Elle Simone Scott, Chef and Cooking Show Stalwart, Dies at 49

She was the first Black cast member on the PBS show “America’s Test Kitchen,” and used her influence to help other female chefs of color.

Elle Simone Scott, a chef and cookbook author who became the first Black cast member on the PBS cooking show “America’s Test Kitchen,” then used her influence to help other female chefs of color, died on Jan. 5 at her home in Boston. She was 49.

The cause was ovarian cancer, her mother, Cheryl Price, said.

Ms. Scott was featured in regular cooking segments on “America’s Test Kitchen,” and hosted a podcast for the show, “The Walk-In,” for which she interviewed prominent food-world figures about their paths to success.

The chef Carla Hall, a guest on the podcast, said Ms. Scott’s example encouraged her to be more fearless in her own work.

“She was a trailblazer in that she went for what she wanted with joy and confidence,” Ms. Hall said in an interview.

Ms. Scott also provided mentorship and networking opportunities for women of color in the culinary industry through SheChef, a nonprofit that she founded in 2013 to create pipelines to jobs in kitchens nationwide. She offered help to other chefs, writers and authors who were exploring Black American foodways.

That generosity impressed Toni Tipton-Martin, a former editor of Cook’s Country magazine and the author of several books on Black American cooking.

“As colleagues, we bonded over our shared passions to tell a more complete American food story, while also striving to uplift and encourage the next generation,” Ms. Tipton-Martin wrote in an email. “And on a personal level, her resilience and optimism often inspired me to a higher place of strength and perseverance in the face of adversity.”

LaShawnda Sherise Simone Scott was born on Nov. 28, 1976, in Detroit. Her father, LaShawn Scott, was an accountant. Ms. Scott was raised by her mother, who worked in education.

From early on, Ms. Scott showed an interest in food and cooking, guided by her family. Her maternal great-grandmother worked in the kitchen at a senior center, and her grandmother was a full-time nurse but loved cooking, and would talk to Ms. Scott as they made cornbread or black-eyed peas.

“I like to joke, even though it’s the truth, that I am not the best cook in my family,” Ms. Scott said in a 2022 interview. “I’m just the only one who does it professionally.”

After graduating from Eastern Michigan University with a bachelor’s degree in human services in 2002, Ms. Scott became a social worker in Detroit. But she lost her job, car and home during the financial crisis in 2008. The following year, she decided to pursue a career in food, enrolling at the Culinary Academy of New York (now closed).

Two years later, after working in catering and cooking on a Norwegian Cruise Line ship, she was hired as a food stylist on the Food Network show “Food Network Star.” Wanting to learn more about the media business, she enrolled at Full Sail University and earned a master’s degree in entertainment management in 2013. She went on to become a culinary producer and food stylist on “Food Network Star,” as well as for food shows on Bravo and on ABC’s “The Chew.”

In 2016, she learned of an open call for on-air talent for the upcoming season of “America’s Test Kitchen.” Ms. Scott was hired, becoming the first Black woman to be a regular cast member on the program since its debut in 2001.

“When she came to ‘America’s Test Kitchen,’ Elle had never appeared on camera before,” said Dan Souza, the chief content officer of the company that produces the show.

She quickly became a fan favorite, he added, fitting in well with the other cast members but also bringing her own refined yet playful style.

Behind the camera, she used her skills as a food stylist and producer to bring the show into a new, more personality-driven era, and fought for more diverse voices both in front of and behind the camera.

“She pushed us forward in a lot of ways, both visually and behind the scenes,” Mr. Souza said.

In 2016, the same year Ms. Scott joined “America’s Test Kitchen,” she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. On social media and in interviews and personal appearances, she spoke about her experience with the disease, encouraging women to get screened and working with various organizations dedicated to cancer research.

“Every day has its challenges, and some are much tougher than others, but overall my life is good because of the steps I’ve taken to live within the boundaries of cancer,” she said in an interview with the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where she received treatment. “My goal is to help other women do the same, and to recognize the warning signs earlier than I did.”

Audra Moran, the president and chief executive of the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, wrote in an email, “Elle was unwavering in her determination to raise awareness about ovarian cancer, especially among women of color, who too often are left out of critical conversations.”

In addition to her mother, Ms. Scott is survived by her father, her stepparents, two stepsiblings and her partner since 2016, Maria Garcia, a D.J., musician and producer who also goes by Rimarkable.

In recent weeks, even as Ms. Scott was in hospice, she was working to start the first Detroit chapter of Les Dames d’Escoffier, an international organization that supports women in the food and hospitality business.

Mr. Souza said he wasn’t surprised that she was still looking for ways to share her success. “She opened that door,” he said, “and left it open for others to come through.”

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