Mario Batali is damn cool.
A red haired, clog wearing, bearded cherub, Mario specializes in Italian cookery and hosts my very favorite food network show, Molto Mario.
Mario makes pasta nearly every single show using the well method and focuses on authentic italian food by region. He explains the why's behind the varied cooking methods and prepares food at a restaurant kitchen pace, which is to say, much faster than Martha Stewart.
He isn't annoyingly peppy or particularily pretentious and is therfore much funner for me to watch than nearly every other cooking show ( short of Iron Chef, which really belongs in it's own catagory) He is the fist full of tums on a stomach full of Emeril. Basically, my perfect man.
Much to my dismay, i found out on his bio that he is not only married with children,but also forty years old.
Though somewhat disheartened, i have plans to someday eat at one of his three restaurants in New York City, Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, Lupa and Esca, where i'm sure to spend way to much money.