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Chef Elle Simone Scott, who appeared on PBS’s “America’s Test Kitchen,” has died at age 49.
The culinary expert passed away on Jan. 5 from ovarian cancer.
Chef Carla Hall shared the news to Instagram on Wednesday.
“Chef Elle Simone Scott was a friend, a force, and a trailblazer. She showed up with excellence, generosity, and deep love for food and community,” the 61-year-old’s post began.
“At ‘America’s Test Kitchen,’ Elle helped open doors that had long been closed—becoming one of the first Black women audiences saw in the test kitchen, and doing so with grace, authority, and joy. She didn’t just test recipes; she changed what representation looked like in food media,” Hall wrote.
Hall added, “Her voice mattered. Her work mattered. She mattered.”
“Elle faced ovarian cancer with courage and honesty, using her platform to educate, advocate, and uplift even while fighting for her life. That kind of strength leaves a mark,” the post concluded. “We honor you, Elle. Your legacy lives on in every kitchen you inspired and every cook who finally saw themselves reflected back. Rest well my sister. “
Scott began her career in social work before entering the culinary world as a line cook. She then became a chef for Norwegian Cruise Lines, per her LinkedIn.
“The thought occurred to me, if I have to do something for the next 25 years of my life, it better be something I love,” she told WBUR in a 2019 interview. “The only thing I could think of was cooking. It was the one thing that brought me peace and joy.”
Scott graduated from the Culinary Academy of New York in 2010 and created SheChef, an organization for women chefs of color to network. The cook also earned her master’s degree from Full Sail University.
“It’s important for us to see ourselves represented in this industry. That’s how we know we can do it,” Scott told WTOP News in 2019.
“I thought it would be a great way to create a network to bring those underrepresented people together to see how we could support each other,” she added. “SheChef is meant to be a glass window for all of us to look through and see ourselves being successful on the other side.”
Throughout her career, Scott worked for Food Network, CBS and Bravo, before landing on “Test Kitchen” in 2016.
The show documented her move to Boston and her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
“Having cancer, or just having a terminal disease in general, really makes you think about your life and how you want to live it for whatever time you have left,” Scott told WBUR at the time. “I promised the Creator that if I survived cancer, I would utilize the rest of my life to make a change and be impactful.”
In 2020, the chef told the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance: “I wanted to be a face for survivorship for Black women in ovarian cancer, or women of color in general.”
The star also touched on the legacy she wanted to leave behind.
“No more Black and brown girls — or any girls of color — will have to search for an image that makes them feel encouraged toward their cooking or TV dreams,” Scott told Food & Wine in a resurfaced interview.
“There’s no work if you’re not leaving a legacy. Otherwise it’s self-serving, and once you’re gone, it’s gone.”