Anne Burrell, TV chef and coach on 'Worst Cooks in America,' dies at 55

Jennifer Peltz · The Associated Press

· Posted: Jun 18, 2025 9:36 AM EDT | Last Updated: 3 hours ago

TV cook Anne Burrell, who coached culinary fumblers done hundreds of episodes of Worst Cooks successful America, died Tuesday astatine her New York home. She was 55.

The Food Network, wherever Burrell began her two-decade tv vocation connected Iron Chef America and went connected to different shows, confirmed her death. The origin was not instantly clear, and aesculapian examiners were acceptable to behaviour an autopsy.

Police were called to her code earlier 8 a.m. Tuesday and recovered an unresponsive pistillate who was soon pronounced dead. The constabulary section did not merchandise the woman's name, but records amusement it was Burrell's address.

Burrell was connected TV screens arsenic precocious arsenic April, making chickenhearted Milanese cutlets topped with escarole crockery successful 1 of her galore appearances connected NBC's Today show. She faced disconnected against different apical chefs connected the Food Network's House of Knives earlier successful the spring.

"Anne was a singular idiosyncratic and culinary endowment — teaching, competing and ever sharing the value of nutrient successful her beingness and the joyousness that a delicious repast tin bring," the web said successful a statement.

Known for her bold and flavorful but not overly fancy dishes, and for her spiky platinum-blonde hairdo, Burrell and assorted co-hosts connected Worst Cooks successful America led teams of kitchen-challenged radical done a clang people successful savoury self-improvement.

On the archetypal amusement successful 2010, contestants presented specified improbable idiosyncratic specialities arsenic cayenne capsicum and peanut food connected cod, and penne pasta with sauce, cheese, olives and pineapple. The accomplished chefs had to sensation the dishes to measure them, and it was torturous, Burrell confessed successful an interrogation with The Tampa Tribune astatine the time.

Still, Burrell persisted done 27 seasons, making her past quality successful 2024.

"If radical privation to learn, I perfectly emotion to thatch them," she said connected ABC's Good Morning America in 2020. "It's conscionable them breaking atrocious habits and getting retired of their ain way."

'Cooking is fun'

Burrell was calved Sept. 21, 1969, successful the cardinal New York municipality of Cazenovia, wherever her parents ran a angiosperm store. She earned an English and communications grade from Canisius University and went connected to a occupation arsenic a headhunter but hated it, she said successful a 2008 interrogation with The Post-Standard of Syracuse.   

Having ever loved cooking, she soon enrolled successful the Culinary Institute of America, wherever she aboriginal taught. She graduated successful 1996, spent a twelvemonth astatine an Italian culinary schoolhouse and past worked successful upscale New York City restaurants for a time.   

"Anytime Anne Burrell gets adjacent blistery oil, I privation to beryllium around," Frank Bruni, then-food professional astatine the New York Times, enthused successful a 2007 review.

By the adjacent year, Burrell was hosting her ain Food Network show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, and her TV enactment became a focus. Over the years she besides wrote 2 cookbooks, Cook Like a Rock Star and Own Your Kitchen: Recipes to Inspire and Empower, and was progressive with nutrient pantries, juvenile diabetes consciousness campaigns and different charities.

Burrell's ain tastes, she said, ran simple. She told The Post-Standard her favourite nutrient was bacon and her favourite repast was her mother's tuna sandwich.

"Cooking is fun," she said. "It doesn't person to beryllium scary. It's creating thing nurturing."

Survivors see her husband, Stuart Claxton, whom she joined successful 2021, and his son, her parent and her 2 siblings.

"Anne's airy radiated acold beyond those she knew, touching millions crossed the world," the household said successful a connection released by the Food Network.