A 49-year-old award-winning chef, who was known as a culinary “trailblazer,” drowned in an Oregon river while tubing with her husband, authorities and media outlets reported.
Naomi Pomeroy was pulled under the water after 8 p.m. Saturday, July 13, in the Willamette River in Corvallis, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
She had been floating down the river on tubes with her husband and another person, deputies and Portland Monthly reported.
Pomeroy had her paddleboard leashed to her ankle, deputies said. The leash snagged in the water, pulled her under and she was “held by the paddle board leash.”
Her husband and the other floater were found on the shoreline, deputies said.
Rescuers rushed to find Pomeroy in the water by boat but couldn’t find her, deputies said. A sonar, underwater cameras and drones were also used to search for her, but she has not been found yet, deputies said.
Search efforts have continued every day since she went missing.
Who was Naomi Pomeroy?
The talented chef opened multiple restaurants over the years, authored a cookbook, played as contestant on “Top Chef Masters” and advocated for legislation that supported restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
She also won a James Beard Award for Best Chefs in 2014 and was nominated for the award in 2010, 2012 and 2013.
At that time, she was running the Beast , a small fine-dining restaurant that she opened in 2007 in Portland, The Oregonian reported. It closed in 2020 during the pandemic.
Pomeroy then turned the space into something new and opened the Ripe Cooperative, a marketplace and cafe. The business shuttered two years later because of high costs, according to the Robb Report.
But she always had another idea for a new establishment.
Pomeroy and Mika Paredes started an ice cream business called Cornet Custard . It opened in June, according to an Instagram post.
‘She was a force to be reckoned with’
Grieving friends, family and fans shared their experiences regarding Pomeroy on social media.
“She drove people to become confident in their craft, while still not taking herself too seriously,” Christina Brooke said in an Instagram post. “She will always be a powerhouse that I can accredit so much growth personally to.”
Food Network celebrity chef Amanda Freitag also shared some thoughts.
“She was a force to be reckoned with. I was always inspired by her extreme creativity & commitment to her craft,” Freitag wrote on Facebook.
“ Her mark on this world is indelible. I will not forget her, we will not forget the many generations she has influenced and changed. A legend is gone,” Freitag said.
“It is impossible to fully capture the significance, brilliance, and influence of this remarkable woman . We are grateful for her unwavering dedication, boundless inspiration, and tireless advocacy,” MAPP Impact wrote.
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