What did Duff Goldman reveal about Anne Burrell? Pastry chef opens up about their "complex relationship"

Duff Goldman, the TV personality and pastry chef, recently opened up about his relationship with Anne Burrell, the host of the Food Network show Secrets of a Restaurant Chef, after the news of Anne's passing came out on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

Goldman shared an Instagram post featuring a picture of Anne with him, along with a long and emotional caption in which he mentioned the 'complex relationship' the two shared. He wrote:

''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.''

Duff Goldman reveals the bond he shared with Anne Burrell

The shocking news of Anne's passing broke on Tuesday, according to the Daily Mail. The exact cause of her death is not yet known. In the Instagram post that Goldman shared, he wrote about their initial encounter. This is what he said:

''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. 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 b******s win.” She never did.''

Goldman then reflected on how their paths diverged. He said:

''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.''

Goldman then mentioned how he met Anne while he was attending a New York City gala a year or two ago. While attending the event with his wife and daughter, he took his daughter out to the lobby to give her a break from hearing all the speeches. He then said that he was playing with marble columns with his daughter, and that's when he saw Anne.

He then said:

''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.''

Goldman continued:

''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.''

Goldman ended his heartfelt tribute by saying:

Trending

''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.''

Anne was also a co-host of Worst Cooks in America and an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education.

×

Was this article helpful?

Thank You for feedback