Partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family was formally dissolved a year after he was accused of sexual misconduct

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Celebrity chef Mario Batali has given up his stake in his restaurants more than a year after being accused of sexual misconduct.

The partnership between Batali and the Bastianich family was formally dissolved on Wednesday, Tanya Bastianich Manuali told the New York Times.

Batali “will no longer profit from the restaurants in any way, shape or form”, she said.

The renowned chef and restaurateur was accused of sexual assault or harassment by several women, including accusations he drugged and sexually assaulted an employee in 2005.

He stepped away from day-to-day operations at his restaurant empire after the accusations, but had not formally divested from them until now.

Tanya Bastianich Manuali and her brother Joe Bastianich have bought Batali’s shares in all the restaurants, the Times reported. They would not discuss the terms of the purchase.

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A new company, not yet named, will replace the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, which runs 16 restaurants including Babbo and Del Posto.

Some of the group’s restaurants, including three on the Las Vegas strip, closed in the aftermath of the misconduct allegations.

“I have reached an agreement with Joe and no longer have any stake in the restaurants we built together. I wish him the best of luck in the future,” Batali said in a statement to the Times.

The NYPD closed criminal investigations into Batali in January without filing charges.

Batali, 58, has been one of America’s best known personalities in the restaurant industry, a bestselling cookbook author and star of TV cooking shows.

His career took off after he opened Po in New York City in the early 1990s, and some of his restaurants have had months-long waiting lists for reservations.

Batali gained fame as the host of Molto Mario on the Food Network, and has appeared on shows such as Iron Chef America and ABC’s The Chew, where he was forced out after the sexual misconduct allegations.