Anne Burrell facts for kids
Anne Burrell in 2024
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| Born | September 21, 1969 Cazenovia, New York, U.S. |
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| Died | June 17, 2025 (aged 55) New York City, U.S. |
| Education | The Culinary Institute of America Canisius College Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners |
| Spouse |
Stuart Claxton
(m. 2021) |
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Previous restaurant(s)
Centro Vinoteca
Savoy Felidia |
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Television show(s)
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef
Worst Cooks in America Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell Vegas Chef Prizefight |
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Anne W. Burrell (September 21, 1969 – June 17, 2025) was a famous American chef and television star known for her spiky blonde hair and fun personality. She taught cooking at the Institute of Culinary Education and hosted several shows on the Food Network, including Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and Worst Cooks in America.
Burrell also worked as a sous chef (a chef's second-in-command) for Iron Chef Mario Batali on the show Iron Chef America. She appeared on many other Food Network shows, like The Best Thing I Ever Ate. She competed in shows like The Next Iron Chef and Chopped, where she won a special All-Stars tournament in 2015. She died on June 17, 2025, at her home in Brooklyn.
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Early Life and Schooling
Anne Burrell was born on September 21, 1969, in Cazenovia, a town in New York. After high school, she went to Canisius College in Buffalo, New York. In 1991, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Communications.
Even with her degree, Burrell realized her true passion was for cooking. A year later, she signed up for classes at the famous Culinary Institute of America. She graduated in 1996 with a special degree in cooking. To learn even more, she traveled to Italy to study at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners.
Career as a Chef
Working in Restaurants
After finishing her studies in Italy, Burrell decided to stay and work there for nine months. She worked at several restaurants, including a small one in Tuscany called La Bottega del '30.
When she returned to the United States, she became a sous chef at Felidia, a restaurant owned by the well-known chef Lidia Bastianich. Later, she became the head chef at a restaurant called Savoy. Burrell then took a break from restaurants to teach at the Institute of Culinary Education.
Soon, she was back in the kitchen. She became the executive chef at Centro Vinoteca, an Italian restaurant in New York City that opened in 2007. An executive chef is in charge of the entire kitchen. She left in 2008 because her television career was becoming very busy. In 2017, she opened her own restaurant in Brooklyn called Phil & Anne's Good Time Lounge, which closed about a year later.
Becoming a TV Star
In 2005, Chef Mario Batali asked Burrell to be one of his sous chefs on the Food Network show Iron Chef America. This was her first big step into television, and she continued to help him on the show for many years.
Her own Food Network show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, started in 2008. In the show, she taught viewers how to cook restaurant-quality meals at home. In 2010, she began co-hosting Worst Cooks in America with another chef. In this fun reality show, contestants with very poor cooking skills went through a "culinary boot camp" to become better cooks. Burrell's team often won the competition.
She also competed in several TV cooking contests. In 2011, she was a contestant on The Next Iron Chef. She also competed in Chopped All-Stars, a tournament with other Food Network stars. In 2015, she won the tournament and earned $75,000 for the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, a charity that helps people with diabetes.
From 2012 to 2013, she hosted another show called Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell, where she helped restaurants find the perfect head chef.
Personal Life
Anne Burrell married Stuart Claxton on October 16, 2021. She died at her home in Brooklyn, New York, on June 17, 2025. She was 55 years old.
