in 2011, said it has asked the chef to step away from the program while it was reviewing the allegations against him. 

‘ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment,’ a network spokesperson said. ‘While we are unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with the show, we will swiftly address any alleged violations of our standards of conduct.’

Batali’s wife is Susi Cahn, the daughter of the late Miles Cahn, co-founder of the luxury brand Coach Handbags. The couple got married in 1994 and have two sons together, ages 14 and 16. They split their time between New York City’s Greenwich Village and Northern Michigan. 



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