Naomi Pomeroy

Naomi Pomeroy (November 1974 – July 13, 2024) was an American professional chef and restaurateur.

Early life and education

In an interview, Pomeroy explained that she began cooking at the age of three and created her first recipe at the age of four. She graduated from Lewis & Clark College in 1997 with a degree in history.

Career

Pomeroy had no formal culinary or business training; she developed her skills by watching other food-industry professionals. In 2007, she opened the restaurant Beast in Portland, Oregon. Previously, she started Gotham Tavern, Gotham Coffee shop, and Clarklewis with Michael Hebb. In 2013, Working Mother magazine featured an article detailing Pomeroy's experiences as a working single parent.

In 2010, Pomeroy appeared on Iron Chef and lost to Chef Jose Garces. Her television appearances also include serving as a 2014 guest judge on the television series Knife Fight. Pomeroy also spoke at a TedxPortland Talk in 2013. Pomeroy was scheduled to publish her first cookbook in 2016 with Ten Speed Press. According to Publishers Weekly, the cookbook would be titled Oui: Lessons from an Award-Winning Self-Taught Chef. Pomeroy's cookbook, released in 2016, was entitled Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking.

Her restaurant, Beast, closed in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Pomeroy used the space for a new venture called Ripe Cooperative, a marketplace that also sold meal boxes for customers to finish at home until 2022.

Pomeroy was a guest judge on season 2 of Bobby's Triple Threat in 2023.

Recognition

In 2009, Pomeroy was listed by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's Top 10 Best New Chefs. As a restaurateur, she was recognized in the October 2010 issue of Marie Claire as one of the 18 Most Powerful Women in Business. O, The Oprah Magazine mentioned her career endeavors and named her as one of the Top 10 Women on the Rise for 2010. In 2014, Pomeroy won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northwest.

Death

Pomeroy died by drowning in Corvallis, Oregon, on July 13, 2024, following an accident on the Willamette River. She was 49. Efforts to recover her body are ongoing.