Batali the Home Boy | Mario Batali's new kid-friendly kitchen
by Charlotte Druckman; photography by Quentin Bacon
Celebrity chef Mario Batali is a big guy with a big presence— and a big guy with a big presence needs a big kitchen. When he and his wife, Susi Cahn, combined and remodeled two apartments in Manhattan, he says, "the single most important thing we did was take as much room for the kitchen as we could." That nearly 200-square-foot U, larger than the kitchens at many of his New York City restaurants (Lupa, Esca, Casa Mono) contains a 10-by-3-foot peninsula, where Batali and his two sons, 8-year-old Benno and 6-year-old Leo, make pizza and pastas with their friends. The 6-foot space between the peninsula and the stove is unusually wide, so two people can work back to back without bumping into each other. Mario also wanted a big counter, which invariably becomes a stage. "He's even informative when he's cooking at home," says interior designer Lisa Eaton, Cahn's cousin. Eaton, who advised the family on the kitchen, has consulted on several of Batali's restaurants, including the famous Babbo; his most recent venture, Bistro du Vent; and Il Posto, which will open in April and serve regional Italian classics like agnolotti presented Piedmont-style, with a bowl of truffles and butter on the side.
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