Top Chef Masters star dead at 49 after freak ‘drowning accident’
Naomi Pomeroy, a celebrated chef and former Top Chef Masters contestant, has died at age 49. She was tubing on the Willamette River in Oregon with two others, including her husband, when an accident occurred. Without a life jacket, she was pulled underwater after their tubes hit a tree.
Her body was found days later due to strong currents delaying recovery. Naomi’s final Instagram post, promoting her new project Garden Party, received numerous farewell messages from fans.
Congressman Earl Blumenauer, who collaborated with Naomi to support small restaurants during the pandemic, expressed his grief: “Naomi was a wonderful person and a great chef. Her influence went well beyond Portland. She will be greatly missed.”
