Chef Mario Batali Steps Away From $250M Empire Amid Harassment Claims
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- Celebrity Chef Mario Batali is out of the kitchen and off the air after five women claimed he sexually harassed them.
TV audiences know Batali as a host of ABC's "The Chew" and a Food Network Iron Chef who made Italian cuisine chic and popular.
But the 57-year-old award-winning celebrity chef runs a business empire reportedly worth at least $250 million that includes 23 restaurants, 11 cookbooks, and five Eataly Marketplaces.
Batali said he's stepping away from it all following the allegations.
On Monday, Actress Siobhan Thompson who was once once a hostess at a Batali restaurant told CBS This Morning that Batali inappropriately touched her breasts.
Four other women, including three former employees, accused Batali of sexual harassment.
One told Eater he grabbed her breasts. Another said he gave her "a disgusting bear hug."
