The Epiphany That Changed Anne Burrell’s Life Forever
Food Network fans definitely know her by name. If not, they’d certainly recognize Anne Burrell, 50, and her signature head of spiky blond hair on sight — she’s hard to miss!
Not just because of her trademark look but also because of her bold, loud, effervescent personality. Plus, the recently engaged Burrell has a reputation for being a genuinely nice person in real life, too, which makes her stick out in fans’ minds.
Her Food Network series Secrets of a Restaurant Chef is super popular because of Burrell’s ability to make complex food seem easy for anyone to make. She really tries to target the kind of chef who just wants to make something good in their own home kitchen.
Burrell’s fun personality makes it easy to follow along with everything she is doing. Plus, her bold flavors match her nature in the best way. Fans of that series and the other places she appears on Food Network (like Worst Chefs in America) have made Burrell a household name among foodies.
Anne Burrell has an incredible culinary background
Sometimes people question the talent of TV chefs, but anyone who has watched Burrell in action knows she’s the real deal.
Burrell started her journey at the Culinary Institute of America. After that, she went to live in Italy for a year, so she could study at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners. While she was there, she worked at the Michelin starred Tuscan restaurant La Bottega del’ 30. Bellissimo!
Back stateside, Burrell went on to work at famous New York restaurants like Felida, Savoy, and Centro Vinoteca. Then in 2011, Burrell released her first cookbook, Cook Like A Rock Star. It became a New York Times bestseller and was followed by Own Your Kitchen in 2013.
Both books are a blend of everything she loves about food as informed by her unique experiences. They’re Burrell’s way of sharing the cozy, rustic, flavorful she’s known for making.
Burrell truly helps restaurants with their businesses on ‘Chef Wanted’
One of the many shows Burrell is known for is Chef Wanted. On this show, she visits elite restaurateurs to help them decide which executive chef job candidate suits the needs of their restaurant the best. A restaurant succeeds or fails on the back of its executive chef, so it’s basically the most important decision a restaurateur ever makes.
The show reveals a side of the restaurant business that not everyone knows and it’s cool to see Burrell flex her extensive expertise. Like everything else she appears on, the show has been a hit and has helped make Burrell an even bigger star than she was before.
At 23, Burrell had an epiphany that flipped her world upside down
Well before Food Network, even before her first day at Culinary Institute of America, Burrell had a job she hated. In fact, she hated it so much that it sparked an epiphany that changed the entire course of her life.
As Burrell describes it via AOL: “I had a horrible job. I remember everything about the moment. I said I’m 23 years old and I’m too young to be this miserable, so I’m going to go to culinary school.” Figuring out that her job was making her miserable caused Burrell to really evaluate what her priorities should be, then she set to work making them happen.
She continues, “I got a job as a prep cook, washing lettuce, cleaning shrimp and cutting vegetables. [I] just really want[ed] to work hard and put my hands on food. I did that for a year and then I went to the Culinary Institute of America.”
It’s a good thing she did because Burrell has managed to make an incredible culinary legacy for herself, at the Food Network and beyond.
