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Top Chef Masters Alum Naomi Pomeroy Has Died
Tom Colicchio paid tribute to the late "great chef" after news of her passing was made public.
Top Chef Masters alum Naomi Pomeroy has died. The chef was 49 years old.
Per Portland Monthly, the Oregon-based chef passed away during a tubing accident on Saturday, July 13. The restaurant owner was tubing with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and a friend in fast-moving currents of the Willamette River. According to The New York Times, the trio tied two inner tubes and a paddle board together, and they hit a partially submerged branch that threw them into the water. While Kyle and the couple's friend were able to make it to shore, Naomi did not.
Her husband opened up about his wife's final months to The New York Times. "Naomi was pretty advanced in her understanding of this cool ride we’re on,” he shared. “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.”
The self-taught chef is survived by her husband as well as her daughter August (who she shares with her ex-husband, Michael Hebb).
Naomi came in fourth place on Season 3 of the Top Chef spin-off, Top Chef Masters, which aired in 2011. She also appeared as a guest judge numerous times on Top Chef. Unfortunately, fellow Season 3 alum Floyd Cardoz (who was the season's winner) passed away from COVID-19 in 2020.
In addition to appearing on Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, Naomi was also known for starting numerous eateries in the Portland area: Beast (which has since closed), Expatriate, and Cornet Custard.
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Tom Colicchio pays tribute to Naomi Pomeroy
After news of her passing was made public, Bravo shared an official statement that was posted originally on X (formerly known as Twitter).
"The Bravo and Top Chef family send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy," the statement read. "Naomi was a powerhouse chef who made an indelible mark on the culinary industry."
Tom Colicchio, who has been the head judge on every season of Top Chef since its inception — and who was a consulting producer on Top Chef Masters — also reacted to the news of Naomi's passing on X.
"Just horrible news, we lost another great chef," he wrote. "My heart goes out to Naomi’s family."
