By Kate Hill
Staff Writer
Celebrity chef Anne Burrell has spent the past month waiting out the COVID-19 pandemic in her hometown of Cazenovia.
Since her arrival, the chef has been passing the time in her mother’s kitchen, cooking for her family and filming videos to share with a national audience.
Burrell is a chef, television personality, and former instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education.
She grew up in Cazenovia, where her mother, Marlene, ran Flowers on Main Street in the village.
Burrell is a graduate of Canisius College and the Culinary Institute of America. She also studied at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners in Asti in the Piedmont region.
After cooking in some of New York City’s top restaurants, Burrell made her television debut as one of Mario Batali’s sous chefs in the “Iron Chef America” series.
Known for her trademark spiky blond hair and big personality, Burrell has become a Food Network regular, hosting “Secrets of a Restaurant Chef,” “Vegas Chef Prizefight” and “Worst Cooks in America,” and appearing on “The Best Thing I Ever Ate,” “The Next Iron Chef,” “Chopped All-Starts Tournament” and “Chef Wanted with Anne Burrell.”
She is also the author of “Cook Like a Rock Star,” and “Own Your Kitchen.”
Burrell discovered her interest in cooking in her mother’s kitchen.
“Anne was able to use my kitchen from the time she was about three years old, and she was always interested,” said Marlene. “She watched Julia Child regularly from the time she was probably four years old . . .When she first starting cooking on the TV programs, she would always say ‘My favorite thing my mom cooks for me is a tuna fish sandwich’ . . . She has far surpassed anything I knew how to do as far as the ingredients she uses and the things she makes. She’s always said that I’m a good cook, but it’s not the same kind of cooking that she does.”
Burrell arrived back in Cazenovia just before Saint Patrick’s Day with her boyfriend and his son.
“I see Anne maybe two times a year, so I feel kind of guilty,” Marlene said. “She came out of New York City before all of this started and now she’s going to be here for who knows how long. It’s been great having her here. With my daughter Jane [and her family] just around the corner, we actually have nine people, so for me, it’s not lonely . . . Having her cook from my kitchen has been eye opening and entertaining . . . She does all of the stuff she does for TV without a script and it’s quite amazing . . . She really has fun in the kitchen. She has tons of energy and makes people laugh.”
On March 30, ABC News aired a segment featuring Burrell preparing a canned bean chili recipe in Marlene’s kitchen.
In addition to filming segments for TV, Burrell has also been creating cooking videos and recipes to post on Instagram (@chefanneburrell) and Facebook.
Burrell started making the videos as a way to educate home cooks, to spend time with her family, and to help pass the time while waiting out the coronavirus.
“I’m a chef, but I am also a teacher,” Burrell said. “I’ve had a lot of people who have been on Worst Cooks in America reach out to me and say ‘Thank you, I don’t know what I would be doing if I didn’t have the cooking skills that I learned on the show.’ That made me think that there are a lot of people out there who just need a sparkle of an idea or [reassurance that cooking] is approachable and they can do it. Also, I would much rather be doing something than just sitting around. For me, the videos are really fun . . . The silver lining in all of this is that I’ve been able to be with my family for a month. When would I have the time to do that in any [other situation]? It’s a blessing to be able to be here.”
During her stay in Cazenovia, Burrell has made a point of cooking alongside each of her family members.
“She asks each person ‘What would you like to learn how to cook?’” Marlene said. “Nico, my 13-year-old grandson asked to make a burger. They made this great burger together and she posted it. The post has had [thousands of] hits.”
Burrell has also filmed videos with her niece and her sister, Jane Burrell Uzcategui, a Syracuse University nutrition instructor.
According to the chef, filming at home during the COVID-19 shutdown has presented a number of challenges.
“My mom has a great setup and it’s been really fun,” Burrell said. “It takes a lot of thought and prep work to be able to do these videos in a succinct way. There’s no time for swap-outs. My boyfriend’s son has been filming me and we are not really great at editing or anything like that, so it’s kind of like we’ve got one shot . . . and hopefully it all works out . . . Everything that we are doing is pretty much in real time . . . I’m trying to come up with recipes where I can get all the ingredients at Tops and Aldi, because that’s what we have here in Cazenovia. [I want to make sure that] everything is readily available even at this time of social distancing and sheltering. I know that sometimes things are harder to get, but I feel like Cazenovia has been pretty lucky in terms of what is available. That’s another reason that I am so thankful to be here. In New York City things are getting really tough.”
Burrell added that when she is thinking of things to cook, she must also consider a recipe’s length to ensure all of the ingredients and directions fit into her Instagram description.
In addition to preparing recipes for TV and online content, Burrell has been cooking dinner every night.
“The dinners are phenomenal,” Marlene said. “We get together — all nine of us — to cook, so it’s fun and it’s busy. Every day Anne goes around the table and asks ‘What was your high point and what was your low point of the day?’ It’s pretty fun and we get to know what everybody is thinking about this virus.”
During the COVID-19 crisis, Burrell is using her platform to promote organizations dedicated to supporting the restaurant industry and fighting hunger.
“Tonight there is an [event] to benefit City Harvest, which helps food banks in New York City [serve] people who are food insecure,” Burrell said. “[I try to do] whatever I can to give back and pay it forward. Restaurants are going through a really rough time right now across the board. They can’t afford to pay workers, and they are trying to keep their businesses alive and open by doing take-out . . . So many people are having so much trouble. This is a crazy, heartbreaking, difficult time.”
For more information about City Harvest, visit cityharvest.org.
The nineteenth season of Worst Cooks in America will premiere on May 10, 2020.
To learn more about chef Anne Burrell, visit anneburrell.com.
