Anne Burrell, Food Network's first
openly gay chef to host his/her own show, has said her being gay
should not be an issue.
The 43-year-old Burrell, who hosts
Secrets of a Restaurant Chef and also appears on Worst
Cooks in America and
Iron Chef America, in May told
The New York Post's Page Six that
she is currently dating a woman, marking the first time she has
publicly discussed her sexual orientation.
Burrell made the
statement after Food Network personality Ted Allen, who is openly
gay, inadvertently outed her during a radio interview.
Citing unnamed
sources, Page Six reported that Burrell's girlfriend is
another top James Beard Award-winning chef and that Burrell appeared
alarmed when she learned of Allen's comments.
In an interview
with food website The Braiser, Burrell said her sexuality is
“not a public thing.”
“I don't see why
it should be an issue,” Burrell
said. “I've worked really hard for my whole life and who I go
to bed with at night should never be an issue. It's a private thing,
it's not a public thing. And it doesn't excel or diminish anything
I've done professionally. To me, it should never be an issue. It
should never even be brought up.”
When asked her
feelings on claims the network is purposely not highlighting LGBT
chefs, Burrell said: “I don't think it should matter. I don't
think that it should purposefully be dismissed or embraced. People
are who they are. Accept everybody for who they are, rise above it
and get past it. It doesn't need to be an issue.”