Elle Simone Scott, a chef and cookbook author best known for her work on \u201cAmerica\u2019s Test Kitchen,\u201d has died. She was 49. <\/p>\n
Describing her as \u201cone of [the organization\u2019s] brightest stars,\u201d \u201cAmerica\u2019s Test Kitchen\u201d Chief Content Officer Dan Souza confirmed in a statement Thursday that Scott died Monday after a long battle with ovarian cancer. The news was first announced Wednesday on \u201cATK\u2019s\u201d Instagram<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cScott brought warmth and a vibrant spirit to everything she did,\u201d Souza said. \u201cFriends and colleagues will remember [her] for her ability to create community and provide opportunities for others, both inside and outside of work … Her legacy will live on at America\u2019s Test Kitchen and in the homes and hearts of the millions of home cooks whose lives she touched.\u201d <\/p>\n A Detroit native, Scott joined \u201cAmerica\u2019s Test Kitchen\u201d in 2016 and became the first Black woman cast member on the popular PBS<\/a> cooking show. In addition to authoring cookbooks \u201cBoards: Stylish Spreads for Casual Gatherings\u201d and \u201cFood Gifts: 150+ Irresistible Recipes for Crafting Personalized Presents,\u201d she hosted \u201cThe Walk-In\u201d podcast and worked as a food stylist. <\/p>\n In a tribute on Instagram<\/a>, friend and fellow TV chef Carla Hall <\/a> praised Scott for being \u201ca force\u201d and \u201ca trailblazer.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cAt America\u2019s Test Kitchen, Elle helped open doors that had long been closed \u2014 becoming one of the first Black women audiences saw in the test kitchen, and doing so with grace, authority, and joy,\u201d wrote Hall. \u201cHer voice mattered. Her work mattered. She mattered.\u201d <\/p>\n According to WBUR<\/a>, Scott, who lived in Boston, pivoted to a career in food in 2008 after she lost her home, car and job as a social worker during the recession. <\/p>\n \u201cThe thought occurred to me, \u2018if I have to do something for the next 25 years of my life, it better be something I love,\u2019 \u201d Scott said during a 2019 radio segment<\/a>. \u201cThe only thing I could think of was cooking. It was the one thing that brought me peace and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n She became an advocate for representation in food media and the culinary world, co-founding SheChef<\/a> Inc., an organization for women chefs of color that provides mentorship to young women pursuing a career in the field, in 2013. <\/p>\n \u201cI 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, create a network where we can help each other grow professionally \u2014 also to just deal with the angst of being women in kitchens where we are the only women in the kitchen,\u201d Scott told WTOP News<\/a> in 2019.<\/p>\n Scott was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, according to the Detroit News<\/a>, but told the outlet she was cancer-free in 2020. <\/p>\n \u201cElle faced ovarian cancer with courage and honesty, using her platform to educate, advocate, and uplift even while fighting for her life,\u201d Hall said in her tribute. \u201cWe honor you, Elle. Your legacy lives on in every kitchen you inspired and every cook who finally saw themselves reflected back.\u201d <\/p>\n