Anthony Bourdain Reacts to Mario Batali Report
Celebrity chef Mario Batali has been accused of sexual misconduct by four different women in an investigation by the food site Eater. Batali, who has apologized for his behavior, has stepped away from the operations of his business and as cohost of The Chew on ABC. Now, one of his most prominent peers in the restaurant world, Anthony Bourdain, is speaking out.
In an essay posted on Medium, Bourdain spoke out about recent accusations of sexual harassment and assault against Batali, as well as New York restaurant owner Ken Friedman. "In these current circumstances, one must pick a side. I stand unhesitatingly and unwaveringly with the women," he wrote.
Batali and Bourdain were colleagues in the food world, and occasionally appeared together at events. "Any admiration I have expressed in the past for Mario Batali and Ken Friedman, whatever I might feel about them, however much I admired and respected them, is, in light of these charges, irrelevant," he wrote.
He added that he regrets not being the kind of person women felt comfortable coming to with their stories, and also reflected on whether his work contributed to a negative culture in the restaurant industry. "To the extent which my work in Kitchen Confidential celebrated or prolonged a culture that allowed the kind of grotesque behaviors we're hearing about all too frequently is something I think about daily, with real remorse," he said.
Bourdain also referred to his girlfriend, Italian actress Asia Argento, who has accused producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault. He said she has introduced him to other women with stories like hers, and helped him change his perspective.
I ain’t “woke”. I was lucky enough to meet one, truly extraordinary woman @AsiaArgento pic.twitter.com/XgpVYyrsxN
- Anthony Bourdain (@Bourdain) December 12, 2017
"That doesn't make me any more enlightened than any other man who has begun listening and paying attention. It does makes me, I hope, slightly less stupid," he wrote. "Right now, nothing else matters but women's stories of what it's like in the industry I have loved and celebrated for nearly 30 years."
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