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Straits Times
2 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
Anne Burrell, chef and Food Network television star, dies at 55
Anne Burrell at her restaurant, Phil & Anne's Good Time Lounge, in New York on Aug 25, 2016. PHOTO: AN RONG XU/NYTIMES NEW YORK – Anne Burrell, an American chef and television personality known for her kinetic swoop of blonde hair and an energy to match, died in Brooklyn, New York, on June 16. She was 55. 'Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother and friend,' her family said in a statement, which did not mention a cause of death. 'Her smile lit up every room she entered. Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit and boundless love remain eternal.' Burrell spent years working in Italian restaurants in Manhattan, including Savoy Restaurant and Felidia Ristorante, before ascending to household fame on US cable channel Food Network. She began as a sous chef on reality cooking series Iron Chef America (2005 to 2018) to American celebrity chef Mario Batali, but her distinctive swagger made her stand apart from even the effusive Batali, prompting the network to offer her a show of her own. That show, Secrets Of A Restaurant Chef premiered in 2008 and ran for nine seasons until 2012. Burrell remained a staple of Food Network, hosting the hit show Worst Cooks In America (2010 to present) and appearing regularly on network favourites like Chopped (2009 to present) and Food Network Star (2005 to 2018). In a statement, a spokesperson for Food Network said: 'Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent – teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring.' Burrell and her business partner Phil Casaceli also briefly ran Phil & Anne's Good Time Lounge, a Brooklyn restaurant that she described as 'funky, cool and homey'. It closed in 2018, less than a year after opening. Anne W. Burrell was born on Sept 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, New York, and followed a love for the late American chef-author Julia Child all the way to Italy, where she attended the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. When she returned to the US in 1998, she was hired to work at Felidia Ristorante, where she met the famed chef Lidia Bastianich. American chef Claudette Zepeda, who competed alongside Burrell on Food Network show House Of Knives (2025), said the latter had her fair share of 'phoenix moments' in which she had to rise from dark times, including stepping out from underneath the shadow of Batali, who in 2017 was accused of sexually harassing women who worked for him. 'Coming out as her own human being and her own autonomous competitor was a huge moment for her,' Zepeda said. 'Everyone just put those two together and assumed there was complacency. Having to come out of that world and forge her own path as her own person - as Anne Burrell - wasn't easy for her.' But Burrell had an intensity that made her a force to be reckoned with both on and off screen. 'She was the most competitive person ever,' said American chef and television personality Scott Conant, who was her co-star on Worst Cooks In America. 'I beat her on Worst Cooks once for a special. My team beat her team. She didn't talk to me for three months after that, she was so angry.' That relentless spirit won her admiration from the young cooks who competed on her shows, Conant added. 'She was unapologetic and defined herself and told her story through food.' Burrell is survived by her husband Stuart Claxton, a marketing executive whom she married in 2021; her mother Marlene Burrell; her younger sister Jane Burrell-Uzcategui; and her stepson Javier Claxton. Burrell brought her perfectionism to two bestselling cookbooks, Cook Like A Rock Star: 125 Recipes, Lessons, And Culinary Secrets (2011) and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes To Inspire & Empower (2013). Suzanne Lenzer, a food stylist, cookbook author and Burrell's collaborator on both cookbooks, said: 'She had a strong voice. And strong opinions.' 'She hated pepper,' Lenzer recalled. 'She said it was a spice like horseradish. Why would you put pepper on everything?' Burrell made an exception for pasta carbonara. 'She didn't even like it in carbonara,' Lenzer added, 'but knew it had to be in there because it's traditional.' NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Anne Burrell's sad final post as new details about the Food Network star's shock death at 55 emerge
Food Network star Anne Burrell's heartbreaking final social media post has been revealed in wake of her shock death at 55. The beloved TV chef — who famously hosted Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and co-hosted Worst Cooks in America — died on Tuesday morning at her Brooklyn, New York apartment. Police officers responded to a call about 'an unconscious and unresponsive 55-year-old female' at 7:50 a.m. EST, PEOPLE revealed. Once Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived, they 'pronounced [Burrell] deceased on scene.' Burrell's family confirmed her unexpected passing in an emotional statement but did not reveal a cause of death. Burrell's body will be autopsied by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner, who will make the official determination about cause of death. While cops did not name Burrell as the deceased in their statement, PEOPLE confirmed that the star's address matches the address that the police provided. Just four days before passing away at her NY home, Burrell published what would be her final post to her 673,000 Instagram followers. The star uploaded a selfie with The Green Lady — an icon in Brooklyn known for having green hair and dressing all green — who she'd bumped into on the street. Burrell beamed next to The Green Lady, whose real name is Elizabeth Eaton Rosenthal, as she documented the 'lovely' encounter in the post's caption. 'I ran into @greenladyofbrooklyn in my neighborhood today!!' she began. I'm not going to lie- I have been keeping an eye out for her. I may or may not have followed her down the street for a minute. She is just lovely!!!' Burrell concluded the post with the hashtags #ilovewhatido and #luckygirl. Burrell's family confirmed her passing in a statement obtained by People on Tuesday afternoon. The star uploaded a selfie with The Green Lady — an icon in Brooklyn known for having green hair and dressing all green — who she'd bumped into on the street 'Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,' her family said in a statement obtained by People. 'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. 'Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.' She is survived by husband Stuart Claxton, whom she wed in October 2021 in an autumn-themed ceremony and reception in her hometown of Cazenovia, New York. Heartbroken fans have already flooded to leave comments on Burrell's most recent Instagram post. 'This can't be true. Chef Anne you were vivacious, hilarious, full of life and reminded me of my Mom. I'm so, so sorry. Rest with the Angels in Heaven and cook up a storm for us,' one wrote. 'Prayers for your family. This feels so unexpected! 'You were always one of our all time favorite chefs and seemed like a great person! I'm sure you'll be missed by many!' someone else shared. Police officers responded to a call about 'an unconscious and unresponsive 55-year-old female' at 7:50 a.m., PEOPLE has revealed. Once Emergency Medical Services (EMS) arrived, they 'pronounced [Burrell] deceased on scene'; Burrell seen in April 2025 'RIP ANNE! I can't believe this! We lost a good one!' one wrote. 'I was such a fan of you. I had been watching Worst Cooks for YEARS and just recently started watching newer seasons. 'I am so sad. May you rest in peace,' another penned. Burrell's Food Network co-star Sandra Lee reacted to her sudden death in a heartfelt statement to Us Weekly. 'Anne Burrell was smart. She was sweet. She was funny. She was larger than life. She lived it completely, unabashedly and uniquely,' the Emmy Award-winner began. 'I'll never forget the first time I met her in a casino in Atlantic City, she boldly approached me, introducing herself with her girl gang — she was so endearing, so so funny and delightful. 'Anne was one of a kind. May she rest in glory — another culinary royalty in heaven guiding all of our recipes now. Love u always Anne — Sandy!' Lee concluded. Burrell - who became synonymous with her trademark spiky platinum hair - developed a passion for cooking at a young age, inspired by her mother's home-cooked meals and by watching food icon Julia Child on television. After earning a degree in English and Communications from Canisius College in Buffalo in 1991, she followed her culinary dreams and enrolled at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, graduating in 1996. Burrell worked at a whole host of New York City hotspots including Felidia and Savoy in Soho, where she honed her craft in Mediterranean cuisine. She was later thrust into the spotlight and became best known as the longtime host of Worst Cooks in America. The show, which ran for 28 seasons, saw celebrated chefs mentor amateur cooks in an attempt to transform them from rookies to kitchen experts. Elsewhere, Burrell appeared on Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star, and most recently, competition series House of Knives - which premiered in March this year. The famed chef also penned two of her own cookbooks - Cook Like a Rock Star and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire & Empower.
Associated Press
6 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
Anne Burrell, TV chef who coached the 'Worst Cooks in America,' dies at 55
NEW YORK (AP) — TV chef Anne Burrell, who coached culinary fumblers through hundreds of episodes of 'Worst Cooks in America,' died Tuesday at her New York home. She was 55. The Food Network, where Burrell began her two-decade television career on 'Iron Chef America' and went on to other shows, confirmed her death. The cause was not immediately clear, and medical examiners were set to conduct an autopsy. Police were called to her address before 8 a.m. Tuesday and found an unresponsive woman who was soon pronounced dead. The police department did not release the woman's name, but records show it was Burell's address. Burrell was on TV screens as recently as April, making chicken Milanese cutlets topped with escarole salad in one of her many appearances on NBC's 'Today' show. She faced off against other top chefs on the Food Network's 'House of Knives' earlier in the spring. 'Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent — teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring,' the network said in a statement. Known for her bold and flavorful but not overly fancy dishes, and for her spiky platinum-blonde hairdo, Burrell and various co-hosts on 'Worst Cooks in America' led teams of kitchen-challenged people through a crash course in savory self-improvement. On the first show in 2010, contestants presented such unlikely personal specialties as cayenne pepper and peanut butter on cod, and penne pasta with sauce, cheese, olives and pineapple. The accomplished chefs had to taste the dishes to evaluate them, and it was torturous, Burrell confessed in an interview with The Tampa Tribune at the time. Still, Burrell persisted through 27 seasons, making her last appearance in 2024. 'If people want to learn, I absolutely love to teach them,' she said on ABC's 'Good Morning America' in 2020. 'It's just them breaking bad habits and getting out of their own way.' Burrell was born Sept. 21, 1969, in the central New York town of Cazenovia, where her parents ran a flower store. She earned an English and communications degree from Canisius University and went on to a job as a headhunter but hated it, she said in a 2008 interview with The Post-Standard of Syracuse. Having always loved cooking, she soon enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America, for which she later taught. She graduated in 1996, spent a year at an Italian culinary school and then worked in upscale New York City restaurants for a time. 'Anytime Anne Burrell gets near hot oil, I want to be around,' Frank Bruni, then-food critic at the New York Times, enthused in a 2007 review. By the next year, Burrell was hosting her own Food Network show, 'Secrets of a Restaurant Chef,' and her TV work became a focus. Over the years she also wrote two cookbooks, 'Cook Like a Rock Star' and 'Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower,' and was involved with food pantries, juvenile diabetes awareness campaigns and other charities. Burrell's own tastes, she said, ran simple. She told The Post-Standard her favorite food was bacon and her favorite meal was her mother's tuna fish sandwich. 'Cooking is fun,' she said. 'It doesn't have to be scary. It's creating something nurturing.' Survivors include her husband, Stuart Claxton, whom she married in 2021, and his son, her mother and her two siblings. 'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world,' the family said in a statement released by the Food Network.
Washington Post
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Food Network star Anne Burrell dies at 55
Anne Burrell, a beloved Food Network star and the longtime host of 'Worst Cooks in America,' died on Tuesday in her New York home, her family confirmed. She was 55. 'Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,' her family said in a statement. 'Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.'
Fox News
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Anne Burrell, Food Network star, dead at 55
Food Network star Anne Burrell has died. She was 55. The channel announced Burrell's death in a post that was shared to Instagram on Tuesday. "We are deeply saddened to share the news that beloved chef, Anne Burrell, passed away this morning," the caption read. "Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent – teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring. Our thoughts are with Anne's family, friends and fans during this time of tremendous loss." Representatives for Burrell shared a statement from the "Worst Cooks in America" host's family in a press release that was obtained by People magazine. "Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered," Burrell's family said in a statement on Tuesday. "Anne's light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal." Fox News Digital has reached out to Burrell's representatives.
