Mario Batali is an American chef by profession, restaurateur, and writer. He has co-owned various restaurants in various locations including Las Vegas, New York City, Los Angeles, Newport Beach, Singapore, Connecticut, New Haven, Westport, Boston, and California.
He is a television personality who has appeared regularly on various Food Network shows and channels, having appeared on Molto Mario and Iron Chef America. In 2017, reviews of the restaurant’s website revealed that he was involved in various sexual misconduct, which forced him to sell his restaurant stake and resign from various television shows.
Early life
Mario Batali was born on September 19, 1960, in Seattle, Washington to Marilyn (LaFramboise) and Armandino Batali, who together founded Salumi restaurant in Seattle in 2006. Batali’s father is of Italian descent and his mother is of French-Canadian descent. Batali went to Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey where he developed his skills as a chef while cooking at various restaurants/pubs.
Mario Batali career
At age 29, Batali became sous chef at the Four Seasons Biltmore after starting work for the Four Seasons Clift Hotel San Francisco. Batali has also worked for the Stars restaurant in San Francisco with chef Jeremiah Tower. Batali also appeared in the famous and most-watched show on the Food Network called Molto Mario which aired from 1996 to 2004. The show became popular and Batali soon became a household name while becoming popular on the Food Network.
In 1998, Batali, along with other founders and contributors, formed the B&B Hospitality Group, which in later years became known as Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. In 2017, Batali became a co-host of the ABC daytime talk show The Chew, which premiered in 2011 and aired until 2017.
Mario Batali biography | |
|---|---|
| Real name | Mario Francesco Batali |
| Date of birth | September 19, 1960 |
| Age | 64 years |
| Place of birth | Seattle, Washington, USA |
| nationality | American |
| profession | cook |
| religion | Christianity |
| sun sign | Virgo |
Physical Statistics | |
| Height | in feet inches – 5′ 10” – in centimeters – 177 cm |
| Weight | in kilograms – 106kg – in pounds – 233 pounds |
| shoe size | 12 (USA) |
| hair color | Brown |
| eye color | Brown |
| body type | Difficult |
Mario Batali Family | |
| Father | Armandino Batali |
| mother | Marilyn LaFramboise |
| sister | – |
| Brothers | – |
Qualification/Education | |
| school | – |
| University | Rutgers University, Le Cordon Bleu |
Relationship status | |
| Marital status | Married |
| Who is Mario Batali’s wife? | Susi Cahn |
| children | Two (Benno & Leo Batali) |
Personal life
Mario Batali is a married man with two adult sons. He has been married to his lifelong love Susi Cahn since 1994. Batali is a popular personality because of his TV shows and his well-established or thriving family-in-law who are the founders of Coach Inc. Mario Batali is the brother of Dana Batali who was the director of Pixar RenderMan from 2001 to 2015.
Mario Batali wife
Mario’s wife, named Susan “Susi” Cahn, comes from a wealthy family where her father and mother started several businesses. Although Susi’s father eventually sold his company (Coach Inc.) in 1985, the family continued to be a part of several other companies and other ventures. Unlike Mario, Susi has no interest in cooking, but the family often enjoys traveling together. Susi is the helping hand of the non-profit organization called Mario Batali Foundation which helps children build an educational background and develop with the care of their loved ones.
As early as 1994, Susi and Mario exchanged wedding rituals and had a wonderful wedding occasion in the Caribbean. Six months after their wedding, the couple had a reception to which only their close friends were invited. Mario and Susi are the proud parents of two adult sons who seem to take on many ventures and write cookbooks together. Their names are Leo and Benno, who, like their father Mario, have developed a passion for cooking. The duo have prepared a book called Batali Brothers Cookbook.
Multiple sexual misconduct
Mario Batali had to face a lot of sexual misconduct in 2017, which left him battling the media and many of the managers and directors of his upcoming shows. In 2017, many women came out to speak out about chef Mario Batali’s sexual harassment. They did so on the restaurant review website known as Esser.
The women who appeared before the media and spoke out about their sexual harassment were at times employed by Batali. One of these women claimed that Batali raped her after she was drugged and given alcohol at the Babbo restaurant. However, the chef denied all of these allegations and it seems like fans are expecting something different from the chef as the chef ended up having more shows with staff.
Mario Batali Net Worth
Batali is the author of 11 cookbooks, one of which received a James Beard Award. Batali appeared to have made many millions of dollars from his sole career as a chef and taking part in TV shows. According to Celbritynetworth.com, Mario has a net worth of around $25 million. Although he is still the owner of many of his restaurants in different corners of the country, he has had to face neglect from many of his employees as they refused to take him in due to sexual misconduct.