The chef Mario Batali has surrendered oversight of daily operations at his restaurant empire following reports of sexual misconduct over a period of at least 20 years.
The online site Eater New York, part of Vox Media, reported on Monday that the incidents involve at least four women, three of whom worked for Batali. One of the women said Batali groped her chest after wine had spilled on her shirt. Another said he grabbed her from behind and held her tightly against his body.
In a prepared statement sent to the Associated Press, Batali said the complaints “match up” with his past behavior.
“I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family,” Batali said.
A spokesperson for Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group said an employee reported inappropriate behavior by Batali in October. The company told Eater it was the first formal complaint against Batali and that he was reprimanded and required to attend training.
Batali will also take leave from his ABC cooking show, The Chew.
“We have asked Mario Batali to step away from The Chew while we review the allegations that have just recently come to our attention,” the network said.
A wave of sexual misconduct allegations have upended the political scene and embroiled Hollywood, gaining momentum after shocking allegations of abuse and assault by Harvey Weinstein.
The #metoo movement has brought down Kevin Spacey, Louis CK and Matt Lauer and led to resignations in the US House and Senate. There are new calls for Donald Trump to address sexual misconduct allegations that he has faced.
Last week Time magazine named the “silence breakers”, those that have shared their stories about sexual assault and harassment, as person of the year.
The 57-year-old Batali was well known in culinary circles, taking jobs early in his career as a sous chef at the Four Seasons in Santa Barbara and San Francisco.
His career took off after opening Po in New York City in the early 1990s, and he skyrocketed to fame with the airing of Molto Mario, a show that ran on the Food Network for eight years until 2004. It was there that his signature look, a fleece vest, shorts and orange Crocs, became instantly recognizable to most people.
The Food Network, which was planning to relaunch Molto Mario, said on Monday that it was placing its plans on hold. “Food Network takes matters like this very seriously,” it said.