Iconoclasts - Season1 - Mario Batali on Michael Stipe

Mario Batali

Chef

Mario Batali believes that olive oil is as precious as gold, that shorts are acceptable attire for every season, and food, like most things, is best when left to its own simple beauty. To that end, Mario creates magic night after night in Manhattan's West Village and Theater District. His time is divided between his many Italian hotspots. Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca - an upscale dining room where Mario pushes the culinary envelope - is the chef's flagship and a city staple since 1998. A gastronomic superstar from its inception, The James Beard Foundation honored Babbo with "The Best New Restaurant of 1998" award and Ruth Reichl at the New York Times hailed it with three stars. Six years later, a re-review by Frank Bruni maintained Babbo's three-star power and its excellence among New York City's finest restaurants. Mario also owns Lupa, a Roman-style trattoria with Jason Denton, as well as a wine shop just off Union Square, Italian Wine Merchants. Esca, a southern Italian seafood trattoria, opened near the Theater District in April 2000 and in January 2003, Mario and partner Joseph Bastianich opened another downtown eatery, Otto Enoteca Pizzeria, located just around the corner from historic Washington Square Park. Batali and Bastianich's latest endeavor is Bistro du Vent, which serves southern French fare just around the corner from Esca. In November 2005, the duo opened Del Posto, a spacious new restaurant in New York City's meatpacking district. Raised in Seattle, Mario's initial career path had him studying the golden age of Spanish theater at Rutgers University, but soon after graduating, he took his first bite of culinary training at Le Cordon Bleu in London, from which 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 him the essential skills and knowledge to return to his native US, anxious to plant his orange-clogged foot firmly in the behinds of the checkered tablecloth-Italian restaurant establishment. Among his many accolades, Mario was named "Man of the Year" in the chef category by GQ Magazine in 1999, and in 2002 he won the James Beard Foundation's Best Chef: New York City award. Mario is also one of the recipients of the 2001 D'Artagnan Cervena Who's Who of Food & Beverage in America, a prestigious lifetime achievement award. Always eager to educate the masses about the simplistic beauty that is Italian cuisine, Mario hosts two popular television programs, "Molto Mario"and "Mario Eats Italy", both on the Food Network. He has authored Simple Italian Food (Clarkson Potter 1998), Mario Batali Holiday Food (Clarkson Potter 2000); as well as The Babbo Cookbook, released in 2002. His latest book, Molto Italiano - 327 Simple Classic Italian Recipes to Cook at Home (Ecco- Harper Collins), was released in May of 2005. Mario splits his time between New York City's Greenwich Village and Northport, Michigan with his wife Susi Cahn of Coach Dairy Goat Farm, and their two sons, Benno and Leo. Discover: Signature Recipes Restaurants

Michael Stipe

Musician

Michael Stipe was born on January 4, 1960. Stipe heads the famous rock band R.E.M. and has done so for 25 years, which makes him a long distance man by anyone's standards. While many of R.E.M.'s peers and rock contemporaries have faded away, Stipe and R.E.M. have continued to be innovators in the music scene, releasing hit record after hit record. Michael Stipe was born in Atlanta, Georgia. His father was in the US Army, which meant that the family lived in several locations, including time spent in Germany. Musically, Stipe was inspired as a teenager by Patti Smith's Horses album, Television's Marquee Moon and Wire's Pink Flag. It was at the age of 15 that he decided to dedicate himself to music and find a band to do so with. Stipe studied art and photography at the University of Georgia. While in college he befriended aspiring guitarist Peter Buck, and with bassist Mike Mills and drummer Bill Berry, they formed R.E.M. in 1980. Throughout most of the eighties R.E.M. remained mostly outside of the mainstream in music. Stipe's sometimes dark and mysterious lyrics did attract a cult following, though, and the group became steadily more popular. Michael Stipe and R.E.M. first signed to a major recording label in 1982 when I.R.S. Records took them on board. Their time with I.R.S. included Document and their 1st top ten hit, "The One I Love." After signing with Warner Bros. Records in 1988, their next releases pushed them into the international mainstream. The albums "Out of Time" (1991) and "Automatic for the People" (1992) were both great hits internationally. They have won Grammy Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and have sold more then 60 million albums worldwide. R.E.M.'s award winning website, their recent 2004-2005 world tour, and the trailblazing manner in which they have carried out their influential career guarantees that they have made their mark, and they continue to push the boundaries with uncompromising vision and drive, inspiring millions worldwide through their music and art. Stipe's interest in film has led to his being Producer or Executive Producer on over 20 films, including BEING JOHN MALKOVICH, AMERICAN MOVIE and THE MIRACLE LIFE OF EDGAR MINT. REM's Website

Photos from this episode:

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1

Image from Batali on Stipe episode of Iconoclasts Season 1