Days after award-winning Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy drowned in an accident in the Willamette River, Oregon authorities say they have found her body.
Other American chefs mourned the death of the 49-year-old self-taught chef and cookbook author, with José Andrés calling her “a great cook, a better person, and a great overall ability”.
Pomeroy rose to prominence on the Portland food scene when he opened Beast in 2007. Leveled the road.
“Naomi was a powerful chef who left an indelible mark on the culinary industry,” Top Chef said in a statement from X.
The Bravo and Top Chef families extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy. Naomi is a powerful chef who has left an indelible mark on the culinary world.
— Bravo Top Chef (@BravoTopChef) July 16, 2024
The New York Times’ obituary called Pomeroy “Portland’s culinary matriarch” who helped make the city “the home of radical new styles of food.”
Her career began in the early 2000s when she hosted a series of “underground dinners” at her home, events that The Times credited with “sparking Portland’s rebellious restaurant culture and the national pop-up restaurant boom.”
She recently opened an ice cream shop with a longtime collaborator and is working on opening a French restaurant, according to Portland Monthly.
We were devastated to learn that we had tragically lost our super talented chef Naomi Pomeroy. She and I bonded over the cooking challenges on Top Chef Masters Season 3…my heart goes out to Kyle, August and all her dear friends. 💔 pic.twitter.com/mAigfILdvm
— Mary Sue Milliken (@MarySueMilliken) July 16, 2024
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office said Pomeroy died Saturday night after the person she was inserting an inner tube with became entangled in an exposed obstacle in the water. Capt. Chris Duffett said Pomeroy was pulled underwater and trapped by the paddleboard leash attached to her body.
Authorities said two other people in the group were transported safely to a boat.
Portland Monthly reports Pomeroy’s husband, Kyle Lyndon Webster, is a member of the group. “Her family has asked for privacy at this time; there are currently no plans for a memorial,” the magazine reported.
The Sheriff’s Office said Pomeroy’s body was found Wednesday morning on the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany after a 911 call from a canoe.
Authorities said they notified her family and sent her body to a funeral home.
Reporting by the Associated Press
