‘Top Chef Masters’ contestant Naomi Pomeroy drowns in tubing accident

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) – Renowned chef Naomi Pomeroy drowned after a freak accident involving inner tubes and paddle boards.

Pomeroy was known for her numerous restaurants around the Portland, Oregon, area and for being a contestant on “Top Chef Masters” in 2011.

She was 49 years old.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Pomeroy drowned on the Willamette River in Corvallis, about 100 yards upstream from the Mary’s River, on Saturday evening.

Investigators found that Pomeroy and two others were on tubes and a paddle board, all secured together, when the ropes got caught on an exposed snag in the water.

That’s when Pomeroy was pulled under and never resurfaced.

Pomeroy’s body was recovered Wednesday morning about half a mile upstream of Hyak Park between Corvallis and Albany.

People canoeing on the river spotted a body called 911. Deputies arrived and found what was later identified as Pomeroy’s body on a shallow section of bedrock near the middle of the river.

Pomeroy was known for her fine dining restaurants like Beast and Clark-Lewis. She won a James Beard Award for Best Chef Northwest in 2014.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D - Ore., said in a statement:

“What a loss. Naomi was not just a fabulous chef and entrepreneur, but an amazing human being. Her impact went far beyond Portland, helping establish our leadership and reputation for food excellence. She will be greatly missed.”

Erika Polmar said she knew Pomeroy for decades and, along with others, co-founded the Independent Restaurant Coalition, a nationwide movement to support restaurants and bars during the COVID pandemic.

“[Pomeroy was] always advocating for restaurant owners and restaurant employees to have a better and brighter and more sustainable future. She was really committed to everyone in the industry,” Polmar said.

Polmar said she calls Pomeroy not just a friend but a mentor who changed the lives of many.

”Naomi believed in me more than I believed in myself,” she said. “If it weren’t for her … if it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have the job I have.”

Pomeroy is survived by her husband Kyle and her 23-year-old daughter August.

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