Top Chef Masters star Naomi Pomeroy dies in inner tube accident

Chef Naomi Pomeroy, who rose to fame competing on season three of top chefs Gentlemen In 2011, the award-winning American actress and restauranteur died in a tragic accident while entertaining in the water. She was 49 years old.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon, where she lives, said Tuesday that Pomeroy drowned in the Willamette River at about 8:25 p.m. Saturday.

“A BCSO investigation revealed that three adults who were enjoying themselves on tubes and a paddleboard (the tubes were secured together and the paddleboard was attached to Naomi) became entangled in an exposed obstacle in the water,” the agency said in a new statement. “One adult, Naomi, was pulled underwater and was unable to free herself due to the paddleboard strap.”

Officials have located two other adults, including her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and their friends, but Pomeroy has not been found. They continue to search for her, “the first drowning victim of the year.”

Deputies “used every tool available, including sonar, underwater cameras, and drones, but were unable to locate any signs of Naomi in the area due to heavy debris in the water.”

Remind the audience not to tie themselves to the paddleboard or tie the inner frames together.

Pomeroy is known to fans of top chefs Because she was a contestant on the third season of Top Professional Chefsthe version of the show in which celebrity chefs compete against each other to find one champion. She represented her Portland restaurant “Beast” where in March 2010 she received a James Beard Award.

Pomroy was eliminated in the episode leading up to the final, but returned to the original show several times as a guest judge.

The show paid tribute on social media: “The Bravo and Top Chef family send their heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy. Naomi was a powerful chef who left an indelible mark on the culinary industry.”

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Television viewers have also seen Pomeroy on shows such as Iron ChefWhere she competed with truffles in 2010, and TasteWhere she was a guest guide in 2014. In 2016, she released a cookbook, Taste and Technique: Recipes to Elevate Home Cookingwhich she co-wrote with writer Jamie Feldmar.

Meanwhile, she continued to cook in restaurants. Her most famous restaurants closed during the pandemic, but she had other projects, including Garden Party, a summer dinner series featuring produce from her garden. According to New York timesThe group dinners were held at the location where she planned to open a new restaurant with her business partner in the fall.

In addition to Webster, she is survived by her daughter, August.