Elle Simone

Elle Simone was born LaShawnda Sherise Simone Scott on November 28, 1976 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan, in a middle-class 7th-Day Adventist family. She attended Eastern Michigan University. She moonlighted as a prep cook. She attended Culinary Institute of New York. She had a master's degree in entertainment business. == Culinary career ==

Simone lost her job as a social worker, her car, and her home during the 2008 recession. She took a job on a cruise ship as a cook for two years. She did an internship with Food Network. Simone was the first African American woman to appear as a regular host on the PBS television show ''America's Test Kitchen'' starting in 2016. She was a test cook and food stylist for the show. She also developed videos for the show's online cooking school. She was featured in a segment of NBC's The Hub Today in 2018 She said she wanted to become the "culinary Oprah". == Philanthropy ==

Simone founded SheChef, a for-profit mentoring and networking organization for women of color in the culinary field, in 2013. As of November 2018 it had over 1000 members. She was motivated to do so after realizing that although 90% of her culinary school classmates had been women or persons of color, this group was underrepresented among chefs. After her 2016 ovarian cancer diagnosis, Simone became active with the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, joining the board of directors of the organization and chairing or emceeing various events, especially focused on raising funds or awareness about ovarian cancer among women of color. == Personal life and death ==

Simone was diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2016, at the age of 40, and served on the board of directors for Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance. She died at her home in Boston on January 5, 2026, at age 49. == Books ==