In the latest in a long line of badly-behaved powerful men, celebrity chef Mario Batali was accused of sexual harassment by multiple women, and he is facing the consequences. The 57-year-old host of ABC's The Chew will step down from his buisnesses and TV show for an indefinite period.
The accusations came to light Monday morning, when four anonymous women told Eater Batali touched them inappropriately. One woman said Batali rubbed her breasts after she spilled wine on herself. Another claimed he repeatedly grabbed her from behind and pulled her against him. A third alleged he grabbed her breasts at a work party.
Like many of the accused, Batali is a married man. His wife, Susi Cahn, is the daughter of Coach, Inc. founders Miles and Lillian Cahn. In addition to high-priced handbags, the Cahn family is also in the dairy farm business. Batali loyally used his wife's Coach Farm products in all of his restaurants around the country, from Babbo Ristorante in New York to Pizzeria Mozza in Los Angeles.
The Cahn family founded Coach, Inc. in 1961 in New York City, which quickly redefined the American handbag. Then in the '80s, their many travels to France peeked their interest in gourmet cheeses, inspiring them to found Coach Farm, makers of fine dairy products. Chef Batali grew close to the Cahns thanks to their connection to the food world, and officially became part of the family when he and Susi married in 1994. Lillian Cahn died in 2013, and Miles Cahn died earlier this year, at the age of 95.
These days, Cahn helps Batali in his philanthropic efforts, including The Mario Batali Foundation, a charity to help educate and care for children with diseases. Every year, Cahn and Batali organize the "Can Do Awards Gala" to raise funds. Cahn and Batali currently live in New York City with their two sons Leo and Benno.
The celebrity chef apologized for the allegations in a statement to Eater, but admitted the described allegations does "match up" with his past behavior.
"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 said in a statement. "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."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
");jQuery(this).remove()}) jQuery('.start-slider').owlCarousel({loop:!1,margin:10,nav:!0,items:1}).on('changed.owl.carousel',function(event){var currentItem=event.item.index;var totalItems=event.item.count;if(currentItem===0){jQuery('.owl-prev').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-prev').removeClass('disabled')} if(currentItem===totalItems-1){jQuery('.owl-next').addClass('disabled')}else{jQuery('.owl-next').removeClass('disabled')}})}})})ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7r7HWrK6enZtjsLC5jqaYq6GfYq%2BiwMCloGavmZuybr%2FUrKBmm5Gdu26Dk21pbW0%3D