Body of award-winning chef is recovered after she tragically drowned in Oregon river
The body of an award-winning chef has been found after she drowned in an Oregon river following an accident over the weekend.
Naomi Pomeroy, 49, died Saturday night after the group she was inner tubing with became snagged on a branch in the water, the sheriff’s office said.
Pomeroy, who was not wearing a life jacket at the time, was pulled underwater and trapped by a paddleboard leash attached to her, Capt. Chris Duffitt said.
The trio were riding on two inner tubes and a paddleboard tied together when the board suddenly hit a half-submerged branch.
All three were thrown into the fast-flowing water, with Pomeroy being swept away by the current.
Naomi Pomeroy, 49, died Saturday in a horrific tubing accident on the Willamette River
The James Beard Award winner was having fun with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, pictured right, and a friend on the Willamette River outside Portland when tragedy struck.
Her husband Kyle Linden Webster and the friend resurfaced and were able to swim to shore, but Pomeroy was nowhere to be found.
On Wednesday morning, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office reported finding her body in the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany after canoeists spotted her and called 911.
BCSO Marine deputies found her body on a shallow rock in the middle of the river, approximately one to two feet deep.
Authorities said they notified her family and turned her body over to a funeral home.
Although rescue teams found her body on Saturday, they were unable to recover her at the time due to strong currents.
“Naomi was pretty far along in her understanding of this cool ride that we’re on,” her husband Webster told the New York Times.
“She was calmer than ever in the last six months. She said she had done everything she was supposed to do here.”
The three were tubing on the Willamette River on Saturday when they hit a flooded branch
Pomeroy was strapped to her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, left, and a friend as they rode on two inner tubes and a paddleboard tied together when it struck a partially submerged branch
Pomeroy can be seen on the left in the Walt Disney Television series The Taste
Pomeroy, the mother of a 23-year-old daughter, rose to prominence in Portland’s culinary scene after opening Beast in 2007.
The restaurant earned her the coveted James Beard Award for best chef in the Northwestern United States in 2014.
The restaurant closed during the coronavirus pandemic, but Pomeroy had recently opened a new frozen custard shop, Cornet Custard, and was about to open a new bistro next door.
She was also known for her appearances on cooking shows, including Top Chef Masters, and co-owned the Portland cocktail bar Expatriate with her husband.
Since Pomeroy’s death, tributes have poured in from Oregon chefs and notable figures, including U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, whose district includes much of Portland.
“Naomi was not only a fantastic chef and entrepreneur, but also a wonderful person,” Blumenauer said in a statement.
“Her impact extended far beyond Portland, helping to establish our leadership and reputation for food excellence. She will be greatly missed.”
Blumenauer partnered with Pomeroy to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gary Okazaki, a fan of Pomeroy’s community restaurant Beast, where she performed live magic tricks in the open kitchen, remembered her as “a rock star chef.”
Pomeroy was tied to her two companions who were also tubing at the time when all three hit a branch in the water and the chef went under
Pomeroy had no formal culinary or business training. She developed her skills by watching other chefs on television and is said to have created her first recipe at the age of four.
“When they write the history of Portland’s culinary scene, it will have its own chapter,” he said KOIN6.
“It was her personality, Naomi’s personality cult. Just the magnetism. When she was around, you could feel it,” Okazaki added.
‘Beast attracted a lot of customers and at one point was considered perhaps the best restaurant in Portland.’
Pomeroy had no formal culinary or business training. She developed her skills by watching other chefs on television and created her first recipe when she was just four.
After opening her first restaurant, Beast, in Portland, she and Michael Hebb opened Gotham Tavern and Gotham Coffee shop.
Pomeroy starred in Top Chef Masters in 2011 and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest in 2014.
Her latest Instagram post revealed that Pomeroy and restaurateur Luke Dirks were accepting reservations for their dinner series called Garden Party
For $95 per person, guests enjoyed a meal prepared with fresh ingredients from Pomeroy’s garden
Two weeks before the tragedy, Pomeroy launched a dinner series called Garden Party with restaurateur Luke Dirks.
The celebrity chef posted a photo on Instagram of guests gathered around the dining table in the secret garden in Portland, and announced that they will be taking reservations starting July 1.
“See you all soon! I can’t wait to cook with you again,” Pomeroy said in a June 26 post.
Many dishes on the menu came fresh from Pomeroy’s garden or were inspired by ingredients grown there.
The garden just behind the first Stumptown Coffee location in Southeast Portland seats up to 36 people.
For $95 per person, excluding drinks and gratuities, guests can enjoy a vegetarian menu based on seasonal ingredients.