“Top Chef Masters” star Naomi Pomeroy dies at the age of 49

Naomi Pomeroy, a celebrated Portland chef and restaurant owner, has died at the age of 49.

On July 15, Pomeroy’s family confirmed to Portland Monthly that she drowned in a dinghy accident.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office announced in a July 16 news release that Pomeroy drowned in Oregon’s Willamette River on July 13. The investigation revealed that three adults – Pomeroy, her husband Kyle Linden Webster and a friend – were on connected inner tubes and a paddleboard when they became entangled in an “exposed obstruction in the water.” Officials said Pomeroy was pulled underwater and was unable to free herself due to the “paddleboard leash.”

Members of the Corvallis Fire Department recovered Webster and the friend from the shore, but not Pomeroy, the news release said. The sheriff’s office said it then began searching for Pomeroy by land and water.

“This office is committed to finding Naomi and bringing her home to her family and loved ones,” said Sheriff Van Arsdall. “I want to thank everyone involved in the search and recovery mission during this difficult time.”

The sheriff’s office later announced that Pomeroy’s body was found around 10:00 a.m. on the morning of July 17 on the Willamette River, about a half-mile upstream from Hyak Park between the cities of Corvallis and Albany.

The bureau said people canoeing on the river discovered a body and called 911. Navy officials who arrived shortly afterward discovered the body of a woman in a shallow spot in the rocks in the middle of the river, with water levels between about 12 and 24 inches.

The woman was later identified as Pomeroy and taken to a funeral home. Her family has been notified.

Pomeroy was a self-taught chef who rose to prominence when she opened her acclaimed Portland restaurant, Beast, in 2007 with business partner Micah Camden and sous chef Mika Paredes.

After Beast was named Restaurant of the Year by The Oregonian in 2008, Pomeroy was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs in 2009. Then, in 2013, she and her husband, Webster, opened the cocktail bar Expatriate in Portland. In 2014, she won a James Beard Award for Best Chef: Northwest and Pacific for her work, after being nominated four times previously.

In 2018, she wrote an essay for Eater about her experiences as a woman in the restaurant industry and reflected on toxic kitchen culture in the wake of #MeToo.

“The reason sexual harassment is so prevalent in our industry is because we all agreed back then that bad behavior was normal. We agreed it was normal because ‘everyone needs to let off steam somehow.’ We were taught in the kitchen fight never to take anything said on the phone personally,” she wrote.

“But #MeToo has destroyed that. It has shown us what we have endured for so long, because normality is deep and unambiguous incorrect. We kind of knew it, but we were too busy imitating it and living it.”

After Beast closed in 2020, the space was converted into a market and bistro called Ripe Cooperative, which closed in 2022.

Pomeroy appeared on both Iron Chef and Top Chef Masters, competing in the third season of the latter. She was also a guest judge on Top Chef during seasons 10, 15 and 18. The show and its network Bravo released a statement on Pomeroy’s death, writing on X:

“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.”

Last May, Pomeroy opened the ice cream parlor Cornet Custard with Paredes and planned to open a French restaurant in the space next door.

On social media, other chefs, including Tom ColicchioDominique Crenn, Andrew Zimmern and Amanda Fridaypublished tributes for Pomeroy.

“She was a force to be reckoned with. Her extreme creativity and dedication to her craft always inspired me,” wrote Friday. “She was always ahead of her time and stood firm on everything she believed in about providing people with good food and supporting their culinary community.”

On July 18, former “Top Chef” host Padma Lakshmi penned a tribute to Pomeroy.

“I am deeply saddened to hear of the untimely passing of Chef Naomi Pomeroy,” Lakshmi wrote. “She was always a welcome presence at the judges’ table and I was fortunate to get to know this inspirational woman over the years. My condolences to her loved ones, what an incredible loss to our community.”