The body of an award-winning chef has been recovered after she drowned in an Oregon river following an accident over the weekend.
Naomi Pomeroy, 49, died Saturday night after the group she was tubing with became caught on a branch in the water, the sheriff’s office said.
Pomeroy, who was not wearing a life jacket at the time, was dragged underwater and became caught in the leash of a paddleboard she was strapped to, Capt. Chris Duffitt said.
The trio were riding on two inner tubes and a paddleboard they had strapped together when they suddenly crashed into a partially submerged branch.
All three were thrown into the fast-moving water and Pomeroy was swept down by the current.
Naomi Pomeroy, 49, died in a horrific tubing accident on the Willamette River on Saturday.
The James Beard Award winner was having fun with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, seen at right, and a friend on the Willamette River outside Portland when tragedy struck.
Her husband Kyle Linden Webster and the friend surfaced and were able to swim to shore, but Pomeroy was nowhere to be seen.
On Wednesday morning, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office said it located his body in the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany after canoeists spotted him and called 911.
BCSO marine deputies found her body in a shallow section of bedrock near the middle of the river, about a foot or two deep.
Authorities said they notified his family and released his body to a funeral home.
Although rescue teams found her body on Saturday, they were unable to recover her at that time due to strong currents.
“Naomi was pretty advanced in her understanding of this cool journey we’re on,” her husband Webster said. New York Times.
“In the last six months she felt calmer than ever. She said she had done everything she had been asked to do there.”
The three were tubing down the Willamette River on Saturday when they struck a submerged branch.
Pomeroy was tied to her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, left, and a friend as they rode on two inner tubes and a paddleboard strapped together when she struck a partially submerged branch.
Pomeroy appears, left, in the Walt Disney television series The Taste.
Pomeroy, who is the mother of a 23-year-old daughter, rose to fame in Portland’s food scene after opening the Beast restaurant in 2007.
The restaurant paved the way for him to win the coveted James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Northwest 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 owned the Portland cocktail bar Expatriate with her husband.
Since Pomeroy’s death, tributes have poured in from chefs and prominent Oregon figures, including U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, whose district includes much of Portland.
“Naomi was not only a fabulous chef and businesswoman, but an incredible human being,” Blumenauer said in a statement.
“Her impact extended far beyond Portland and helped establish our leadership and reputation for food excellence. She will be greatly missed.”
Blumenauer worked with Pomeroy to support restaurants during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gary Okazaki, a fan of Pomeroy’s community restaurant called Beast, which offered live views of her performing 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 was submerged.
Pomeroy had no formal culinary or business training. He developed his skills by watching other chefs on television and is said to have created his 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 cult of personality. Just the magnetism. When she was around, you could feel it,” Okazaki added.
‘Diners flocked to Beast and at one point it was considered perhaps the best restaurant in Portland.’
Pomeroy had no formal culinary or business training. He developed his skills by watching other chefs on television and created his first recipe at just four years old.
After launching his first restaurant, Beast, in Portland, he launched Gotham Tavern and Gotham Coffee shop with Michael Hebb.
Pomeroy starred on 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, diners could enjoy a dish made with fresh ingredients from Pomeroy’s garden.
Two weeks before the tragedy, Pomeroy, along with restaurateur Luke Dirks, launched a dinner series called Garden Party.
The renowned chef posted a photo on Instagram showing guests gathered around the dining table at Portland’s Secret Garden announcing that they are accepting reservations for July 1.
“See you all again very soon! Can’t wait to cook with you all again,” Pomeroy said in a June 26 post.
Many of the dishes on the menu were sourced from or inspired by fresh produce from Pomeroy’s garden.
The garden just behind Stumptown Coffee’s first location in Southeast Portland can seat up to 36 people.
For $95 per person, not including drinks or tip, diners can enjoy a vegetarian-friendly menu focused on seasonal ingredients.
