A culinary legacy was lost earlier this week with the passing of Chef Anne Burrell.
Chefs from all culinary avenues have spoken out about the legacy Anne Burrell left.
Alex Guarnaschelli
Iron Chef Guarnaschelli posted a heartfelt message about Anne on her Instagram page.
“On her wedding day, I tapped Anne Burrell on the shoulder and snapped the second impromptu photo here. She was so excited to get married and celebrate life and no one does it with the level of genuine, unbridled gusto she does. In fact, no one comes close.”
“She was excited to add doting wife and stepmother to her extensive resume of achievements.”
“Anne called herself a girl chef and inspired many others to follow suit. I watched her expertly roll cannoli shells on Iron Chef America and soon learned that if she ever made a raviolo or seafood, any fellow competition could save time and take a seat on the bench because she’d wipe the floor with everyone.”
“She loved her friends and cats fiercely and didn’t let a second of life go by without savoring every last bit. She rehearsed her wedding dance and I told her I’d never seen such preparation for effortless love and happiness. Chef Anne drew with Sharpies on hands that didn’t cut the food right and sent us on a quest for “brown food that tastes good”. Those high standards, pirate cooking lore and recipe repertoire will live on in kitchens everywhere.”
Tyler Florence
Anne’s Worst Cooks co-star posted the following message on IG. “If you can make it on the @foodnetwork, you’re lucky.”
“Not only do you get a chance to share your passion for food and cooking with millions of people, but your colleagues… the ones you work with, hang out with, travel the world with, go to food festivals with and learn from – that’s the true gift.”
“We lost Anne today… My co-star on her hit show Worst Cooks in America for 7 seasons. I’m heartbroken. So are Tolan and the kids. She loved our family deeply. We spent our summers in NYC filming WC’s and we all went out to dinner once a week as a big family. If we had the next day off, we would stay out late and drink Italian reds and laugh.”
“No one was funnier. She was Mensa smart with razor wit and sincere kindness. She loved animals, especially her cats. Anne owned New York City. She was recognized everywhere. The city loved her. We would go to Rangers games and she and I would make it on the Jumbotron at MSG and people would recognize her crazy hair and fall all over her. She lit up the room.”
“A very special person who shared her love of cooking with a generation. I was lucky to have a front row seat to watch her gift. She was an incredible Chef and I learned a lot from her, as we all do with one another. Anne had a collage of star tattoos on her left arm. I asked her what they meant and she said she loved the night sky. And, how lucky she felt to be a star. She was one of the brightest. There’s a new star in the sky tonight. I see you Anne. With all your sparkle, looking down. Thank you for sharing your gift with us. We’re all lucky.”
Melba Wilson
The Food Network personality told TMZ that Chef Anne was “healthy and vibrant” before her untimely passing. “Anne was fine.”
“To hear yesterday that she’s no longer with us is devastating. It’s shocking. It’s unbelievable to know that someone so full of life is no longer with us.”
Melba attended Anne’s birthday party “a month and a half ago.” The late TV personality was “dancing” and “had an amazing time.”
“That’s why this is such a big shock to us. She was healthy, she was vibrant, and she was beautiful.”
Bobby Flay
“Worst Cooks in America was the funnest show on TV,” began Bobby. “All of your co-hosts (me included) were just alongside for the Anne Burrell ride.”
The iconic Mesa Grill restaurateur will remember Anne for an “unforgettable” reason. “The greatest gift I got from AB was turning me on to a world of Maine Coon Cats (including Nacho)… a gift that I’ll have forever.”
Carla Hall
The Top Chef alum “absolutely loved” working with Anne, describing her as a “fierce” chef and instructor.
Carla remembers her “unforgettable big smile.” She added, “Anne, you brought so much heart and heat to every kitchen. You. Will. Be. Missed.”
Duff Goldman
“I’ve written and re-written this post so many times in the past 24 hours. I just don’t know what to say,” Duff wrote. “Anne and I became friends in probably 2006.”
“She was going through some stuff. I had heard that she was feeling it. So, on a trip to NYC from Baltimore, I had made her a cake that said ‘Don’t let the bastards win.’ She never did.”
“That conversation left my heart lifted and full of light, for it truly seemed to me that Anne really had found a measure of happiness and love. Life is tough, and we have to be tough to get through it.”
Duff added, “Anne was as tough as they come. But, when you got past the armor there was a depth of compassion and kindness that was absolutely beautiful. My heart sings when I think of the love and tranquility that it seems Anne had found recently.”
Rachael Ray
The 30 Minute Meals host, who was a bridesmaid in Anne’s wedding, responded to the news on IG.
“The news about Anne has truly shaken us. John and I are heartbroken. I can’t quite believe it — such a strong, vibrant, fearless woman, so full of life and love, could be gone so soon.”
“Anne was a rockstar! I came to know her well through multiple seasons of Worst Cooks on Food Network, and she became so much more than a colleague. Despite being surrounded by incredible chefs, she never once made me feel self-conscious about not being one. She always treated me as one of the gang. When we hosted Worst Cooks together, we had the most incredible laughs. She even cooked for me and my guests at my wedding anniversary in Italy.”
“I’ll never forget walking into our dressing rooms at Food Network studios early in the morning and hearing her blasting the song of the moment down the hall. Anne had great taste in music and in life — she was a force in the kitchen, in any room, in every life she touched.”
“I’ll miss her friendship deeply. Everyone whose life she touched will miss her. Sending love to Stuart and everyone who knew and loved Anne. We’ve lost someone truly special.”
