Partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family was formally dissolved a year after he was accused of sexual misconduct

This article is more than 6 months old

This article is more than 6 months old

Celebrity chef Mario Batali has given up his stake in his restaurants more than a year after being accused of sexual misconduct.

The partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family was formally dissolved on Wednesday, Tanya Bastianich Manuali told the New York Times.

Batali “will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form”, she said.

The renowned chef and restaurateur was accused of sexual assault or harassment by several women, including accusations he drugged and sexually assaulted an employee in 2005.

He stepped away from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire after the accusations, but had not formally divested from them until now.

Tanya Bastianich Manuali and her brother Joe Bastianich have bought Batali’s shares in all the restaurants, the Times reported. They would not discuss the terms of the purchase.

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A new company, not yet named, will replace the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, which runs 16 restaurants including Babbo and Del Posto.

Some of the group’s restaurants, including three on the Las Vegas strip, closed in the aftermath of the misconduct allegations.

“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,” Batali said in a statement to the Times.

The NYPD closed criminal investigations into Batali in January without filing charges.

Batali, 58, has been one of America’s best known personalities in the restaurant industry, a bestselling cookbook author and star of TV cooking shows.

His career took off after he opened Po in New York City in the early 1990s, and some of his restaurants have had months-long waiting lists for reservations.

Batali gained fame as the host of Molto Mario on the Food Network, and has appeared on shows such as Iron Chef America and ABC’s The Chew, where he was forced out after the sexual misconduct allegations.</s>
• Celebrity chef Mario Batali no longer has any role in Batali & Bastianch Hospitality Group
• Several women had accused him of sexual harassment and assault
• Batali also sold his stake in the rapidly expanding Italian food-hall chain Eataly

The two-decade partnership between celebrity chef Mario Batali and the Bastianich family of restaurateurs has officially unraveled, more than a year multiple women accused Batali of sexual harassment and assault.

"Mario is now fully divested from our businesses. This week, we acquired all of his interests in our restaurants," Tanya Bastianich Manuali and her brother, Joe Bastianich, wrote Wednesday in a memo to employees and emailed to CBS MoneyWatch.

Manuali will run day-to-day operations at the still-to-be-named company that will replace Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, the two said in their announcement.

Batali "will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form," Tanya Bastianich Manuali told The New York Times, which first reported the breakup.

Batali & Bastianch Hospitality Group runs 20 restaurants in a half-dozen cities, according to its website.

Batali also sold his stake in the rapidly expanding Italian food-hall chain Eataly, the Times reported.

New York City police investigated reports including by one woman who told CBS "60 Minutes" that the chef sexually assaulted her in 2005 at the Spotted Pig restaurant in Manhattan.

The online food publication Eater in December 2017 reported sexual harassment and assault accusations by four women against the chef. Batali drew a spirited backlash by including a recipe for pizza dough cinnamon rolls in an apology of sorts to fans in his newsletter.

Batali isn't alone in his industry with accusations of sexual misconduct. Others include New Orleans celebrity chef John Besh, who stepped down from the company he founded in 2017 after 25 female employees made claims against him.</s>NEW YORK >> Celebrity chef Mario Batali has given up financial stakes in all his restaurants, severing a 20-year business partnership with restaurateur Joe Bastianich more than a year after several women accused Batali of sexual harassment and assault.

NEW YORK >> Celebrity chef Mario Batali has given up financial stakes in all his restaurants, severing a 20-year business partnership with restaurateur Joe Bastianich more than a year after several women accused Batali of sexual harassment and assault.

The move announced Wednesday comes months after the original target date for Batali’s divestiture. Bastianich and partners bought out Batali’s share in such high-end eateries as the Michelin-starred Babbo in Greenwich Village and Del Posto, a fine-dining Italian spot in the Meatpacking District.

In a two-sentence statement issued through a spokesman, Batali said simply he had reached an agreement with Bastianich and will “no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together.”

Batali, known for his bright orange kitchen Crocs and ponytail, wished his former business partner the “best of luck in the future.”

Bastianich and his sister, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, said in a statement to employees that business ties with Batali are now fully severed. Other restaurants the two had stakes in had already closed. Manuali recently took over day-to-day operations and oversight of the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, forming a new company to operate 16 remaining restaurants.

Batali and Joe Bastianich had originally been scheduled to part ways in July. They would not discuss additional details of their agreement. Bastianich and Manuali are the children of chef Lidia Bastianich, who will also be a partner in the new company.

In addition, the U.S. branch of Eataly with several locations, including a flagship in Manhattan, said in a statement Wednesday the Italian food emporiums are in the process of acquiring Batali’s minority stake.

At one time, Batali’s reach included restaurants in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Boston and Singapore, among other locations. His splashy restaurants helped make him a food celebrity but he became a star through appearances on the Food Network shows “Molto Mario” and “Iron Chef America.” He was one of the hosts of ABC’s “The Chew,” which has been canceled.

Sexual harassment and assault allegations against Batali have not produced any charges. The accusations surfaced in late December 2017, crumbling his career. In an email newsletter he distributed at the time, Batali apologized for past behavior and wrote:

“I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.”

He did not detail what behavior he was referring to. He was heavily scorned online for a postscript in the email: “In case you’re searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite.”

The recommendation came complete with a link to the recipe.

Batali is said to be living in Michigan.</s>Celebrity chef Mario Batali "is now fully divested" from the restaurants that made him famous, his now-former partner, Joe Bastianich, said in a letter Wednesday obtained by ABC News.

Bastianich, his sister Tanya Bastianich Manuali and other one-time partners of Batali bought out his stake in their restaurant empire after Batali was accused by several women of sexual misconduct.

At the time, Batali apologized and stepped away from day-to-day business responsibilities.

There were never criminal charges after police in New York closed several cases for lack of evidence.

“We wanted to let you all know that Mario is now fully divested from our businesses,” Joe Bastianich and Tanya Bastianich Manuali said in a letter to employees. “This week, we acquired all of his interests in our restaurants.”

The buyout was first reported by the New York Times which, along with Eater, published the accounts women who said Batali harassed or abused them.

The chef’s partners conceded in their letter it had been a “challenging year.”</s>
• 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.

Read more: Mario Batali’s pastas, sauces, and cookbooks have been removed from Eataly, the massive Italian food store he helped bring to America

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.”
• Chef Mario Batali is under NYPD investigation over claims he drugged and sexually assaulted an employee
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• Mario Batali’s Business Partner: Succeeding In Restaurants Is About Nickels And Dimes, Not Dollars
• The Restaurateur Behind Eataly Learned A Ton About Business From A Stint On Wall Street</s>The 20-year partnership between the Bastianich family and celebrity chef Mario Batali was formally dissolved on Wednesday according to a report from The New York Times.

Batali, who was accused by several women of sexual harassment and assault in December 2017, will "no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form," according to Tanya Bastianich Manuali.

The group's remaining 16 restaurants will operate under a new management and financial structure; Bastianich Manuali and her brother, Joe Bastianich, have bought out all of Batali's shares in the restaurants.

Though they would not share the details the of the buyout, Bastianich Manuali will head day-to-day operations a a new (so far unnamed) company that will replace Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group.

In a statement to The New York Times, Batali said "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."

At its peak, the company operated dozens of restaurants and food businesses across the world, including locations in Italy, Singapore and Hong Kong. Batali and Bastianich became celebrities of the food world.

Reports of Batali's history of sexual harassment and assault brought police investigations in 2017, as well as professional consequences: the group's Manhattan flagship restaurant, Del Posto, saw an immediate drop in reservations, and six of the group's restaurants were closed afterward when the Sands casino group ended its contract with Batali and Bastianich.

Batali's Tarry Lodge, a fine-dining Italian restaurant, had three locations in the Connecticut area including one in Westport, New Haven, and Port Chester, N.Y.</s>NEW YORK -- Disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali officially separated himself from his restaurant empire Wednesday.Batali transferred his interests in 16 restaurants to his business partners in the Bastianich family after he was forced out of the business in the wake of sexual assault and harassment claims last year.In January, the NYPD closed their investigations into sexual assault allegations without pressing charges.Batali still remains part-owner of Eataly, a marketplace and restaurant chain which has two locations in New York City, but is in the process of selling his shares in that business.</s>Mario Batali Gives Up His Restaurants Following Sexual Assault Allegations

Stick a fork in Mario Batali, he's done ... the celebrity chef is surrendering all of his restaurants in the wake of the various sexual assault allegations against him.

The Bastianich family and some of Mario's other partners bought out his stake in his eateries ... this according to The New York Times.

The sudden fire sale means Mario will no longer profit from his 16 remaining restaurants ... and he's also reportedly in the process of selling his shares in Eataly -- a fast-growing chain of Italian supermarkets.

We broke the story ... in January, NYPD closed two sexual assault cases against Mario without filing charges.

The NYPD probe started after a woman came forward on "60 Minutes" last May claiming Mario sexually assaulted her in 2005 at his Spotted Pig restaurant.

Another woman filed a police report in March 2017, claiming Batali raped her on Jan. 29, 2004 at his West Village eatery.

Soon after the allegations surfaced, several of the restaurants under his company closed their doors.

Batali confirmed the news to TMZ by saying, "I have reached an agreement with Joe (Bastianich) and no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together. I wish him the best of luck in the future."</s>Disgraced celebrity chef Mario Batali relinquished his stake in his company on Wednesday, more than a year after numerous women alleged that he sexually harassed them, resulting in a criminal inquiry against the chef. The New York Times reported that longtime partners Joe Bastianich and his sister, Tanya Bastianich Manuali, have bought the chef’s shares in the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, the company behind his popular restaurants like Babbo and Del Posto, for an undisclosed price.

The company will soon be renamed, and Bastianich Manuali will head up operations. Other partners include the Bastianich siblings’ mother, chef and television personality Lidia Bastianich, and award-winning chef Nancy Silverton, who had partnered with Batali for several of his restaurants, including Mozza in Los Angeles. Batali also plans to sell his shares in Eataly, the popular chain of Italian markets.

Batali issued a statement on Wednesday morning to the Times: “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.”

Once a beloved Food Network personality and highly regarded chef, Batali seemed unstoppable — until multiple women came forth last December to publications including Eater, The Washington Post and the New York Times with allegations that the chef had touched them inappropriately or verbally harassed them, often while drunk. Batali was long known to be a hard partier. Holly Gunderson, special events director for Batali’s Mozza restaurant, told The Post the chef put his hand “between my legs, up and under, so his hand went on my vagina outside of my clothes.” The Times reported that Batali allegedly took women to a party space nicknamed “the rape room” in the Spotted Pig, a restaurant for which Batali was an investor. In May 2018, the New York Police Department opened a criminal investigation against the chef, and a Boston investigation followed in August. NYPD closed its investigation in January for lack of evidence.

Batali initially said that he could not remember the alleged incidents but later apologized to his fans in an email newsletter with a bizarre coda. “I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team. My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility,” he wrote, but closed the newsletter: “In case you’re searching for a holiday-inspired breakfast, these Pizza Dough Cinnamon Rolls are a fan favorite.”

Though Bastianich has said he was unaware of Batali’s abuse, an Eater report included allegations that Bastianich was responsible for creating the “boys club” atmosphere that allowed abuse to take place.

Batali’s personal brand was hit first: ABC asked him to step back from co-hosting duties at his daytime talk show, “The Chew,” and a Food Network relaunch of his show, “Molto Mario,” was scrapped. Boycotts and calls for Batali to divest from his company began shortly after the first allegations, but the full divestiture took more than a year. The company had initially announced that Batali would be out by last summer. The company took a financial dip, too: B&B restaurants in Las Vegas, Singapore and New York closed.

Batali is the first high-profile restaurateur to relinquish his business after sexual harassment allegations. In Washington, former “Top Chef” star Mike Isabella filed for bankruptcy protection and closed all of his restaurants in the wake of a sexual harassment lawsuit. In New Orleans, fellow “Top Chef” star John Besh has stepped back from operations of his restaurants but has maintained his financial stake.

All the while, consumers grappled with the fallout from sexual harassment allegations at high-profile restaurants across the country. Some diners said that only a total boycott of restaurants where misconduct took place would send a message; others worried about harming the livelihood of innocent staff members. Silverton, who said she was unaware of any sexual harassment in the restaurants she ran with Batali, struggled to come to terms with her newly elevated role in the company in a June story in The Post: “Should we all be penalized by our partners? Are we guilty by association? To me, it’s almost like, you want to handpick who is more guilty than someone else,” she said. “Do I take all the good and the bad from Mario? I guess I take all the good and the bad from Mario.”

After a few stories speculating on thwarted Batali “comebacks,” the chef has withdrawn from public life entirely, retreating to a home in Michigan. Meanwhile, the restaurant group that once bore his name perseveres: The Times reports that group’s first new restaurant will be The Barish, a Los Angeles steakhouse.

In the midst of restaurants’ Me Too reckoning, female chefs grapple with what comes next

‘The man who attacked me works in your kitchen’: Victim of serial groper took justice into her own hands

From “Top Chef” stardom to bankruptcy: The rise and fall of Mike Isabella</s>Celebrity chef Mario Batali, amidst a chorus of sexual harassment and assault allegations, has given up his stake in all of his restaurants, according to the New York Times. The chef's ongoing 20 year partnership with the Bastianich family of restaurateurs was "formally dissolved" this week, more than a year after sexual harassment and assault allegations surfaced. The "Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group" is no more.

According to Tanya Bastianich Manuali, who will head up the new company taking the place of Batali's former partnership, Batali “will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form.” Bastianich Manuali and her brother bought out Batali's shares for undisclosed terms. The new company will head up the group's 16 restaurants under a new management and financial structure.

Batali said 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.” Batali declined requests for further comment from the New York Times.

Batali is also selling his stake in Eataly, a chain of luxury Italian supermarkets, that he was an investor in. Chris Giglio said on behalf of Eataly: “Eataly is in the process of acquiring Mr. Batali’s minority interest in Eataly USA.”

During its heyday, the "Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group" was made up of dozens of restaurants and food businesses located not just in the US, but also in Singapore, Italy and Hong Kong. Restaurants like Babbo and Del Posto were responsible for helping lift Batali to his celebrity status. Investments from California chef Nancy Silverton and Lidia Bastianich, Mr. Bastianich’s mother, helped give the operation even more gravitas as it grew.

Silverton and Bastianich will be partners in the new company, along with Mr. Bastianich and Mrs. Bastianich Manuali.

Late in 2017, allegations of sexual misconduct against Batali first surfaced, causing him to step away from daily operations at his restaurants. Four women accused the chef of touching them inappropriately in a "pattern of behavior that appeared to span at least two decades". Three women worked for Batali and the fourth worked in the industry.

Mr. Bastianich said Tuesday: “While I never saw or heard of Mario groping an employee, I heard him say inappropriate things to our employees. Though I criticized him for it from time to time, I should have done more. I neglected my responsibilities as I turned my attention away from the restaurants. People were hurt, and for this I am deeply sorry.”
Celebrity chef Mario Batali gives up his stake in his restaurants more than a year after being accused of sexual misconduct.