Food Network's Mario Batali Sizzles at NRF's BIG Show

Washington, D.C., December 27, 2005 – Famed Chef Mario Batali will turn up the heat during the National Retail Federation’s (NRF) 95th Annual Convention and EXPO, January 15-18 at the Jacob Javits Convention Center in New York City. Batali, television host, restaurateur and author, will demonstrate his famed cooking skills for convention attendees on Monday, January 16 from 12:00 p.m. until 12:30 p.m. inside NRF’s X06 Gourmet Market, located on the EXPO Floor. Immediately following the cooking demonstration, he will be on hand to sign copies of his latest book, Molto Italiano –327 Simple Classic Italian Recipes to Cook at Home (ECCO, 2005).

“As one of New York’s premiere chefs, we are thrilled to have Mario bring his cooking expertise to the X06 Gourmet Marketplace,” said NRF President and CEO Tracy Mullin. “Not only does he bring his culinary knowledge, but with a line of cookbooks, restaurants and kitchenware, he brings an entrepreneurial spirit that will both enlighten and inspire our attendees.”

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Mario Batali will be performing his cooking demonstration inside the X06 Marketplace, an upscale gourmet market built directly on the NRF EXPO floor. X06 will demonstrate the most futuristic design components and technologies available to retailers and includes a wine cave, coco café, party planning, and the latest RFID technology. It is being produced in partnership with Hybridia Design, which specializes in Retail Store Design and Visual Imaging.

Mario Batali is the host of the Food Network’s popular shows “Molto Mario” and “Ciao America!” as well as one of the stars of “Iron Chef America”. He has authored numerous cooking books, including Simple Italian Food, Mario Batali Holiday Food and The Babbo Cookbook. In addition, he owns a number of restaurants, including his flagship Babbo Ristorante e Enoteca, and the wine shop Italian Wine Merchants in New York City.

In 1999 Batali was named “Man of the Year” in the chef category by GQ Magazine. He is one of the recipients of the 2001 D’Artagnan Cervena Who’s Who of Food & Beverage in America and in 2002 he won the James Beard Foundation’s “Best Chef: New York City” award. In May of 2005, he was awarded “Outstanding Chef Award” by the James Beard Foundation. He has appeared on dozens of network and local news programs and has been featured in publications, including The New Yorker and Gourmet Magazine. Most recently, Batali created a consumer line of food products and kitchenware.

The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet, independent stores, chain restaurants and grocery stores as well as the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents an industry with more than 1.4 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 23 million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2004 sales of $4.1 trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100 state, national and international retail associations. www.nrf.com.

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Source: NRF