June 17 (UPI) — Chef Anne Burrell died Tuesday at her Brooklyn, N.Y., home at age 55, People and Deadline confirmed via a statement from Burrell’s family.
No cause of death was given.
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Burrell hosted cooking shows such as Worst Cooks in America and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. She also appeared on many shows such as Next Iron Chef, The Best Thing I Ever Made, Chopped, Cutthroat Kitchen, Beat Bobby Flay and Rachael Ray.
She wrote two books, Cook Like a Rock Star and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower.
Anne Burrell, seen at the 2019 premiere of “The Loudest Voice” in New York City, died Tuesday at age 55. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI by John Angelillo/UPI© by John Angelillo/UPI
Per Food Network, Burrell studied at the Culinary Institute of America and the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. She was sous chef at Felidia in New York under Lidia Bastianich, chef at Savoy and executive chef at Lumi and Centro Vinoteca.
Burrell was a legendary chef but was best known as one of the Food Network’s most popular stars, having appeared in several of the network’s series including “Worst Cooks in America,” “Iron Chef America,” “Chef Wanted with Anne Burell” and “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” among many others.
Inspired by Julia Child and her own mother’s cooking talents, the New York native became enmeshed in the culinary scene when she enrolled in the Culinary Institute of America after graduating college with an English and Communications degree from Canisius College in Buffalo, according to a biography.
She went on to attend the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners following her grauation in 1996, where she served an apprenticeship at La Bottega del ‘30, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Umbria, Italy, according to the bio provided by the Food Network.
Upon her return to New York, Burrell rose the ranks in prestigious kitchens around the city before appearing in her first TV gig as a sous chef on Food Network’s “Iron Chef America” in 2005. Burrell appeared on the cooking challenge series for 10 season until 2013.
Burrell hosted her own series on the Food Network “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef” between 2008 and 2012, where she revealed accessible professional techniques that viewers could apply at home. The series was nominated for two Emmy awards in 2011 and ran for nine seasons.
Between 2010 and 2024, Burrell starred on “Worst Cooks in America,” serving as the host of the series that featured some of the so-called worst cooks across the country competing to cook for famed culinary critics and win a cash prize.
Following the success of “Secrets” and “Iron Chef America,” Burrell became a staple on the Food Network. She hosted her namesake series “Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell” between 2012 and 2013 and made several appearances on “Chopped” as a judge between 2011 and 2016.
Her work with Flay continued when she appeared as a captain on “BBQ Brawl: Flay V. Symon” in 2022-2023 and “Chopped: Beat Bobby Flay” between 2014 and 2023.
