Celebrity chef Mario Batali has officially left his restaurant group a year after several women accused him of sexual misconduct
Mario Batali has sold all of his shares in the restaurant group he co-founded, Batali & Bastianich, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Batali cut ties with the restaurant group a little more than a year after he was hit with sexual misconduct allegations in reports by Eater.
Mario Batali has officially left the restaurant group he co-founded a little more than a year after several women accused him of sexual misconduct, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
According to The Times, the celebrity chef sold all of his shares in Batali & Bastianich, which at its peak included 16 restaurants including the popular Italian eateries Del Posto and Babbo.
It ends a 20-year business relationship between Batali and the Bastianich family.
Tanya Bastianich Manuali and her brother Joe Bastianich bought all of Batali's shares, spokespeople told The Times. They will form a new company with their mother Lidia and chef Nancy Silverton.
Last December, Batali's career imploded when Eater published a report citing four women who claimed the celebrity chef had inappropriately touched them over the years. A follow-up story from Eater detailed a company culture that overlooked "sleazy" behavior from men.
Four days after the first story came out, Batali apologized in a now-defunct online newsletter.
"My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility," the message read. "Sharing the joys of Italian food, tradition and hospitality with all of you, each week, is an honor and privilege. Without the support of all of you — my fans — I would never have a forum in which to expound on this. I will work every day to regain your respect and trust."
At the time, Batali immediately stepped away from day-today operations at Batali & Bastianich, and he was fired from "The Chew", the daytime talk show he co-hosted on ABC.
His reputation never rebounded. In the year since the original report, more women came forward. Reservations tanked, according to The Times, which led to the closure of several restaurants, including the group's latest addition, Manhattan's La Sirena, and six of the group's eateries in Las Vegas and East Asia (due to the Sands casino group ending their contract).
Batali issued the following statement to The Times on Wednesday: "I have reached an agreement with Joe and no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together. I wish him the best of luck in the future."
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