Anne Burrell, a fan-favorite Food Network star who appeared on Iron Chef, Worst Cooks in America, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and more, has died. She was 55.
Burrell’s family confirmed the news in a statement to People on Tuesday afternoon, revealing that the chef had died at home in Brooklyn earlier that day. They did not reveal her cause of death.
Born in Cazenovia, New York, Burrell completed prestigious training at the Culinary Institute of America and the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners before rising to fame in 2005, when she appeared as sous chef to Mario Batali on the Food Network series Iron Chef.
Burrell soon became a Food Network staple, hosting two series, Secrets of A Restaurant Chef, from 2008 to 2012, and Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell from 2012 to 2013, and appearing on several more, including Chopped and Food Network Star.
However, she was best known to viewers for her stint on the cooking competition series Worst Cooks in America, in which she coached contestants with poor kitchen skills to create restaurant-quality meals.
Most recently, Burrell appeared as a guest judge on the new Food Network competition series House of Knives, which premiered in March.
Off-screen, Burrell had a successful career in restaurants, becoming the executive chef of the now-shuttered Centro Vinoteca in New York’s West Village in 2007. She later opened her own restaurant, Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge, in 2017, though it closed the following year.
Burrell was the author of two cookbooks, Cook Like A Rockstar and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower, and worked with several charities, including the City Harvest Food Council and the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.
Burrell is survived by her husband, Stuart Claxton; her stepson, Javier; her mother, Marlene; her brother, Ben; her sister, Jane; her nieces, Isabella and Amelia, and her nephew, Nicolas. Isabella appeared with her aunt in a 2017 episode of Worst Cooks in America.
Burrell was also a longtime friend to several of her Food Network co-stars, including Chopped judge Alex Guarnaschelli and celebrity chef Rachael Ray.
In their statement to People, Burrell’s family wrote, “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.”
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