Food Network’s Duff Goldman Shares Tribute to Late Anne Burrell: ‘As Tough as They Come’

Food Network’s Duff Goldman shared a heartfelt tribute to late celebrity chef Anne Burrell in the wake of her tragic death earlier this week.

Sharing a photo of himself with Burrell via his Instagram account on Thursday, June 18, Goldman, 50, reflected on his “complex” relationship with the late chef after meeting almost two decades ago.

“I’ve written and re-written this post so many times in the past 24 hours and I just don’t know what to say,” Goldman captioned the post. “Anne and I became friends in probably 2006. She was going through some stuff and I had heard that she was feeling it so on a trip to NYC from Baltimore I had made her a cake that said ‘Don’t let the bastards win.’ She never did.”

Goldman provided an insight into his relationship with Burrell, and acknowledged that it had its ups and downs. However, he said he always wished for the best for her.

“We had a complex relationship and I remember the last conversation we had before our paths drifted was a pretty feisty debate about the merits of catfish. I believe the words ‘trash fish,’ ‘tastes like mud,’ and ‘cake boy’ were used, haha,”  he shared. “Anne and I always had a spirited and somewhat acerbic back and forth. I really never knew why our paths drifted but I always hoped that wherever she was, Anne was doing well and was finding some happiness.”

In the caption, Goldman reflected on his memory of running into Burrell at a gala event with his daughter after years of not speaking to his fellow chef.

“Now, at this point we hadn’t spoken in years, and I won’t go into what we talked about but I will say that that conversation left my heart lifted and full of light, for it truly seemed to me that Anne really had found a measure of happiness and love,” he wrote. “Life is tough, and we have to be tough to get through it. Anne was as tough as they come, but when you got past the armor there was a depth of compassion and kindness that was absolutely beautiful.”

He continued: “My heart sings when I think of the love and tranquility that it seems Anne had found recently, and her genuine smile for my daughter and me in that lobby are what makes this tragedy just a little more bearable. Anne, wherever you are I hope they have slow moving rivers because when I get there, we’ll get a couple of rods, a pint of chicken livers, and a sixer and I’ll teach you how to catch and cook the best catfish you ever had. Rest up, chef. ❤️”

News broke on Tuesday, June 17 that Burrell had been found dead inside her Brooklyn home. She was 55.

“Anne was a beloved wife, sister, daughter, stepmother, and friend — her smile lit up every room she entered,” her family said in a statement to Us Weekly. “Anne’s light radiated far beyond those she knew, touching millions across the world. Though she is no longer with us, her warmth, spirit, and boundless love remain eternal.”