Celebrity chef and part-time Northport resident Mario Batali has stepped away from his restaurant group and his role as co-host of ABC's The Chew following sexual misconduct allegations that emerged Monday.

Eater New York published an article detailing claims from four women who accused Batali of sexual harassment in a pattern of behavior stretching back over multiple decades. Three of the women worked for Batali at some point, while the fourth was an industry colleague. All of the women allege Batali groped them without their consent, with stories ranging from the chef grabbing women from behind and pressing them against his body to coercing them to straddle him to touching their breasts at parties. Batali was reprimanded for his behavior as recently as two months ago by Batali & Bastianich Hospitality Group, the restaurant-management services company that oversees Batali's restaurants, according to Eater.

In a statement to Eater, Batali acknowledged the accusations were true, saying "much of the behavior described does, in fact, match up with ways I have acted." Batali continued that his "behavior was wrong and there are no excuses."

"I take full responsibility and am deeply sorry for any pain, humiliation or discomfort I have caused to my peers, employees, customers, friends and family," he said in his statement. "I have work to do to try to regain the trust of those I have hurt and disappointed. For this reason, I am going to step away from day-to-day operations of my businesses. We built these restaurants so that our guests could have fun and indulge, but I took that too far in my own behavior. I won’t make that mistake again. I want any place I am associated with to feel comfortable and safe for the people who work or dine there."

Batali continued: "I know my actions have disappointed many people. The successes I have enjoyed are owned by everyone on my team. The failures are mine alone. To the people who have been at my side during this time — my family, my partners, my employees, my friends, my fans — I am grateful for your support and hopeful that I can regain your respect and trust. I will spend the next period of time trying to do that.”

A spokesperson for The Chew issued a statement Monday saying the production had asked Batali to leave his co-hosting role on the popular ABC show while the allegations against him were investigated.

"We have asked Mario Batali to step away from The Chew while we review the allegations that have just recently come to our attention," the spokesperson said. "ABC takes matters like this very seriously as we are committed to a safe work environment. While we are unaware of any type of inappropriate behavior involving him and anyone affiliated with the show, we will swiftly address any alleged violations of our standards of conduct."

Batali lives in northern Michigan part-time and has been a vocal spokesperson for the region in recent years. He has brought celebrity guests including John C. Reilly and the members of U2 to his Northport home, and has promoted area restaurants, food trucks and culinary attractions in multiple national television programs and articles. Batali also helps curate the food menu at Bonobo Winery on Old Mission Peninsula, according to the company's website.