Mario Batali

Mario Batali Headshot

Restaurateur • Personality • Chef

Birth Date: September 19, 1960

Age: 63 years old

Birth Place: Seattle, Washington

Restaurateur, author and television personality Mario Batali opened his first restaurant, Pò, in 1993, offering diners a simple yet inventive take on authentic Italian cuisine. A recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for "Outstanding Chef of the Year" (2005), Batali opened a string of successful restaurants in and outside of New York City, including his flagship Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, a gastronomic favorite in Greenwich Village. Always eager to share his knowledge about Italian cooking, Batali hosted a number of Food Network shows, including the hit series "Molto Mario" (1996-2004) and "Ciao America with Mario Batali" (2003-04). As an Iron Chef title holder, Batali was a formidable contender on the top-rated program "Iron Chef America" (Food Network, 2005- ), a race-against-the-clock cooking competition on which the famed chef further showcased his culinary expertise. In 2011, Batali began co-hosting "The Chew," a cooking-themed morning talk show on ABC, alongside Carla Hall, Clinton Kelly, and Michael Symon. On December 11, 2017, it was announced that Batali would be stepping down from "The Chew," as well as from restaurant management company Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group, due to a series of sexual harassment allegations.

Mario Francis Batali was born on Sept. 9, 1960 in Seattle, WA. A third-generation Italian-American, he grew up in the Pacific Northwest, but relocated to Spain after his father, a former Boeing engineer, was transferred to Europe. Cooking was always a major part of his heritage; growing up, his mother requested her children prepare one meal a week. His parents were supportive of his passion for cooking, but when it came time to choosing a college major, Batali eschewed culinary school in favor of a traditional college. He attended Rutgers University in New Brunswick, NJ, studying economics and then Spanish theater. After graduating in 1982 with a bachelor's degree in theater, Batali traveled to London to train at Le Cordon Bleu, but quit the program to become a true chef. Under the tutelage of London's legendary chef Marco Pierre White and with three years of culinary immersion at La Volta, a small trattoria in the tiny Northern Italian village of Borgo Capanne, Batali acquired the skills he needed to seriously make a mark in the American market.

Batali opened Pò restaurant in New York's Greenwich Village in 1993; the restaurant was his first big success. With his charm and "new-old" approach to Italian cuisine, he quickly gained a reputation as one of the city's most exciting young chefs. In 1998, Batali opened his flagship restaurant Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, an acclaimed three-star Italian hotspot also located in Greenwich Village, which featured Batali's sprightly salads, fresh pastas, grilled dishes, and savory ragus. Without missing a beat, the talented chef opened Lupa, a Roman-style trattoria in 1999 and then Esca, a Southern Italian cuisine restaurant. In 2002, Batali won the coveted James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: New York City," a feat that he topped when he was also named "Outstanding Chef of the Year" in 2005 by the same foundation. Batali continued to expand his culinary empire, opening several other New York City establishments - from trendy, downtown eateries like Otto Enoteca Pizzeria located near historic Washington Square Park to the high-end trattoria Del Posto in the Meatpacking district.

Batali, who sported his trademark orange Crocs, khaki shorts, and pony-tailed red-hair in and out of the kitchen, gained even more prominence as host of the Food Network cooking series "Molto Mario," where he taught viewers how to prepare his reinvented versions of classic Italian dishes. After that program wrapped, he starred on the series "Ciao America with Mario Batali," taking his culinary expertise on the road across America and teaching families how to whip up easy Italian dishes. Food Network named Batali Iron Chef in 2005, a title bestowed upon him and a small number of celebrated culinary masters such as Bobby Flay and Masaharu Morimoto. As such, Batali competed in intense battles on the hit show "Iron Chef America: The Series," based on the Japanese cult classic where some of the world's culinary masters go head-to-head with lesser-known chefs and cook multiple dishes using a secret ingredient.

Batali also found success as an author, with many of his cookbooks such as Simple Italian Food (1998), The Babbo Cookbook (2002), and Molto Gusto (2010) considered definite guides to contemporary Italian cuisine. In the fall of 2008, after leaving Food Network to set up camp at PBS, Batali co-starred on the documentary series "Spain on the Road Again" (2008-2010) alongside actresses Gwyneth Paltrow and Claudia Bassols. At same time, Batali extended his culinary influence toward the glitzy West, opening B&B Ristorante and Otto Enoteca Pizzeria at the Venetian Resort Hotel and Casino, and Carnevino Italian at the Palazzo Hotel - all three establishments in Las Vegas. He also dabbled in acting, doing voiceover work in director Wes Anderson's animated film "Fantastic Mr. Fox" (2009) and enjoyed a cameo in the thriller "Bitter Feast" (2010). Batali was then announced as one of the four co-hosts of a new daily food and cooking show, joining fellow "Iron Chef America" alum Michael Symon, "Top Chef" fan favorite Carla Hall, lifestyle expert Clinton Kelly and nutrition expert Daphne Oz on "The Chew" (ABC 2011- ). As the show progressed, Batali fell into the role of the unpretentious older chef with an occasional curmudgeonly edge but an antic and slightly wicked sense of humor. During the show's sixth season, Batali was fired from "The Chew" in December 2017 when allegations of alcohol-fueled sexual misconduct -- long an open secret in the restaurant industry, where Batali had been nicknamed "The Red Menace" among some female hospitality workers -- became public knowledge in the midst of a new openness about sexual abuse and harassment in the public sphere. Batali also was removed from his restaurant and retail empire.

Credits

Weggeworfen! Wie wir unser Essen verschwenden

Actor
Show
2018

30 Years: A Celebration of the James Beard Foundation

Guest
Show
2017

The Chew: Snowed in for the Holidays

Host
Show
2017

The Untitled Action Bronson Show

Guest
Show
2017

Wasted! The Story of Food Waste

Actor
Show
2017

Moltissimo

Host
Show
2017

The Chew: The Best Backyard Barbecue in HISTORY!

Host
Show
2017

Wasted! The Story of Food Waste

Self
Movie
2017

The Chew Saves the Holidays

Host
Show
2016

NightcapStream

Guest Star
Series
2016

Harry

Guest
Talk
2016

Eat the World With Emeril Lagasse

Guest
Show
2016

The $100,000 PyramidStream

Guest
Game Show
2016

That's DeliciousStream

Guest Star
Reality
2016

Jeremiah Tower: The Last Magnificent

Self
Movie
2016

The Chew's Ultimate Countdown to the Holidays

Host
Show
2015

Undiscovered Haiti With Jose Andrés

Guest
Show
2015

Burgers, Brew & 'QueStream

Guest Star
Reality
2015

The Jim Gaffigan ShowStream

Guest Star
Series
2015
80%

The Nightly Show With Larry WilmoreStream

Guest
Talk
2015
100%

Late Night With Seth MeyersStream

Guest
Talk
2014

The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonStream

Guest
Talk
2014

ABC's Fall Preview Special Presented by The Chew

Host
Show
2013

ABC Fall Preview Special Presented by The Chew

Correspondent
Show
2013

Ultimate BBQ Cookout Countdown

Host
Show
2013

On the Money

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Show
2013

Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon

Self
Movie
2013

The Mind of a Chef

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Show
2012

The Chew Presents ABC's Primetime Fall Preview Special

Host
Show
2012

CBS This Morning

Guest
Show
2012

The Chew

Host
Talk
2011

Bitter Feast

Actor
Gordon
Movie
2010

The Dr. Oz Show

Guest
Talk
2009

The Chopping Block

Guest Star
Show
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

The Haney Project

Self
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2009

Spain ... On the Road Again

Actor
Show
2008

The Wendy Williams Show

Guest
Talk
2008

The Better Show

Guest
Show
2007

Rachael Ray ShowStream

Guest
Talk
2006

The Martha Stewart Show

Guest
Reality
2005

Simply Ming

Guest
Show
2003

Ciao America With Mario Batali

Actor
Show
2003

Real Time With Bill MaherStream

Guest
Talk
2003

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

Last Call With Carson Daly

Guest
Talk
2002

The Early Show

Guest
Show
1999

The Daily Show With Jon StewartStream

Guest
Talk
1999

The View

Guest
Talk
1997

Molto Mario

Host
Show
1996

Extra

Guest
News
1994

Late Night With Conan O'Brien

Guest
Talk
1993

The SimpsonsStream

Guest Voice
Himself
Series
1989
85%

The Oprah Winfrey ShowStream

Guest
Talk
1986

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

Today

Guest
News
1952

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