anne Burl leaves behind a fortune and

legacy that warms hearts when celebrity

chef and television personality Anne

Burl passed away on June 17th 2025 at

the age of 55 the culinary world mourned

the loss of one of its brightest boldest

voices known for her signature platinum

spikes fierce personality and

unstoppable energy in the kitchen Anne’s

presence was more than just entertaining

she was transformational

behind the fame Anne crafted a life of

purpose generosity and fierce

independence her legacy includes not

just a fortune amassed over decades of

work but a carefully designed plan to

keep inspiring and supporting others

long after she was gone early life and

culinary awakening anne W burl was born

on September 21st 1969 in Kazanovia New

York a picturesque village in upstate

New York that remained close to her

heart throughout her life she was raised

in a supportive family that valued

self-expression and independence her

earliest memories of food she often said

were of her mother’s rustic home cooking

and of Sunday dinners that taught her

how food could connect people deeply

after earning a degree in English and

communications from Kenius College in

Buffalo Burl briefly considered a career

in media but the call of the kitchen

proved louder she enrolled in the

Culinary Institute of America CIA where

she graduated in 1996 with honors and

later trained in Italy at the Italian

Culinary Institute for Foreigners her

time in Italy shaped her cooking

philosophy permanently food should be

simple flavorful honest and made with

love from line cook to television star

anne Burl’s early kitchen years were far

from glamorous she started as a line

cook and sue chef working in some of New

York City’s toughest restaurants

including Felidia Seavoi and Centro

Venoteeka where she earned praise for

her bold flavors and leadership she

first appeared on Food Network as Mario

Batali’s Sue Chef on Iron Chef America

where her charisma and confidence

quickly stood out that appearance

launched a new chapter in her career

television

in 2008 she premiered her first solo

show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef

bringing pro techniques into home

kitchens with clarity and sass the

success of the show led to Worst Cooks

in America where Anne served as a tough

love mentor to kitchen noviceses and

later Chef Wanted where she helped

restaurants find executive chefs her

media career spanned nearly two decades

and included 14 plus Food Network shows

hosted co-hosted or judged guest

appearances on talk shows cooking

competitions and charity specials voice

over work including animated food

education videos a YouTube series filmed

from her home kitchen during the COVID

19 pandemic cause of death and her final

battle anne passed away from

complications related to dermatomyioitis

a rare autoimmune disease that causes

progressive muscle weakness skin

inflammation and fatigue she had been

quietly battling the condition for over

a year but chose to keep it private

preferring to continue her work and

spend time with loved ones without

public scrutiny according to her husband

Stuart Claxton Anne approached her

illness as she did everything else with

courage humor and resilience even as her

physical strength declined she continued

to film write and mentor students her

final public appearance was a virtual

cooking class streamed just two weeks

before her death where fans noticed her

slightly slower movements but still felt

her full warmth and wit she passed

peacefully at home in Kazanovia

surrounded by family a personal life

anchored in love and loyalty though

fiercely independent Anne found lasting

love later in life in 2021 she married

Stuart Claxton a marketing executive in

a lakeside ceremony in her hometown the

couple who met on a dating app during

the pandemic were often described as

polar opposites he was quiet and

methodical while she was loud and

spontaneous but together they balanced

each other beautifully anne was also a

devoted sister and aunt and kept strong

relationships with her mother and

extended family throughout her life she

was fiercely loyal to her circle often

describing her close friends and

colleagues as chosen family her longtime

assistant sue chefs and production team

members remained with her for over a

decade the fortune she left behind

anne’s net worth at the time of her

passing was estimated at 8 to10 million

accumulated through salaries and

production contracts from Food Network

cookbook advances and royalties private

dining events retreats and cooking tours

restaurant consulting and equity stakes

in small hospitality ventures real

estate investments in New York City and

Kasanovia

what shocked many wasn’t the size of her

estate but how she chose to use it her

final will allocated $3 million toward

the Anne Burough Culinary Scholarship

Fund administered in partnership with

the James Beard Foundation the fund

supports women LGBTQ plus individuals

and first generation students attending

accredited culinary programs $1.2 $2

million divided among former contestants

students and mentees some of whom were

gifted personalized notes mentorship

opportunities and startup funds for

restaurants and food trucks

contributions to animal shelters

domestic violence shelters and No Kid

Hungry one of her longtime charitable

partners

remaining assets placed in a trust for

her husband and extended family with

specific provisions to maintain her

garden archive her recipes and preserve

her home kitchen as a culinary learning

space a teaching legacy anne’s greatest

pride was not in her celebrity but in

her ability to teach she saw herself as

an educator first whether coaching

contestants on worst cooks teaching

classes at the Institute of Culinary

Education or guiding fans through

cookbooks Anne broke complex skills into

relatable language she taught with fire

but also with empathy often taking

students aside to remind them “Mistakes

don’t define you what you do next does.”

Over her lifetime she taught or mentored

over 6,000 students directly through

classroom and show instruction and

inspired millions more remotely

philosophy of Flavor anne’s culinary

philosophy was rooted in boldness

balance and joy she believed in

embracing salt and fat unapologetically

finding confidence in your own taste

buds and cooking from instinct as much

as from instruction key tenants of her

food philosophy included “Brown food

tastes good.” Her most iconic quote

referring to the flavorbuilding magic of

proper searing own your kitchen

confidence is the most important

ingredient garlic and olive oil fix

almost anything self-explanatory period

her food was rustic Italian inspired and

deeply personal meals meant to be shared

not just plated her best known recipes

include garlic shrimp scampy with lemon

spaghetti amatricana brazed short ribs

with gremlada roasted cauliflower with

capers and breadcrumbs flowerless

chocolate cake with sea salt funeral and

final wishes anne’s final wishes were

followed with love and care her memorial

was held outdoors under a tent near the

lake in Kasanovia there were no pews no

somber music just a long table filled

with food candles laughter and music she

requested no black clothing guests were

encouraged to wear bright colors and

aprons a menu of her favorite dishes

served family style queens don’t stop me

now to close the ceremony her ashes to

be scattered in her herb garden next to

the rosemary she called her muse

attendees included celebrity chefs Food

Network executives former students and

neighbors many of whom brought

handwritten notes and shared stories

about how she changed their lives legacy

projects and the road ahead anne Burl’s

presence continues in tangible ways

projects under development include Anne

Burl A Life in Flavor a televised

documentary set for release in late 2025

the Ann Burl Culinary Archive a digital

library of recipes video lessons and

personal journals donated to the

Culinary Institute of America an annual

cooking competition and grant program

for underrepresented culinary students

launching in 2026 her unfinished third

cookbook Spice and Soul: Lessons from My

Kitchen Table scheduled for postumous

release with contributions from those

she mentored what Anne meant to the

world anne Burl made us laugh learn and

believe in our own kitchens she made

food fun again and through that fun she

passed down wisdom strength and a

reminder that confidence is a skill you

can learn one meal at a time whether she

was searing pork chops on TV mentoring a

terrified contestant or sending a

handwritten note to a student who needed

encouragement Anne gave people

permission to be bold her fire may be

gone but her flame endures