US chef Mario Batali cuts ties with his American restaurants after abuse accusations by multiple women
- The celebrity chef sells his shares in a 16-restaurant operation and a New York food emporium
Celebrity chef Mario Batali on Wednesday said he had cut ties with his US restaurants after being accused of sexual harassment by multiple women.
Batali has sold his shares in the 16-restaurant operation, including Babbo and Del Posto in New York, to former partners Tanya Bastianich Manuali and her brother, Joe Bastianich, he 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,” Batali said in a statement from his representative, Risa Heller.
He is also selling his stake in the Eataly market and restaurant complex, according to a report in The New York Times, citing Eataly spokesman Chris Giglio.
Representatives for Eataly did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The New York Police Department last year opened a criminal investigation into an accusation that Batali drugged and sexually assaulted an employee in 2005, following a CBS 60 Minutes report on the allegations that aired in May 2018.