Celebrity chef Mario Batali is stepping away from the public spotlight after allegations of sexual misconduct spanning two decades have come to light.

Batali, a Rutgers alumnus who started in the food industry with a job at Stuff Yer Face, is accused of groping women at parties, inappropriately touching female employees in the kitchen and using strongly sexual language to describe the women he works with, as reported by Eater.com Monday morning.

In the Eater report, Batali is accused of groping a woman about 10 years ago at a party in New Orleans. A second woman claims that Batali groped her at a party in 2011. A former server claims that Batali acted inappropriately toward her for two years in the 90's at Po, a West Village restaurant co-founded by Batali that closed earlier this year. A different woman who worked for Batali in the '90s claimed that the groped her, then forced her to straddle him three years later.

In a statement to Eater, Batali did not deny the claims and offered an apology.

"I apologize to the people I have mistreated and hurt," Batali said in the statement. "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 take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family."

According to the Eater report, the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group has hired a private firm to investigate the allegations.

Hints at Batali's alleged behavior have been public as far back as 2006, when Bill Buford wrote about it in his book "Heat."

Batali's rise to fame began with "Molto Mario," one of the Food Network's first hit shows which began airing in 1996. Currently, Batali co-hosts "The Chew," a daytime show on ABC. Batali has stepped down from "The Chew" since the Eater report broke.

Michael Sol Warren may be reached at mwarren@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MSolDub. Find NJ.com on Facebook.