Anne Burrell on Dive Bars, Worst Cooks, and Her Dream Wedding

The Food Network star sits down with Broken Palate for a chat about everything

With her shock of cotton candy platinum blonde hair, Anne Burrell is one of the most recognized and loved Food Network celebrities.

The chef, who has her work cut out for her trying to turn truly horrendous cooks into chefs on the show, Worst Cooks in America, is a CIA graduate who worked in some of the finest restaurants in New York, including Felidia and Centro Vinoteca. Burrell is also the author of several cookbooks, including New York Times bestselling, Cook Like a Rock Star.

Burrell is a frequent participant at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, where she entertains fans with her over-the-top culinary demonstrations. The chef is also usually spotted around South Beach during festival weekend, visiting favorite haunts like Joe’s Stone Crab and Mac’s Club Deuce, a quintessential dive bar that was frequented by Anthony Bourdain.

Broken Palate sat down with Burrell at the W South Beach hotel for a chat before the chef was off to host the festival’s A Taste of Italy event.

Burrell talked about everything from the joy of catching up with fellow chefs each year at the South Beach Wine & Food Festival to her ultimate bucket list dream: to dance on the top of Mac’s Club Deuce’s winding bar.

The conversation turned to her recent marriage to marketing executive, Stuart Claxton, and the special moments she shared with the women of her family. “My mom, my sister, and I rode in a horse and carriage. It was such a beautiful time with my mom and my sister and my nieces,” she says. “Three generations of family. There were such happy, lovely, beautiful vibes.”