Raised in Seattle, Mario studied the golden age of Spanish theater at Rutgers University. Soon after graduating, he took his first bite of culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in London, but he withdrew almost immediately due to a "lack of interest." An apprenticeship with London's legendary chef Marco Pierre White and three years of intense culinary training in the Northern Italian village of Borgo Capanne (population 200) gave Mario the essential skills and knowledge to return to his native U.S., eager to plant his orange-clogged foot firmly on the behind of the checkered-tablecloth Italian restaurant establishment.

In 2002, he won the James Beard Foundation's "Best Chef: New York City" award, and in 2005 the James Beard Foundation awarded Mario the designation of "Outstanding Chef of the Year." Mario was also a recipient of the 2001 D'Artagnan Cervena "Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America," a prestigious food industry lifetime achievement award.

Mario is also the author of nine cookbooks to date including the James Beard Award-winning, Molto Italiano: 327 Simple Italian Recipes (ecco 2005). Mario's newest book, Molto Batali: Simple Family Meals form My Home to Yours (ecco 2011), was released on October 25, 2011.

Mario stars in "The Chew," a daytime talk show on ABC that celebrates and explores life through food.

To learn more about Mario Batali, visit mariobatali.com.
To learn more about the Mario Batali Foundation or to donate to the matching program, visit http://www.mariobatalifoundation.org/