A look at Mario Batali’s rise and fall

Mario Batali’s culinary empire included flashy spaces like Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca on the South Boston waterfront, Batali’s first Boston-area restaurant. Globe Staff/File 2015/Globe Staff

Celebrity chef Mario Batali, who has been accused of sexually harassing and assaulting multiple women, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday in Boston on charges that he groped and kissed a woman in a Back Bay restaurant two years ago. It appears to be the first criminal charge to arise from the series of allegations.

When Eater first broke the news in 2017 that several women had accused Batali of misconduct, Batali confessed that “much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up” to how he acted. After three additional women accused Batali of assaulting or raping them, The New York Times reported that two of the cases couldn’t be tried because they were outside of that state’s statute of limitations, and there was not enough evidence for legal action on the third allegation.

Here is a look at Batali’s rise and fall.

■  Batali, 58, grew up in Seattle and spent his childhood watching his grandmother make Italian specialties passed down in the family, according to a PBS bio. He graduated from Rutgers University and studied at Le Cordon Bleu, the famous culinary school, in London, before dropping out. Next up: a three-year apprenticeship at a restaurant in an Italian village.

■  In his heyday, Batali owned restaurants around the world through his company, the Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group. They included flashy spaces like Babbo Pizzeria e Enoteca on the South Boston waterfront, Batali’s first Boston-area restaurant.

His culinary focus was on Italian culture and cuisine. After the allegations broke, Grub Street reported that Batali’s restaurant empire lost almost 30 percent of its business. Batali eventually released his ownership stake in the group.

Batali was also a minority owner of Eataly, an Italian culinary marketplace with a location in Boston. The complexes combine a mix of dining, shopping, and learning elements. Batali sold his ownership after the sexual assault allegations surfaced. Eataly also removed Batali’s products from stores.

■  Batali’s fame came from his TV work, including a cohosting gig on ABC’s “The Chew” spanning more than 1,000 episodes, per Eater. The series follows a daytime talk show format but with a food focus. Batali stepped back from the show amid the allegations in 2017 and was later fired by ABC.

Prior to joining “The Chew,” Batali hosted several culinary tour shows on the Food Network, including “Molto Mario,” “Mediterranean Mario,” “Mario Eats Italy,” and “Ciao America with Chef Mario Batali.” Batali was also a part of the network’s “Iron Chef” competition franchise.

■  Batali is known for his devotion to orange Croc footwear. In an interview with Details, he said he purchased 200 pairs of the signature clogs when he heard they’d be discontinued. Batali even teamed up with Crocs to create a “Bistro Mario Batali Vent Clog,” but the partnership was terminated in March 2017.