The Awkward Moment When Mario Batali Explained That He Doesn't Hate Bankers

Perhaps that's why celebrity chef Mario Batali still feels the need to explain a comment he made in 2011 comparing bankers to Hitler, saying "the ways the bankers have kind of toppled the way money is distributed and taken most of it into their hands is as good as Stalin or Hitler and the evil guys."

Yikes.

It's a big statement, and perhaps worthy of a year and a half long 'mea culpa' tour.

The tour's latest stop is a segment on Bloomberg TV's, 'Titans of the Table', a show that gets a bunch of industry heavy-weights to talk shop over an awesome meal. It airs tonight at 9:00 pm and features Batali as well as Bobby Flay, Tom Colicchio and Rachel Ray.

But for 1:30 all eyes were on Batali as Betty Liu gave him the chance to comment on his anti-banker remarks.

Batali responded by asking her if she'd read the transcript (pro tip: don't do that) and she reminded him that there were quotes everywhere (as you know).

That's when Batali gave did his best to smooth it over, perhaps for the 100th time (from Bloomberg):

"A lot of the New York industry is bankers. And I like them individually...I keep my money in the bank. I love them to keep it safe. But that said, the kind of hullabaloo that it caused and what we call in the industry, the sh*tstorm of press that happened after it, was imminently regrettable."

Interesting that NYC is a big media city too, but journalists probably aren't throwing down nearly as much money on pasta as bankers are, so this is a decent pivot.

Watch the video below: