“Top Chef Masters” star Naomi Pomeroy dies in dinghy accident

Chef Naomi Pomeroy, who is known for her participation in the third season of Top chef master in 2011 and for her award-winning restaurants, died in a tragic water sports accident. She was 49 years old.

The sheriff’s office in Benton County, Oregon, where she lives, said Tuesday that Pomeroy drowned in the Willamette River around 8:25 p.m. Saturday.

“A BCSO investigation revealed that three adults riding inner tubes and a paddleboard (two inner tubes were attached to each other and the paddleboard was attached to Naomi) became entangled on an exposed obstruction in the water,” the agency said in a new press release. “One of the adults, Naomi, was pulled underwater and was unable to free herself due to the paddleboard’s leash.”

Officials were able to locate two other adults, including her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and their friends, but not Pomeroy. They are still searching for her, the “first drowning victim of the year.”

Officials used “all available resources, including sonar, underwater cameras and drones, but were unable to find any trace of Naomi in the area due to the large amount of debris in the water.”

They reminded the public not to tie themselves to a paddleboard or tie tubes together.

Pomeroy is known for fans of Top chef because she is a candidate in the third season of Top chefthe edition of the show in which established chefs compete against each other to determine a single champion. She represented Beast, her Portland restaurant where she won a James Beard Award in March 2010.

Pomeroy was eliminated in this episode before the finale, but returned to the original show several times as a guest judge.

The show paid tribute to her on social media: “The Bravo and Top Chef family extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy. Naomi was an outstanding chef who left a lasting mark on the culinary industry.”

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Television viewers also saw Pomeroy in shows such as Iron Chefwhere she competed with truffles in 2010, and The tastewhere she worked as a guest mentor in 2014. In 2016 she published a cookbook, Taste and technique: recipes that refine your home cookingwhich she co-wrote with author Jamie Feldmar.

All the while, she continued cooking in restaurants. Her most famous eatery closed its doors during the pandemic, but she had other ventures, including Garden Party, a summer dinner series showcasing the produce from her garden. According to The New York TimesThe dinners took place at the place where she wanted to open a new restaurant with her business partner in the autumn.

In addition to Webster, she leaves behind a daughter, August.