Mario Batali Invades Home, No One Minds

From faux twerking fails to parents pretending to steal their kids’ Halloween candy, Jimmy Kimmel really likes to surprise his audience. This week Kimmel enlisted the help of celebrity chef Mario Batali to cook for random strangers the duo picked off the street in LA. During his setup for the bit Kimmel explained that he’d heard a story where Batali was coming home to his apartment late one night after work and when he got in the elevator his neighbors asked him to come to their party. What’s a celebrity chef to do in this situation? Why, cook everyone a late night snack with only the contents of the host’s kitchen, of course! Kimmel found this story to be ridiculously cool (as do I, since the idea of cooking without a recipe sends me into a state of panic) and wanted to recreate the experience on his show. With Battali as his accomplice, Kimmel accosted two perfect strangers on the street in L.A. and asked them to partake in the impromptu party. Their first guest (and host) was Lars, a sweet Swiss man who repeatedly replied, “with pleasure” to things. They then asked Nicole, who seemed all too eager for Kimmel to play matchmaker as the bit continued, to join them. (Spoiler alert: Kimmel cons the two into kissing before the meal is over and even sends them on a date to one of Batali’s restaurants.) The deal was that Batali would cook lunch for the new friends using only the items in their pantry. Luckily for Batali, his unsuspecting Swiss host had a fully stocked fridge including fondue from his native Switzerland, a variety of vegetables and meat, and fresh herbs and peppers in the garden. The final menu consisted of fusilli all’Amatriciana, bratwurst with corn, and, of course, the fondue. I don’t know about you, but Batali would have been hard-pressed to make a meal like that from the contents of my kitchen (celery and eggs with sesame seeds anyone? Yeah, I’ll pass too). Which celebrity chef would you welcome into your kitchen?