Mario Francesco Batali (born September 19, 1960) is an American chef, writer, restaurateur and media personality. In addition to his classical culinary training, he is an expert on the history and culture of Italian cuisine, including regional and local variations. Batali co-owns restaurants in New York City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Singapore, Hong Kong and Westport, Connecticut. Batali's signature clothing style includes shorts and orange Crocs. He is also known as "Molto Mario".