Mario Batali was run out of the food industry over a string of sexual misconduct allegations and lawsuits back in 2017. And while the disgraced celebrity chef is attempting a comeback with the launch of an online cooking series, fans are not having it.
Batali, who was outfitted in his signature orange crocs, made his public return to the kitchen with a livestream cooking demo on Friday. "There are no mistakes in the kitchen, only the new and personalized dishes that are yours and yours only," he said while greeting fans, before making cacio e pepe. He also whipped up bucatini all' Amatriciana during the online class.
"He needs to bake himself some humble pie," one user wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
"Nobody missed you Mario. No one wants you back," another chimed in.
"So nasty, hell no! He don’t deserve it," a third person wrote.
During the livestreamed cooking demo, a.k.a. his attempted comeback, Batali was also asked whether he would ever return to his old Eataly haunt. "Me and New York have parted ways. I'm done," he said of his former home.
The virtual co*king show, "Molto A Casa," took place at Batali's Northport, Michigan, home, where he has reportedly lived since the rape allegations ended his television career and forced him out of his own restaurants—Bappo, Lupa, Casa Mono, and Eataly's many locations, reports The New York Post.
"It was a great town. It worked for me for the longest time, but now I live in Northern Michigan in a tiny little town of 600 people with a community of magnificent like-minded creatives all of whom think everyone in our community is a great assistant and helper to the full movement of the community," he said. "New York, there’s a lot of great people I love most of them, but there’s enough a**holes in New York City that I’m done with that town. And I wish everyone the best there."
In 2017, Batali came under fire following several sexual misconduct allegations, including a sexual assault claim that allegedly took place in a "rape room" on the third floor of his West Village restaurant The Spotted Pig. He denied the claims but released a "tone deaf" and "insulting" apology, which included a cinnamon roll recipe. He was under investigation by the NYPD, but charges were never filed.
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