R.I.P. Naomi Pomeroy: ‘Top Chef Masters’ Alum Dead At 49 After Drowning In A Tubing Accident

Critically acclaimed chef and Top Chef Masters alum Naomi Pomeroy died on Saturday (July 13) after drowning in an inner-tubing accident on Oregon’s Willamette River, The Oregonian reports. She was 49.

According to a press releasee shared on Tuesday (July 16) by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Pomeroy “drowned in the Willamette River near river mile 132 in Corvallis, about 100 yards upstream from the Mary’s River” at around 8:25 p.m. on Saturday.

“An investigation by BCSO determined three floaters on tubes and a paddle board, secured together, were caught on an exposed snag in the water,” the press release also reads, in part. “One of the floaters, Naomi, was pulled under the water and held by the paddle board leash.”

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Pomeroy’s family had confirmed the news of her passing to Portland Monthly , noting that her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, was one of the three people tubing and survived. The Oregonian reported that the other individual, who was not named in the report, also survived.

Per the Benton County Sheriff’s Office’s press release, Pomeroy’s body has not been found yet.

Pomeroy was named one of Food & Wine ‘s Best New Chefs in 2009, being recognized for her Oregon restaurant Beast, which opened in 2007 and ultimately closed during the pandemic. Pomeroy represented Beast on Season 3 of Top Chef Masters , which aired in 2011, per Entertainment Weekly .

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The space where Beast was became Ripe Cooperative, which The Oregonian described as a “restaurant/market hybrid.” According to the outlet, Pomeroy and Webster owned the cocktail bar Expatriate, and she also recently opened Cornet Custard.

On Tuesday (July 16), Top Chef released the following statement on X : “The Bravo and Top Chef family send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy. Naomi was a powerhouse chef who made an indelible mark on the culinary industry.”

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Other culinary shows which Pomeroy appeared on included Top Chef , Iron Chef America: The Series , Knife Fight , and The Taste .

According to Eater , Pomeroy won a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest in 2014. Outside of being a chef and restaurateur, she also published a cookbook titled Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking , per The New York Times .

Others who have paid tribute to Pomeroy online include Mary Sue Milliken, who competed alongside Pomeroy on Top Chef Masters .

“Devastated to hear we tragically lost the super talented chef Naomi Pomeroy,” she wrote on X on Tuesday. “She and I bonded over stressful cooking challenges on Top Chef Masters season 3…… my heart goes out to Kyle, August and all her dear friends.”

Food Network personality Amanda Freitag also mourned Pomeroy’s passing on X, writing , “This is incredibly tragic & shocking news to hear of Naomi Pomeroy untimely death. My deepest condolences go out to her family, loved ones, colleagues & community. I was just looking back on a text exchange we had and she was so smart, funny, open, willing to give advice.”

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