Netflix’s ‘Next Gen Chef’ finale pays a heartfelt tribute to the late chef, Anne Burrell

Beloved culinary chef Anne Burrell's final television appearance aired posthumously on Netflix's 'Next Gen Chef' finale. Her judging skills were highly praised as they displayed trademark humor, honesty, and even touching farewell quotes about food. 

As everyone remembered the late chef, the finale showed a heartfelt tribute: 'In memory of Chef Anne Burrell.'

Anne Burrell has garnered a huge fan following as they have all seen for decades on Food Network, including Secrets of a Restaurant Chef to Worst Cooks in America.

While seeing the final episode was a bittersweet moment, fans got to see Burrell one final time on her final Worst Cooks season aired from July 28 through Sept. 1. This was weeks before Next Gen Chef premiered, while giving the late chef one "last summer of on-screen life and laughter".

Anne Burrell passed away on Tuesday, June 17, in her Brooklyn home. She was 55 years old. 

Looking back at Anne Burrell’s culinary career on Food Network

Food Network audiences were first introduced to Anne Burrell as a sous chef on Iron Chef America. The late chef's charisma and culinary skills led to huge success, while she soon got her own Emmy-nominated show, Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, which premiered back in 2008 and had a successful run for nine seasons.

Anne Burrell soon became a known face on Food Network while appearing on Chef Wanted, Chopped, Food Network Star, and was recently seen on the competition series House of Knives, which premiered in March 2025. 

Chopped judge Scott Conant paid a heartfelt tribute to the late chef while remembering their 30-plus years of friendship. While posting a picture on social media, Scott Conant wrote, 

“This loss has deeply affected me. Anne and I shared a long, vibrant journey through the world of Italian restaurants in the ’90s and 2000s,” writes Conant. “We were friends for over 30 years, sharing countless laughs, navigating life's challenges, even swapping astrologers and fortune tellers."

A little sneak peek into Anne Burrell’s personal life 

Anne Burrell was married to Stuart Claxton, as the two met on the popular dating app, Bumble, back in 2018.

As sparks flew between the two, the pair soon  got engaged in 2020 and walked down the aisle in October 2021.

"I have to say, I love being married," she told in an earlier interview to PEOPLE exclusively during City Harvest's 40th Anniversary Gala in April 2023. "We're together all the time because Stuart works from home. It's the being together all the time, but it's also the adventure together."

Anne Burrell's husband, Stuart Claxton, remembered his wife as he led what he described as a “big send-off”. It was a karaoke sing-along to  Billy Joel's classic track, ''Only the Good Die Young.”

The song is significant to the late culinary genius, as this track was the same song that Burrell quoted under her high-school yearbook photo, which said,

“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints. The sinners are much more fun.”

Stay tuned for more updates.