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Naomi Pomeroy

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Naomi Pomeroy
BornNovember 30, 1974
Corvallis, Oregon, U.S.[1]
DiedJuly 13, 2024(2024-07-13) (aged 49)
Benton County, Oregon, U.S.
EducationLewis & Clark College (BA)
Spouse
Michael Hebb
​
(divorced)​
Kyle Linden Webster
​
(m. 2012)​
ChildrenAugust (daughter)
Culinary career
Previous restaurant(s)
Award(s) won

Naomi Pomeroy (November 30, 1974 – July 13, 2024) was an American chef and restaurateur. Pomeroy in 2009 was listed by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's Top 10 Best New Chefs and in 2014 won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northwest.

Pomeroy was influential in developing Portland, Oregon's culinary scene.

Pomeroy opened or owned several restaurants in the Portland area. She appeared on multiple cooking competition shows, including as a contestant on Top Chef Masters and Iron Chef and as a judge on Top Chef, Knife Fight and Bobby's Triple Threat. She published her first cookbook in 2016.

Early life and education

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Pomeroy was born in Corvallis, Oregon, on November 30, 1974, to Toby Jean Pomeroy, a jeweler, and Karen Walz.[2][3] She had three half brothers.[2] In an interview, Pomeroy explained that she began cooking at the age of three and created her first recipe at the age of four.[4] Pomeroy graduated from Corvallis High School in 1993 before going on to Lewis & Clark College where she graduated in 1997 with a degree in history.[5]

Career

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Pomeroy had no formal culinary or business training; she developed her skills by watching other food-industry professionals.[6] In the early 2000s, she and her then-partner, both in their twenties, ran a pop-up supper series.[7] According to The New York Times, those events "helped start Portland's renegade restaurant culture and the national pop-up restaurant craze".[2] According to Portland Monthly, the dinners "managed to spin Portland its own cultural and gastronomic empire out of thin air".[3]

In 2007, she opened the restaurant Beast in Portland, Oregon. Previously, she started Gotham Tavern, Gotham Coffee shop, and Clarklewis with Michael Hebb.[8] In 2013, Working Mother magazine featured an article detailing Pomeroy's experiences as a working single parent.[9]

In 2010, Pomeroy appeared on Iron Chef and lost to Chef Jose Garces.[10] She appeared on the 2011 season of Top Chef Masters. Her television appearances also include serving as a judge on Top Chef, Bobby's Triple threat, and Knife Fight.[11][12] Pomeroy also spoke at a TedxPortland Talk in 2013.[13]

Pomeroy published her first cookbook in 2016 with Ten Speed Press.[14] According to Publishers Weekly, the working title for the cookbook was Oui: Lessons from an Award-Winning Self-Taught Chef.[15] Pomeroy's cookbook, released in 2016, was entitled Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking.[16]

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.[17] During the pandemic she helped found the Independent Restaurant Coalition, an organization that advocated for federal assistance for US restaurants and restaurant employees.[2]

Recognition

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In 2009, Pomeroy was listed by Food & Wine as one of the ten best new chefs in the U.S.[18] As a restaurateur, she was recognized in the October 2010 issue of Marie Claire as one of the eighteen most powerful women in business.[19] O, The Oprah Magazine mentioned her career endeavors and named her as one of the top ten "women on the rise" for 2010.[20] In 2014, Pomeroy won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northwest.[21] According to Portland Monthly, she was "synonymous with Portland's independent food scene".[22] Eater Portland, reacting to her death, said Pomeroy "helped define the Portland culinary scene that so captured the national imagination in the early aughts".[7] According to The New York Times, she was the city's "culinary matriarch" and had "made Portland a dining destination".[2]

Personal life and death

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Pomeroy was married to Michael Hebb; they had a daughter, August, and later divorced.[2] She later married Kyle Linden Webster in 2012.[2]

On July 13, 2024, Pomeroy drowned in the Willamette River, near Corvallis, when she fell from an inner tube she was floating on amid a fast current.[2][22][23] Her body was recovered on July 17.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Best New Chefs 2009: Naomi Pomeroy Archived January 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Food & Wine Magazine.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Severson, Kim (July 16, 2024). "Naomi Pomeroy, 49, Chef Who Made Portland a Dining Destination, Dies". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 16, 2024. Retrieved July 16, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Rommelmann, Nancy (May 19, 2009). "Last Supper". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  4. ^ Sophie Moura. Naomi Pomeroy: The Next Alice Waters Archived January 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Marie Claire. September 12, 2010.
  5. ^ Best New Chefs 2009: Naomi Pomeroy Archived January 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Food & Wine Magazine.
  6. ^ Charlotte Druckman. Skirt Steak: Women Chefs on Standing the Heat and Staying in the Kitchen. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, 2012
  7. ^ a b DeJesus, Erin (July 16, 2024). "Naomi Pomeroy Made the Portland Culinary Scene What It Is Today". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
  8. ^ Biography Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Top Chef Masters. BravoTV.com.
  9. ^ Andrea Stanley. How She Does It: Naomi Pomeroy, Chef, Restauranteur & Former Top Chef Contestant Archived February 29, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Working Mother. August 16, 2013.
  10. ^ Raphael Brion. Naomi Pomeroy vs Jose Garces in Iron Chef: Battle Truffle Archived February 25, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Eater. September 13, 2010.
  11. ^ Daniela Galarza. Curtis Stone Gets a New Series; Brew Dogs and Knife Fight Renewed Archived December 8, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Eater. October 7, 2014.
  12. ^ Wong, Janey (August 25, 2023). "Portland Moves Toward Making Street Dining Permanent". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on August 25, 2023. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  13. ^ TedXPortland Archived February 24, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. June 6, 2013.
  14. ^ Paula Forbes. Naomi Pomeroy to Write First Cookbook with Ten Speed Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Eater. November 13, 2014.
  15. ^ Clare Swanson. Cookbook Deals for November 2014 Archived January 21, 2015, at the Wayback Machine. Publishers Weekly. November 17, 2014.
  16. ^ Muhlke, Christine (September 27, 2016). "Review: 'Taste & Technique' Makes French Cooking Cool". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  17. ^ Jackson-Glidden, Brooke (November 30, 2020). "Naomi Pomeroy's Community Market, Ripe Cooperative, Is Now Open for Pre-Orders". Eater Portland. Archived from the original on January 12, 2022. Retrieved January 12, 2022.
  18. ^ Best New Chefs of 2009: Pomeroy Archived January 7, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Food & Wine Magazine.
  19. ^ Biography Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. Top Chef Masters. BravoTV.com.
  20. ^ 10 Women on the Rise Archived October 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. O, The Oprah Magazine. May 2010, p. 9.
  21. ^ Eatocracy Archived January 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. CNN. March 18, 2014.
  22. ^ a b Brooks, Karen (July 15, 2024). "Acclaimed Portland Chef Naomi Pomeroy Has Died". Portland Monthly. Archived from the original on July 15, 2024. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  23. ^ Russell, Michael (July 15, 2024). "Award-winning Portland chef Naomi Pomeroy dies at 49". The Oregonian. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  24. ^ Baweja, Shania (July 17, 2024). "Naomi Pomeroy, renowned chef and 'Top Chef Masters' star, dead at 49 in tubing accident". CNN. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
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