Obituary of Scott E. Signori

Scott Edward Signori (aka "Scooter", "Scoots", "Doi"), chef and owner of the Stonecat Cafe, passed away on December 26th, 2021 at his home in Hector, New York. He died peacefully surrounded by and in the care of his loving children, family and friends. Scott was the dedicated, compassionate father of two children, Wiley David Skywalker (12) and Sophia Raven (15), both of whom embody Scott's engaging personality, kind, dedicated heart, sharp intellect, and love of laughter. The strength, composure, love, and care displayed by his children prior to and during his illness are a testament to the values he conveyed as a father and community leader. Scott's unique attributes of leadership, creativity, passion, and optimism allowed him to create both a loving home and a social hub for the community connecting people, food, the land, music, and art. Scott was a self taught chef who became a leader in the farm to table movement in the Finger Lakes. Using his mastery of the smoker, Scott enhanced the flavor profiles of the meats, fruits, vegetables and cheeses in his dishes, which were served up with a smile in a beautiful, comfortable, and welcoming environment on the banks of Lake Seneca. The Stonecat was a converted fruit stand and found a loyal following among foodies and music lovers alike. It was frequented by clientele looking for fine dining with local wine as well as folks wanting a local beer and catfish sandwich at the laid-back, Bohemian vibed bar. He routinely featured local artists and musicians at the "Cat" and hosted a winter music event each year with dozens of bands playing across three days. The Stonecat, which was on the Finger Lakes wine trail, was highlighted in articles by The New York Times Magazine, GQ, Southern Living, Newsweek, the Finger Lakes Times, the Rochester City Newspaper, and Edible Finger Lakes which proclaimed him a Local Hero. Here's a quote from Scott in the Edible Finger Lakes article: "My best attribute as a chef is being nice," Signori says. "I think the competitiveness that's been propagated on the Food Network isn't doing this industry any favors. I feel like our mission is to wake people up to life. I believe we should make food as it was made for us by our parents and grandparents: with love. The only competition should be who can best fill the room with nourishment, love and good times." Scott was raised in McLean, Virginia and graduated from McLean High School in 1986. Among his first few jobs in high school was one at Mother Nature's restaurant where he was first exposed to food preparation using healthy, natural ingredients. After a year at Northern Virginia Community College, he was accepted to Virginia Tech and cooked at Backstreets Pizza and the Hokie House. It was during this time that Scott began to experiment with creating his own dishes simply cooking for his friends or putting unusual combinations of ingredients on pizzas. Scott graduated from Virginia Tech with a degree in Communications in 1990. After college, Scott moved to Washington, DC where he created his own restaurant, the Escape Cafe in 1993. The Escape was a tapas restaurant at 17th and R St NW in the DuPont circle area. It was during this time that Scott also began to journal, paint, and write lyrics for a local band. These pursuits began to influence the decor and clientele of the Escape and that vibe carried forward to influence his future eating establishments. The Escape became a hang out for foodies from all walks of life. Scott started one of the first drag queen brunches, had musicians such as Jewel and Paula Cole and decorated the walls with pieces from local artists and photographers. The clientele at the Escape went there not just for his culinary creations but also simply just to hang out with him. In 1997, Scott relocated to the Finger Lakes area to help start the Sheldrake Point winery. He literally went from riding his skateboard in DC to driving a tractor in Ovid, NY overnight. Scott established the initial restaurant for Sheldrake on a shoestring budget and creative modification of the existing farming structures. In 1999, Scott established a business relationship with Bloomer Creek Vineyards and they purchased property in Hector, NY, along Lake Seneca. Scott converted a fruit stand on the property into the Stonecat Cafe and thus began his magnum opus. Shortly thereafter he purchased the Restaurant from Bloomer Creek and in 2016 bought the adjacent house and barn from the Bonds who were the original owners of the fruit stand. The house was converted into a rental property, the Stonecat Guest House. Scott was born in East Lansing, Michigan on November 14, 1967. He was the son of David Tobia Signori Jr. (Linda) and Nancy (McClafferty) Signori Dalton (Dave) and brother of David Tobia Signori III (Pamela), Christine Elizabeth Signori and Gina Signori Stebbins (Chad). He will also be missed by his nieces Lily and Bella and nephew Sam. Scott married Jessica Anne Giles in 2003. Jessica, the mother of his two children, worked alongside him running the front of the house and developing the Stonecat. Since 2014, Scott's best friend has been Daphne Nolder. Daphne is a manager and head pastry chef at the Stonecat as well as the manager of the attached Guest House. Daphne led a team of brave and loving caretakers throughout Scott's 16 month glioblastoma cancer treatment. Daphne and her supportive family alongside Scott's family led primarily by his daughter, Sophia, provided him with loving home care fulfilling his wish to pass peacefully in his own home. He was buried on his own land in the presence of his community during a meaningful and spiritual burial ceremony. The family wishes to thank Scott's neurosurgeon, Dr. Andrea Wasilewski and her staff, University of Rochester Medical Center, for compassionate, honest care in the face of a devastating illness, to the Carefirst hospice staff who came in during the final days and made all the difference to the family and Scott, to friends Paula Fitzsimmons, his health POA, and her husband, Phil Davis, for shepherding us through the final weeks, to friends Crow Marley and Ellen Stechman for spiritual guidance, and to so many others for their services and all of the ways they showed up for their beloved friend. A celebration of his life will be held at his home in the spring, with tables of great food and wine, live music, art festooning the trees and his pond, and hundreds of Scott fans. Donations may be made to: https://senecalakeguardian.org/