Background

When Mario Batali won the 2005 Chef of the Year award from the James Beard Foundation - probably the most celebrated American culinary award - it was the culmination of decades spent enjoying, preparing, studying, sharing and ultimately reinventing Italian cuisine.

At the root of Mario’s success is his passion and respect for all of the great tastes and traditions of Italian cooking combined with an insatiable desire to experience and experiment. This magical combination of passion, education and chutzpah is on display every night at his extremely popular restaurants and is shared in his cookbooks and television appearances.

From Blackberries to Babbo…

I was raised in Seattle in a family that loved to cook. I began my love affair with cooking as a child when I would collect the freshest blackberries and help my grandmother convert them into pies and jams. After spending my high school years in Spain and then graduating from Rutgers University, I began culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in London. At the time, I wanted more of a “hands on” experience, so I spent time in apprenticeships, starting with London’s legendary chef Marco Pierre White and ending with three years of intense culinary training in the Northern Italian village of Borgo Capanne, living with my new Italian family. These experiences gave me the essential skills and knowledge to return to the US where I was anxious to plant my orange-clogs in restaurant terrain dominated by checkered tablecloths.

Reinventing Italian Cuisine in America

After stints at a few New York City hot spots and launching the restaurant Po (that I no longer own), I opened Babbo in 1998. That year, the James Beard Foundation awarded Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca as "The Best New Restaurant of 1998" and the New York Times gave it three stars. Six years later the Times again awarded it with three stars, proving that it’s initial appeal was still holding strong. Based on the success of Babbo, I opened nine more restaurants in New York as well as restaurants in Las Vegas and Los Angeles.

Sharing the Joy

I take great joy in sharing my knowledge and experiences through television shows and cookbooks. Currently, I am one of Food Network's Iron Chefs. I’ve been told that my orange clogs (and orange ponytail) have become familiar icons to Food Network viewers—so I suppose I won’t be getting rid of either any time soon. I also have six cookbooks, including the latest Mario Tailgates NASCAR Style.

Although cooking is my passion, my greatest joys in life come from my wife Susi and my children Benno and Leo (also my biggest fans and occasional critics). We divide our time between our homes in New York City’s Greenwich Village and Northport, Michigan.

Awards and Accomplishments

• 2006
• Molto Italiano awarded James Beard Foundation "Best International Cookbook"
• Del Posto awarded two stars in the New York Michelin Guide
• 2005
• Awarded James Beard Foundation "Oustanding Chef in America Award"
• Babbo Restaurant awarded Restaurant & Institutions prestigious "Ivy Award"
• Babbo Restaurant awarded one star by the premier New York Michelin Restaurant Guide
• 2004
• Babbo Restaurant’s David Lynch awarded James Beard Foundation "Outstanding Wine Director and Wine Service"
• Esca Restaurant's David Pasternack awarded James Beard Foundation "Best Chef: New York City"
• New York Time's Frank Bruni awards Babbo 3 stars
• 2002
• Awarded James Beard Foundation "Best Chef: New York City"
• 2001
• Recipient of the D'Artagnan Cervena "Who's Who of Food and Beverage in America," the prestigious lifetime achievement award
• 1999
• Babbo Restaurant awarded James Beard Foundation "Best New Restaurant"
• 1998
• Named "Man of the Year" in the chef category by GQ Magazine