Giada De Laurentiis recently explained why Mario Batali’s original foreword for her first cookbook made her cry.
De Laurentiis opened up to food blogger and cookbook author Samah Dada in an episode of Dada’s “On the Menu” YouTube show about why his comments from more than 20 years ago hurt her, saying Batali wrote that her success at the time was due to the size of her chest.
“I remember from my first cookbook, ‘Everyday Italian’ — this is like 20, 24 years ago — asking Mario Batali for a foreword, because he’s really the main guy I had worked with,” De Laurentiis said. “He’s a legend in the Italian space. Like, of course, we know what happened afterwards. But in that time, he was, and I felt like his stamp of approval would have been huge for me.”
De Laurentiis said Batali told her he would write it, and when she read what he sent her, she broke down in tears.
“I cried because I realized he’s basically saying that I’ve gotten to where I’ve gotten, and I’ve had this little bit of success that I had, because I have big boobs, and that if he had boobs, he would even be much further,” De Laurentiis said.
“Because I’m, like, a joke, right? Like, to him, it was a little bit of a joke,” she added.
The former Food Network star said she called her editor in tears and explained what had happened.
“I’m like, ‘Clearly I can’t use this. So now, what do I do?’” De Laurentiis said. “She was the head editor at Clarkson Potter, and she’s like, ‘We’ll rewrite it and I’ll send it to him just for approval.’ And we did, and he said, ‘Sure,’ so we rewrote it. But I will never forget that, that that’s basically what a lot of people figured — cute girl with big boobs, that’s why they’re watching her.”
“Everyday Italian” was published in 2005, and De Laurentiis has gone on to write 10 more cookbooks since.
A representative for Batali did not immediately respond to a request for comment from TODAY.com.
Batali was a renowned celebrity chef who appeared on Food Network and co-owned several restaurants across the U.S. In 2017, four women accused him of sexual misconduct, leading the chef to step down from day-to-day operations at his restaurants.
“I have made many mistakes and I am so very sorry that I have disappointed my friends, my family, my fans and my team,” he said in an email newsletter at the time, which infamously concluded with a cinnamon roll recipe. “My behavior was wrong and there are no excuses. I take full responsibility.”
In 2019, he was charged with indecent assault and battery, and Batali pleaded not guilty to the charges. Boston Municipal Court Judge James Stanton found Batali not guilty in 2022, citing “credibility” issues with a witness in the trial that led to reasonable doubt, according to NBC News.
Batali and his former business partner also agreed to pay $600,000, split among at least 20 former employees, in 2021, following a four-year investigation from New York’s attorney general into allegations Batali, restaurant managers and other workers sexually harassed employees.
Dining and Cooking