Last week’s news of beloved chef Anne Burrell’s untimely passing sent shockwaves through the community. Countless celebrities and Food Network stars shared tributes to the late chef, and many of her devoted fans hit up the grocery store to recreate some of her most iconic dishes. As a longtime host and personality, the name “Anne Burrell” is practically synonymous with the network, so it’s little surprise that the Food Network has announced its plans for a special tribute to the chef later this week.
“As a tribute to Anne Burrell, we’ll be celebrating her with a special selection of episodes that will highlight her extraordinary talent as a chef, competitor, and teacher. Tune in on Wednesday, June 25 beginning at 10pm ET/PT,” the Food Network’s Instagram post stated. The post then went on to give details about the upcoming season of Worst Cooks in America, which marks Burrell’s final appearance as a mentor on the series.
However, fans were quick to express their thoughts on the planned tribute. “I’m surprised you guys haven’t been playing reruns since this happened. She definitely deserves a better time slot than 10 PM,” commented one fan.
“10 PM? That’s no good…Please give Chef Anne the celebration she deserves,” wrote another.
“10 PM feels a bit disrespectful,” one person summed up.
In addition to not being happy with what is perceived as a less than ideal time slot, fans objected what they perceived as a too-short tribute. “Anne Burrell deserves a full week not just a day,” commented one fan. “She was one of a kind and she should be remembered properly.”
“To be honest you could run a marathon of Chef Anne moments all week long. I’ve been a faithful Food Network fan for 20 years and this sucks,” another person stated.
Honestly, it is an odd time to air a tribute to one of the network’s all-time greats. Perhaps Food Network will take notice of the fans’ grievances and pay proper homage to a chef who deserves it.
