Padma Lakshmi pays tribute to Top Chef Masters' Naomi Pomeroy after her death aged 49 in tubing accident: 'What a loss to our community'
Padma Lakshmi has paid tribute to Top Chef Masters star Naomi Pomeroy following her death aged 49 in a tubing accident.
Pomeroy died on Saturday evening after the group she was inner tubing with got caught on a branch in the water, the sheriff's office said.
Pomeroy, who had not been wearing a life jacket at the time, was pulled under the water and trapped by a paddle board leash attached to her, Captain Chris Duffitt said.
Lakshmi, 53, who hosted Top Chef from 2006-2003 took to Instagram to praise Pomeroy in the wake of her passing.
She wrote: 'I am deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of chef Naomi Pomeroy.
Padma Lakshmi has paid tribute to Top Chef Masters star Naomi Pomeroy following her death aged 49 in a tubing accident
'She was always a welcome presence at judges table and I was blessed to get to know this inspiring woman over the years. My condolences to her loved ones, what an incredible loss to our community.'
The post was accompanied by photos of the pair together - Pomeroy was a contestant on season 3 of Masters in 2011 and served as a guest judge for seasons 10, 15 and 18 of Top Chef.
Pomeroy and two others had been riding on two inner tubes and a paddle board that they had tied together when it suddenly hit a the partly submerged branch.
All three were thrown into the fast-flowing water with Pomeroy pulled under by the current.
Her husband Kyle Linden Webster and the friend resurfaced 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 her body in the Willamette River between Corvallis and Albany after canoers saw it and called 911.
BCSO marine deputies found her body a shallow section of bedrock near the middle of the river in about one to two feet of water.
Authorities said they notified her family and released her body to a funeral home.
The post was accompanied by photos of the pair together - Pomeroy was a contestant on season 3 of Masters in 2011 and served as a guest judge for seasons 10, 15 and 18 of Top Chef
The pair are pictured on Top Chef season 15 together
Pomeroy and two others had been tubing down the Willamette River on Saturday when they hit 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 paddle board tied together when it struck a partly submerged branch
Pomeroy is seen, left, on the Walt Disney Television series The Taste
Although rescue teams found her body on Saturday, they were unable to recover her at the time because of the strong currents.
'Naomi was pretty advanced in her understanding of this cool ride we're on,' husband Webster told the New York Times.
'She was more at peace in the last six months than she ever was before. She said she had done everything she was put here to do.'
Pomeroy, who is the mother to a 23-year-old daughter, rose to prominence in the Portland food scene after opening the restaurant Beast in 2007.
The restaurant paved the way for her to win a coveted James Beard award for best chef in the Northwest in 2014.
The restaurant closed during the coronavirus pandemic, but Pomeroy had just recently opened a new frozen custard shop, Cornet Custard, and was about to open up a new bistro next door.
She owned the Portland cocktail bar Expatriate with her husband.
Since Pomeroy's death, tributes have poured in from chefs and major Oregon figures, including U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, whose district includes much of Portland.
'Naomi was not just a fabulous chef and entrepreneur, but an amazing human being,' Blumenauer said in a statement.
'Her impact went far beyond Portland, helping 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 communal restaurant called Beast which offered live viewings 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 struck a branch in the water and the chef was submerged
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 the Portland culinary scene, she's going to have her own chapter,' he told KOIN6.
'It was it was her personality, the cult of personality of Naomi. Just the magnetism. When she was around, you could feel it,' Okazaki added.
'Diners flocked to Beast, and at one point it was considered maybe 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 aged just four.
After launching her first restaurant, Beast, in Portland, she 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 final Instagram post revealed Pomeroy and restaurateur Luke Dirks were accepting reservations for their dining series called Garden Party
Two weeks before the tragedy, Pomeroy together with restaurateur Luke Dirks launched a dining series called Garden Party.
The renowned chef posted a photo to Instagram showing guests gathered around the dining table at the secret garden in Portland announcing they are accepting reservations on July 1.
'See you all again so soon! I can't wait to cook with you again,' Pomeroy said in a June 26 post.
