Old School. Biblically Independent.
By Dustin Rowles | Celebrity | July 18, 2024
Naomi Pomeroy, renowned Portland, Oregon chef, has died at 49 in a tragic tubing accident on Saturday in Portland, Oregon. She, her husband, and another person were floating on the Willamette River in inner tubes tied together along with a paddleboard. After hitting a snag, Pomeroy — who was not wearing a life jacket — was held underwater by the paddleboard leash.
Pomeroy, considered by some as the Julia Child of Portland, had recently opened a new custard shop after her acclaimed restaurant, Beast, shut down in 2020 during the pandemic. As chef of Beast, Pomeroy won a James Beard Award in 2014 (after several nominations). She also competed on Top Chef Masters in 2011.
Pomeroy was best known for the fixed-price, communal dining experience and locally sourced ingredients at Beast, which she opened in 2007. Interestingly, her rise in the Portland food scene was marked by an unusual journey. A 2008 piece in Portland Monthly detailed her early career alongside her ex-husband, Michael Hebberoy. In the early 2000s — during their mid-20s — they were known as “the prince and princess of the Pacific Northwest food scene.” They hosted large, family-style meals where dishes were passed among invitation-only guests who left $5 in a bowl as they departed.
Eventually, these informal gatherings evolved into a slightly more traditional restaurant called Ripe, where customers were charged $25 plus tip (which, even in 2005, was remarkably inexpensive for food prepared by a future James Beard award winner).
In fact, it was unsustainably inexpensive. They were losing money on every meal, a fact that Pomeroy’s husband concealed from her. Despite winning numerous awards, including best restaurant in Portland, the venture financially collapsed. Pomeroy’s husband essentially disappeared, leaving her to clean up the mess, and the couple divorced.
It’s an extraordinary story from which Pomeroy not only recovered but thrived. She remarried, appeared on Top Chef Masters, won a James Beard award, wrote a successful cookbook, and became Portland, Oregon’s most renowned chef. While Pomeroy’s life was cut tragically short, it’s clear that she led a full and adventurous life in the years she was given. Her culinary journey and personal story have captivated many, even those who weren’t previously familiar with her work. For those interested in learning more about Pomeroy’s philosophy and approach to cooking, her TED Talk from a little over a decade ago in Portland offers valuable insights.
