Former “Top Chef” star Naomi Pomeroy dies at 49

Former “Top Chef” star Naomi Pomeroy has died at the age of 49 from complications following a dinghy accident in Oregon, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office announced on its Facebook account on Tuesday (July 16).

Pomeroy was traveling with her husband on the dinghy, Kyle Linden-Websterand another person on the Willamette River when the boat became stuck on an “exposed obstruction in the water,” according to the department. The world-famous chef was then pulled underwater and held by a paddleboard leash attached to her, police confirmed.

The group had reportedly tied their tubes and paddleboard together before the fatal incident occurred. The Corvallis Fire Department’s search for Pomeroy’s body is ongoing, while Webster and the other member of the group were rescued on shore.

“My goal is to find Naomi and bring her home to her family and loved ones,” Sheriff Van Arsdall said in the Facebook post.

Pomeroy rose to prominence in Portland’s culinary scene after opening her farm-to-table restaurant Beast in 2007, for which she received the 2014 James Beard Award for Best Female Chef in the Northwest, according to the OregonianBeast closed in May 2020, but was renamed Ripe Cooperative shortly thereafter, although it too faced forced closure in October 2022.

Pomeroy is best known for her appearance on Bravo’s cooking show “Top Chef Masters” in 2011, where she placed fourth and won $26,800, and her subsequent appearances on “Top Chef” as a guest judge and guest diner. The chef recently co-owned Portland cocktail bar Expatriate with her husband and was looking to open a new bistro-restaurant in the northwest city, according to The New York Times. the Oregonian.