Mario Batali

Mario Francesco Batali was born on September 19, 1960, in Seattle, to Marilyn (LaFramboise) and Armandino Batali, who founded Seattle's Salumi restaurant. His father is of Italian descent and his mother is of part French-Canadian ancestry. After graduating from Rutgers University in 1982, he enrolled at Le Cordon Bleu in London but withdrew after six weeks, choosing instead to apprentice under Marco Pierre White, the renowned London chef.

Batali worked in a series of kitchens in Europe and the United States before moving in 1989 to a small northern Italian village, where he spent three years learning the nuances of traditional Italian cuisine. Five years later, he began a fruitful partnership with restaurateur Joe Bastianich when the two opened New York City's Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca. The James Beard Foundation named it the best new American restaurant of 1998. Batali co-owned restaurants mainly in New York City, as well as locations in Las Vegas and Los Angeles, including his flagship Babbo, which received a Michelin star for several years. Other notable restaurants included Del Posto, Lupa, and The Spotted Pig.

Batali's main Food Network show Molto Mario aired from 1996 to 2004, focusing on Italian cooking and making him a household name. He appeared on numerous food shows and was an Iron Chef on Iron Chef America. From 2011 to 2017, he was a host on ABC's The Chew. In December 2017, multiple women accused him of sexual harassment and assault. By March 2019, he had sold all restaurant holdings and stepped back from public life.