Mario Batali Predicts A 'Violent Revolution' In America

Mario Batali may be king of the Italian-American kitchen, but he's proving to be an outspoken opponent of the current presidential administration. In a recent interview with LinkedIn, the Eataly and Babbo chef predicted an ominous future for America if the wealth gap continues to widen and food security becomes out of reach for America's lower and middle classes:

"I think what's gonna happen is the rich people are gonna eat the rich people's food and everyone else is not," Batali told LinkedIn. "And what I will suggest is that we might be looking at a violent revolution in 25 years in America based almost exclusively on access to good food."

The phrase "violent revolution" may sound extreme, but in Batali's view, he believes that we need to reach that tipping point to make for a better future.

"I don't think violent revolution is necessarily so bleak," he explained. "If you look at the new tax codes, just rewarding the rich for being rich is a very short-term vision for what should be happening in the richest country of all time. We shouldn't look at hunger relief or education as charity. It should be looked at as an investment for us to become a stronger nation from which we can share all of the resources that we have to make everyone better."

Batali has not shied away from his political views in the past. He publicly endorsed Hillary Clinton for president in December 2015 and participated in the "Chefs for Hillary" recipe initiative.