Mario Batali steps down after sexual misconduct allegations

Celebrity chef Mario Batali stepped away from his restaurant empire and cooking show “The Chew” on Monday as he said that reports of sexual misconduct “match up” to his behavior.

Food news website Eater New York said Monday that four women accused the chef of inappropriate touching. One of the women said Batali groped her chest after wine spilled on her shirt. Another said he grabbed her from behind and held her tightly against his body. Eater said the four women, three of whom worked for Batali, asked to remain anonymous for fear of retaliation.

Batali, 57, apologized in a statement Monday, and said that “much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted.”

A representative for his restaurant business, Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, said an employee reported inappropriate behavior by Batali in October. The company told Eater it was the first formal complaint against Batali and that he was reprimanded and required to attend training.

Batali skyrocketed to fame with the airing of “Molto Mario,” a show that ran on the Food Network for eight years, until 2004.

The Food Network planned to relaunch “Molto Mario” next year, but said Monday that the show would be put on hold. The network “takes matters like this very seriously,” it said in a statement.

Batali has also been socially active. The Mario Batali Foundation advocates child nutrition. And he has come out forcefully against hydraulic fracturing, a method used to extract oil and gas.

Photos and text from wire services Getty Images Chef Mario Batali at the White House in Washington in October 2016.