NEW YORK (AP) – Chef Anne Burrell, known for guiding aspiring cooks on “America’s Worst Cooks,” died Tuesday at her home in New York. She was 55 years old.
The Food Network, where Burrell began her television career with “Iron Chef America” and starred in various other programs, confirmed her passing. The cause of death is not yet known, and an autopsy is planned.
Before 8 AM on Tuesday, police responded to her home and found an unresponsive woman who was pronounced dead at the scene. While the police did not release her name, records indicate the address belonged to Burrell.
Burrell was last seen on television in April. During one of her many segments on NBC’s “Today” show, she prepared a chicken milanese cutlet topped with an escarole salad. Earlier in the spring, she competed against other chefs on Food Network’s “House of Knife.”
“Anne was a remarkable person and a culinary talent,” the network stated. “She taught, competed, and always emphasized the joy that delicious food can bring.”
Her dishes were bold and flavorful but not overly extravagant. With her distinctive platinum blonde hair, Burrell, alongside various co-hosts on “America’s Worst Cooks,” guided participants through their culinary struggles in a refreshingly entertaining way.
Since the show’s debut in 2010, contestants showcased some unusual specialties, featuring ingredients like cod, penne pasta with sauce, cheese, olives, pineapple, cayenne pepper, and peanut butter. “Tasting the dishes was torture,” Burrell admitted once in an interview. Yet, she continued for 27 seasons, with her final episode slated for 2024.
“If people want to learn, I’m more than happy to teach them,” she shared during an appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America” in 2020.
Born on September 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, New York, Burrell came from a family that ran a flower shop. She earned a degree in English and Communications from Canisius University and initially worked as a headhunter, a job she found unsatisfying, as she stated in a 2008 interview.
Her passion for cooking led her to enroll at the American Culinary Institute, where she graduated in 1996. She also attended the Italian Culinary School and spent time working at a high-end restaurant in New York City.
Food critic Frank Bruni once expressed his admiration in a 2007 review: “Whenever Anne Burrell approaches hot oil, I want to be around.”
By the following year, she was hosting her own show on the Food Network, “The Secrets of a Restaurant Chef.” Over the years, her television work became central to her career. She authored two cookbooks, “Cook Like a Rock Star” and “Own Your Kitchen: Recipes for Inspiration and Empowerment,” and participated in various charitable efforts, including food pantries and juvenile diabetes awareness campaigns.
In terms of personal taste, Burrell kept it simple, stating that bacon was her favorite food, and her mother’s tuna fish sandwich was her go-to meal.
“Cooking is fun,” she once said. “There’s no need to be scared; we are creating something wonderful.”
She is survived by her husband, Stuart Claxton, whom she married in 2021, along with her son, mother, and two siblings.
Her family remarked, “Anne’s light radiates far beyond those she knew, touching millions around the world,” in a statement issued by the Food Network.
