| Anne Burrell | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Name: | Anne W. Burrell |
| Born: | September 21, 1969 |
| Birth Hometown: | Cazenovia, New York |
| Died: | June 17, 2025 (aged 55) |
| Place of death: | Brooklyn, New York City, New York |
| Occupation: | Chef Television personality Instructor |
| Years active: | 2005–2025 |
| Known for: | Co-hosting Worst Cooks In America |
Anne W. Burrell (September 21, 1969 – June 17, 2025) was a renowned American chef, television personality, and educator at the Institute of Culinary Education. She served as the host of the Food Network series Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and was a co-host on Worst Cooks in America. Additionally, she worked as one of Mario Batali's sous chefs on the Iron Chef America program and made appearances on various other shows on the network, including The Best Thing I Ever Ate.
Early life[]
Burrell was born in Cazenovia, New York, on September 21, 1969. She pursued her education at Canisius College in Buffalo, earning a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in English and Communications in 1991.
In 1992, Burrell began her studies at the Culinary Institute of America, where she completed her Associate in Occupational Studies (A.O.S.) in 1996. Additionally, she attended the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners located in Asti, a region in Piedmont.
Career[]
Restaurants[]
After her time at ICIF, Burrell stayed in Italy, gaining experience at different restaurants for nine months. She worked at La Bottega del '30, a quaint Tuscan restaurant that hosted one seating each evening.
Burrell returned to the United States to serve as a sous chef at Felidia, a restaurant owned by celebrity chef Lidia Bastianich. She then took on the role of chef at Savoy, a small prix fixe dining establishment. Following her tenure at Savoy, Burrell began teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education. Joseph Bastianich, Lidia Bastianich's son and restaurateur, alongside Chef Mario Batali, appointed Burrell as the chef for Italian Wine Merchants, their wine shop in New York.
Later, she became the executive chef at Centro Vinoteca, an Italian restaurant located in New York City's West Village that opened in 2007. She departed from the restaurant in September 2008 due to her packed schedule and various commitments. This exit also meant she would not join Gusto Ristorante, as both restaurants are part of the Mangia Hospitality Group. Burrell intended to launch her first restaurant in New York City in 2010. She opened Phil & Anne's Good Time Lounge in Brooklyn in the spring of 2017; however, by April 2018, the restaurant had closed its doors.
Television[]
In 2005, Iron Chef Mario Batali invited Burrell to work as one of his sous chefs, alongside chef and restaurateur Mark Ladner, for a pilot episode of Food Network's Iron Chef America series. She continued to assist him as his sous chef throughout his time on the show. Burrell's own Food Network series, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, premiered on June 29, 2008. In 2009, she made an appearance on another Food Network program, The Best Thing I Ever Ate, where chefs share their favorite dishes.
In 2010, Burrell and Chef Beau MacMillan co-hosted a Food Network reality series titled Worst Cooks in America. Burrell and her co-host guided contestants through a "culinary boot camp" as they aimed to improve their cooking skills. The first season debuted on January 3, 2010, where Chef Burrell triumphed when her recruit, Rachel Coleman, outperformed MacMillan's recruit, Jenny Cross.
The second season launched on January 2, 2011, with Chef MacMillan being replaced by Chef Robert Irvine. To up the ante, Irvine and Burrell placed a side bet, with Burrell risking her signature hair and Irvine betting on going platinum. Burrell emerged victorious in both the competition and the side bet, as her recruit, Joshie Berger, surpassed Irvine's recruit, Georg Coleman.
Additionally, in 2011, Burrell finished as the fourth runner-up in the culinary competition, The Next Iron Chef on the Food Network, being eliminated in the sixth week of the competition.
The third season of Worst Cooks in America kicked off on February 12, 2012, with Chef Bobby Flay as the new co-host/chef for this season. Chef Burrell once again won the competition, with her recruit Kelli Powers defeating Flay's recruit, Vinnie Caligiuri. The fourth season began on February 17, 2013, and it concluded with Flay's team finally claiming victory over Burrell's team, as his recruit, Alina Bolshakova, triumphed over Burrell's recruit, Rasheeda Brown.
She also participated as a contestant in the inaugural season of Chopped All-Stars Tournament, winning the "Food Network Personalities" preliminary round to reach the final round, where she finished as the second runner-up behind Nate Appleman (the winner) and Aarón Sanchez. In 2015, Burrell secured a win in the fourth version of the Chopped All-Stars tournament, earning $75,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Other projects[]
In 2009, Burrell made an appearance alongside fellow Food Network star Guy Fieri on the Guy Fieri Roadshow.
Burrell, together with Food Network personalities Sunny Anderson and Claire Robinson, took part in the 2009 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on the Food Network float.
In late 2011, Burrell served as the host for an 11-day Food Network cruise that sailed through the Mediterranean and across the Atlantic on the newly launched Celebrity Silhouette.
From June 2012 to October 2013, Burrell was the host of Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell on the Food Network, which aired for three seasons and a total of 36 episodes.
Personal life and death[]
In 2012, Burrell issued a statement revealing that she had been in a two-year relationship with her partner, chef Koren Grieveson, following cookbook author Ted Allen’s comments that suggested she had been outed on a radio program. Burrell contested the idea that she was outed, clarifying that she had never concealed her sexuality.
On December 31, 2012, Burrell took to Twitter to announce her engagement to Grieveson, but by 2018, she was in a relationship with Stuart Claxton. On April 21, 2020, Burrell shared that she and Claxton were engaged. The couple tied the knot on October 16, 2021.
Burrell passed away at her residence in Brooklyn, New York City, on June 17, 2025, at the age of 55. She was discovered unconscious and unresponsive around 7:50 AM Eastern Time, and emergency personnel declared her dead at the scene. Officials report that the New York City Fire Department received a 911 call indicating she may have suffered a cardiac arrest, but an official cause of death is still awaiting an autopsy by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.