Anne Burrell, Food Network Star And Queer Culinary Trailblazer, Dies At 55

Anne Burrell, the instantly recognizable Food Network chef known for her coiffed platinum hair, booming laugh, and passion for demystifying the kitchen, has died. She was 55.

Authorities responded to a 911 call on Tuesday morning reporting a possible cardiac arrest at Burrell’s home in Brooklyn. She was found unconscious and pronounced dead at the scene. The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet released an official cause of death. Just the night before, she took the stage for an improv performance at The Second City New York in Brooklyn, according to her Instagram.

Burrell’s family and the Food Network confirmed the news later on Tuesday. “Anne was a remarkable person and culinary talent – teaching, competing and always sharing the importance of food in her life and the joy that a delicious meal can bring,” the network said in a statement. Her family added, “Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend – her smile lit up every room she entered. 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.”

For over two decades, Burrell was a force on television, appearing across Food Network’s slate of competition and instructional shows. She led Secrets of a Restaurant Chef for nine seasons and co-hosted Worst Cooks in America for 27 seasons between 2010 and 2024. She also showed up regularly on Chopped, Food Network Star, and Iron Chef America, where she got her start as Mario Batali’s sous-chef.

Burrell brought the same intensity to competition as she did to teaching. “She was the most competitive person ever,” recalled Worst Cooks co-star Scott Conant. “I beat her on Worst Cooks once for a special. My team beat her team. She didn’t talk to me for three months after that, she was so angry.” He added: “She was unapologetic and defined herself and told her story through food.”

A queer woman who was once engaged to chef Koren Grieveson, Burrell later married Stuart Claxton, a marketing executive she met on Bumble. She became a stepmother to Claxton’s son Javier, and spoke often about the importance of joy in both food and family. In April, she told Tasting Table, “I truly in my heart feel that your food knows how you’re feeling when you cook it and it reacts accordingly. I like to put happy and joy into my food, and it’s not so serious.”

That blend of emotion, humor, and skill extended to her writing. She authored two best-selling cookbooks, Cook Like a Rock Star and Own Your Kitchen, both infused with her trademark voice and strong opinions. “She hated pepper,” said her longtime collaborator Suzanne Lenzer. “She said it was a spice like horseradish. Why would you put pepper on everything?”

Before her television career, Burrell trained at the Culinary Institute of America and studied in Italy, where she deepened her love of rustic, traditional cooking. She worked at beloved New York restaurants like Felidia and Savoy before opening her own short-lived but fondly remembered spot, Phil & Anne’s Good Time Lounge, in Brooklyn.

Burrell was also an educator, formerly teaching at the Institute of Culinary Education, and she often described herself as someone who wanted to make cooking approachable for everyone, especially the so-called “worst cooks.”

In addition to her family, Anne Burrell leaves behind countless fans, students, and aspiring chefs, many of whom saw themselves reflected in her confident, offbeat, deeply joyful approach to life in and out of the kitchen.