Famed chef Mario Batali is taking leave from his restaurant empire and ABC talk show "The Chew" after several sexual misconduct allegations, food website Eater reported.
Four women have accused Batali of touching them inappropriately, according to Eater, and the alleged behavior spans at least two decades.
One woman, who was not identified by Eater, told the website she met Batali at a party in New Orleans 10 years ago. She was a chef, and in their conversation, he asked her to work for him for double her current pay.
She claimed that after spilling wine on her shirt, Batali groped her breasts to "help" clean up the wine.
Batali confirmed to NBC that he is taking leave from his businesses for an unspecified period of time.
In a statement to NBC, Batali said, "I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt. Although the identities of most of the individuals mentioned in these stories have not been revealed to me, much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted. That behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. ... I have work to do to try to regain the trust of those I have hurt and disappointed. For this reason, I am going to step away from day-to-day operations of my businesses."
The hospitality group is bringing on an independent investigation firm to receive complaints from staffers about restaurant owners, according to Eater.
The chef will also step away from ABC's "The Chew," which he has co-hosted since it premiered in September 2011, while the network reviews the allegations, a network spokesperson told Eater.
A request for comment from ABC was also not immediately returned to NBC.
As recently as two months ago, Eater reported, Batali was required to have training after an employee for his Batali and Bastianich Hospitality Group reported inappropriate behavior by Batali. "It was the first formal complaint about Batali..., according to the company," Eater reported.
Eater uncovered the accusations by the women, who all remained anonymous, through an investigation that included interviews with dozens of industry professionals, as well as current and former employees of Batali. Three of the accusers worked for Batali at some point in their careers, Eater said.
Batali said in his statement that he knows his actions "have disappointed many people."
"To the people who have been at my side during this time — my family, my partners, my employees, my friends, my fans — I am grateful for your support and hopeful that I can regain your respect and trust," he said. "I will spend the next period of time trying to do that."
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