Whatever Happened To Anne Thornton From Food Network?

Anne Thornton's time as a Food Network host with her show "Dessert First" was brief and marred by rumors of plagiarism, one of the biggest scandals to hit the network. But that didn't stop the American pastry chef and food writer from continuing a career in food. Thornton studied at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City and has training in both culinary production and restaurant management on top of being a pastry chef.

In 2015, musician and notable animal rights activist Moby asked for Thornton's help in opening Los Angeles vegan restaurant Little Pine. The venture permanently closed in 2022, but the partnerships continued for Thornton. Online plant-based marketplace PlantX announced in 2021 it was collaborating with Thornton to create exclusive meals. Thornton also worked with prepared meal-delivery service CookUnity. Dishes crafted by Thornton include both sweet and savory. 2024 saw Thornton putting a unique twist to her usual vegan fare when she prepared a psilocybin-infused mushroom-based meal for Coveteur culture editor Andie Eisen. For a while, she also wrote essays on Substack.

"Dessert First with Anne Thornton" is likely one of those Food Network shows no one has thought about in years. As the title implies, the show's focus was on creating sweet treats and pastries. Shortly after "Dessert First" ended, New York Post published a story claiming a source close to the show's production had informed them the reason Food Network opted not to renew the series was because of plagiarism. Thornton was accused of copying recipes from "Barefoot Contessa" Ina Garten and Martha Stewart (who made you believe these lies about cooking). Thornton's luscious lemon squares and mascarpone-stuffed French toast were specifically named as being too similar to Garten's, with a frosting too close to Stewart's.

Food Network dismissed the accusation, saying the show's cancelation was due to poor performance. Thornton also denied the allegations, saying the Post article was the first she had heard this rumor. She acknowledged there could easily be similarities between her recipes and those of chefs that inspired her, telling The Post, "You take what you learn from them and then you riff on that." She further pointed out, "It's chemistry; it's not just cooking. So there are always going to be things that are the same." Thornton explained all of her recipes on the show were pre-approved by the network, and it would have noticed if her recipes were not original.