Food television star Mario Batali and MasterChef judge Joe Bastianich have plans to open a Los Angeles outpost of Eataly, their high-end Italian food mega-store, which debuted in New York last year.
A representative of Bastianich confirmed that the restaurateur and winemaker recently was scouting locations for the potential L.A. branch of Eataly while in town to film the second season of Fox’s MasterChef, which premieres June 6.
Batali and Bastianich opened the 50,000-square-foot New York outpost of Eataly to rave reviews in August. It features 12 eateries and a supermarket that carries specialty products from Italy.
Batali, known for his appearances on various food programs, including Iron Chef America (Food Network), and Bastianich are partners with celebrity chef Nancy Silverton in Pizzeria Mozza and Osteria Mozza, the popular restaurants at Melrose and Highland avenues.
While it is unknown where L.A.’s Eataly might be located, food blog Eater L.A. cited unnamed sources in a story on Tuesday that said Eataly would come to Los Angeles and Joe Bastianich has scouted a prospective location in West Hollywood.
