Not sure why my comment [after reading all the others] didn't make it in.
1
Wondering how his “second act” is coming along...
1
Never liked this creepy guy. Could not watch the The Chew because of his snarky jokes and innuendos. When he was caught, with his business partner, skimming the tips of his staff, I was not surprised. I get the "What to cook" emails and have a large selection of recipes stored in my Recipe Box. It is one of my favorite perks of subscribing to the Times. When a recipe for Batali's spicy shrimp showed up, I reminded the other cooks via the comments section of Batali's crimes against his employees. It took a few days for the Times to flag it and they sent me an email saying this was an inappropriate comment for the cooking section, I had to laugh. Then the story breaks about what a predator he is. All this to say we can's just compartmentalize parts of a famous person's deeds and misdeeds. Woody Allen, Weinstein, Matt Lauer, Charlie Rose - the list does on. People who say "Mario was a genius chef." Blah, blah, blah. All the spicy shrimp in the world cannot make up for the degrading, debasing, humiliating treatment of his staff and women.
15
You have a right to think what like about the man, but Woody Allen should not be on this list. He never did anything illegal. He was investigated and exonerated.
His and Mia's son wrote a cogent defense of Allen just yesterday. Read it and think about what really happened. Apart from that, I agree with everything you say about Batali. Best regards.
4
How about all getting rid of the shift cocktail and asking staff to leave the premises when their shift is over.
8
@Iris D
This is about management, not staff, except staff as victim which can happen anytime during their shift.
A common thread through most of the males behaving terrible is they had great difficulty, uh, well, getting laid.
Weinstein and this guy and so many of the others are beyond unattractive, they are gross.
So they relied on coercion, drugs, power, whatever.
How about -- like most of the civilized countries in the world -- we just legalize prostitution.
We could create a million independent contractors who could charge these rich guys a pretty penny... which is the only thing that would make it bearable.
Spitzer could run it.
16
Although prostitution is illegal, prostitutes are readily available, especially to the rich and powerful. Certainly engaging the services of a prostitute is a less serious crime than drugging and raping someone. Also, many women place achievement, power, and success above physical attractiveness when choosing a mate. The issue with these predators goes far beyond availability of willing sex partners.
4
Gee I wonder if that latest decision from SCOTUS will have an impact upon the Batali, Weinstein, etc., matters since none of these employees were unionized? This is certainly not to be misinterpreted that I condone sexual assaults or rape, but I am thinking out loud. Unless I missed something in that article, isn't the current Statue of Limitations on those crimes 7 years? If I am right, shouldn't the NYPD concentrate on crimes for which prosecution might be achievable?
Rita, in NY there is no statute of limitations. He can be prosecuted.
13
What a disgrace, but I cannot say I'm surprised. As a society, I wish we would stop fetisizing food, and turning those who create it into the Gods (or monsters in this case). After all, it's not brain surgery. Kudos to all those coming forward. It would be great to see some men chime in too. I'm sure there some sensitive, quiet introvert working the back of house, that must be appalled at the bad behavior he sees on a daily basis.
9
Of course, we should not tolerate such behavior from brain surgeons either! But I take your point that the cult of celebrity allows or even encourages such bad behavior.
5
Are these accusations believable? Two bathrooms at Babbo on ground floor. Passed out drunk. Who raped her?
2
Blackout drunk or drugged? The stories from the 2 women who reported being raped were that they were drugged. That said, even if they were blackout drunk, no one should have put a hand on them, let alone sexually assaulted them.
Faith, victim blaming is so last century so please stop it.
15
All the more reasons for young girls to learn martial arts techniques that will make it plain to those who cross their lines are in for the surprise of their lives.
7
I agree. I took a dance class as a senior in high school. The teacher taught us some basic self protection moves. I don’t know about my fellowship students, but I had to use those skills 5 times by the time I was 23 to deal with attackers and dates who wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. Every woman should be taught the basics to protect themselves.
Unfortunately this knowledge is of no use if someone slips a roofie into your drink.
6
My daughter, a culinary professional, has a black belt in tai qwon do, which she earned while working in the restaurant industry...coincidence? I think not.
8
@Albert Yokum Martial arts training would be good for women who are being directly attacked, but for a woman who is out cold because some guy slipped a drug in her drink, maybe not so effective.
1
Unbelievable. Who’s next? Chef Boyardee?
4
Those orange crocs will match his prison uniform perfectly.
Don't make a "comeback" we don't want you back, we want you to go away for good.
38
Next time, NYT, skip reporting of the apology tour until the criminal investigations are over.
36
He had the audacity to want to make a comeback. He can kiss those meatballs good-bye. His deep denial of his crimes is scary. And he actually thinks he deserves to return to his business!!
30
"Vehemently denies he engaged in any nonconsensual sex with anyone."
"Nonconsensual sex?" Even my spell check doesn't recognize that term. Call it what it is: Rape, or, if you insist, sexual assault.
30
I have a hard time believing Joe Bastianich and April Bloomfield didn't know a thing about Mario's behavior over so many years and so many horrific incidents. They had to have known how out of control and dangerous he was -- he was so sloppy and outrageous it defies logic that they didn't know something, see something or hear something. How could you not protect your employees and intervene? I will never patronize any of their establishments again.
58
An article I read in the NYT about Friedman did mention that multiple staff members approached Ms. Bloomfield to complain about his behavior and her response was something to the effect that she didn't want to hear about it:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/12/dining/ken-friedman-sexual-harassment...
This is why, even as a woman, I do not think that powerful women are always natural allies of other women in the workplace - and this kind of behavior is all about power.
43
April Bloomfield knew about it. She didn't care because addressing it in a serious manner would have impacted her business. She expected all her female employees to "deal with it". If that doesn't scream "I don't care" I don't know what does. Her recent apologies ring hollow to me.
3
@Karen Schulman
Joe Bastianich doesn't claim he didn't know about Batali's behavior. Batali was only an occasional visitor and culprit. Joe seemed to have been a chronic perpetrator.
As for April Bloomfield, it is indeed hard to believe that she wasn't aware of what was going on literally under her nose....
When he is imprisoned, after being found guilty, all of his money should be taken and given to charities. I realize this will not and cannot legally happen, but it would be just.
13
He could be sued in civil court by his victims. I expect he will be.
3
Hey, Mario! You can kiss those dreams of 'Batali II/Out of the Frying Pan' goodbye...
13
So many of these MeToo men only seem concerned about getting a comeback- Charlie Rose, Batali, Lauer, are these men so one-dimensional they cannot start over in other non-media fields? Don't they have other skills, know how to do anything else? Yet people look down on the poor & non-famous as hopeless dummies with no potential, give me a break.
29
If these rape accusations can be proved true in court, he has to do prison time. I feel sorry for his kids. Their world must be turned upside down. Great job, Dad.
34
Granted, the Food Section is my favorite and I often go there first, but why isn't this on the front page of the paper? The royal wedding was Saturday, lose the People Magazine tripe, and put Mario on page 1. . .it's where he always wants to be anyway.
10
It was on the front page until about an hour ago.
1
How was he able to behave himself with Gwyneth Paltrow on the PBS Show "On the Road Again"? Maybe the producers kept them separate.
2
Gwyneth is famous and wealthy - an equal. He preyed on people who he had power over or those he thought wouldn’t go to the police.
50
As I recall, he was pretty creepy on that show.
19
And, another one bites the dust. Excellent. Keep looking over your shoulder, predators. We're coming for you.
43
Batali's first acknowledgment/weak apology came with a freaking cinnamon roll recipe! The old boy restaurant industry is so out of touch that they'll never learn, just finally be exposed due to the bravery of those who have come forward.
April Bloomfield - shame on you. She is a conspirator even if only for the fact that she enjoyed a partnership with Batali and Friedman while their behavior was obvious to all who worked with them.
And to those folks who may be discrediting victims because time has passed: the industry is much different today than it was in the '80, '90s, and early 2000s. You were more likely to face ridicule, humiliation, loss of income, and blacklisting from other restaurants if you were to speak out then. There are many, many other chefs and owners who have acted as badly, they just tend to be small fries as opposed to these scions of foodie industry.
35
We are still getting blackballed for speaking out in 2018.
8
I must admit that the phrase "nonconsensual sex" is a particularly infuriating form of lawyerspeak that weighs heavily on my ability to presume innocence. As though there were a "consensual" version of assault!
23
Seems to be an epidemic of lowlifes with money in this country--or have they always been like this and it wasn't reported.
18
They’ve always been like this all over the world.
20
Let's have a comeback before the final accusations are in!
4
"about whether a comeback or a new career might be possible."
He must think this is like a bad souffle that he can just dish, call for more ingredients and carry on. The guy is delusional if he thinks anyone will ever want to see him chopping onions on tv again.
30
Yet customers are still packing their restaurants. And yes, all the Business partners knew. We all did.
9
These things are horrible however I can't understand why people would waite so long to complain. These people worked or were patrons at a restaurant. Why would they be afraid to come forward?
5
Sexual abuse and assault are all about power. These are powerful men assaulting non powerful women. At the time of these assaults, these women wanted to keep their jobs, or any job in the industry without being labeled as problematic. Did you watch 60 minutes last night? One of the women was assaulted by Ken Friedman, co-owner of the Blind Pig. She found a job at another restaurant but before she started, he talked to the other restaurant and they rescinded the offer. She asked them if it was because of Friedman and they said yes. That is why these women didn’t report their assaults. Fear of reprisals in a small community of restaurant staff.
42
Sorry, that’s Spotted Pig...
3
I thought it was a clever pun; as in turning a blind eye towards all the sexual harassment going on.
2
"In recent weeks, Mr. Batali has been talking with friends and associates about whether a comeback or a new career might be possible."
Yeah, I think his new business partner will be his family, now that he'll be spending more time with it.
4
We attended a Batali demonstration a few years ago at the Aspen festival. He was careless, sloppy, and palpably disinterested in the cooking he was meant to be demonstrating, forgetting key ingredients and smirking while assistants did the work. The impression was one of overall slovenliness, as well as contempt for his audience. In that context, these allegations are not out-of-the-blue shocking.
54
Of course he’s a slovenly slob. Sheesh - just look at the creature!! The interior is fully reflected...
6
@Blair
Hailing from the hinterlands, my only acquaintance with Batali was seeing him on TV--twice. I was repulsed by his arrogance and slovenly appearance and unwowed by his cooking. While giving a cursory glance to one of the first stories of his transgressions, I mistakenly thought that Spotted Pig referred to Batali himself.
2
"Whether a comeback might be possible."
I may be mistaken, but, I don't see this as an occasion for a comeback. He must first be exonerated, and then he must apply for re-entry into civilized society, (because he's already been found guilty of other transgressions in the tipping scandal.)
As for a "comeback", the man is a cook. More talented than one of my grandmothers, and less talented than the other. He's not Judy Garland, or some down at the heels ingenue reaching for the stars. What would he be coming back to? Making millions of dollars and getting away with behavior I'd hoped we all left in first grade?
Mario, as your friend Anthony Bourdain has more or less definitavely said: Go away.
56
His business is not cooking. It is licensing around the world.
7
What I find chilling is that so many people must have known about this, but didn't say anything at the time. Severing business relationships, mainly because it's now public knowledge, doesn't ameliorate the fact that this wasn't necessarily news in restaurant circles for years. Known and ignored.
83
Very good! And that same context surrounds every case from Hollywood to the kitchen to the oval office.
20
Yes they must have known, that's why upstairs at The Spotted Pig is called "The Rape Room"...EVERYONE knew. Shame on April Bloomfield and Ken Friedman.
9
Speaking up after 14 years have passed requires great courage, kudos to this lady.
57