Naomi Pomeroy, seen in this undated photo outside of her award-winning restaurant, Beast, in Northeast Portland’s Concordia neighborhood. Beast closed during the pandemic, but Pomeroy’s work there netted her a James Beard award in 2014. Pomeroy drowned Saturday night in a river accident July 13, 2024.
Courtesy of Dina Avila
James Beard-award-winning chef Naomi Pomeroy, whose restaurant Beast was one of the food establishments that contributed to Portland’s rising stature as a culinary center in the 2000s, drowned Saturday night in the Willamette River near Corvallis.
Family members confirmed to Portland Monthly that Pomeroy died in a river accident over the weekend as she was inner tubing with her husband. Pomeroy was 49 years old.
According to the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Pomeroy along with two other adults were traveling on inner tubes and a paddle board upstream from Mary’s River. Officials say they were tied together and eventually became entangled on an exposed snag in the river.
Pomeroy, who was not wearing a life vest, was pulled underwater and unable to free herself due to the paddleboard leash. BCSO says strong currents and challenging river conditions hindered rescuers from locating Pomeroy.
The other two adults were found and brought to safety Saturday, including Pomeroy’s husband. Rescue crews attempted to use sonar and underwater pole cameras to reach Pomeroy but were unsuccessful.
“This Office is dedicated to locating Naomi and bringing her home to her family and loved ones”, Sheriff Van Arsdall said in a press release. “I want to thank all involved in the search and recovery mission during this difficult time.”
Pomeroy was one of the most acclaimed chefs in the city for more than a decade. Beast, in Northeast Portland’s Concordia neighborhood, opened in 2007 and netted her a coveted James Beard award in 2014. She and her husband opened a cocktail bar across the street from Beast, known as Expatriate, more than a decade ago.
Beast closed during the pandemic, but according to The Oregonian, Pomeroy was in the process of opening a new restaurant on Southeast Division Street in Portland later this year. Beast offered world-class dining in an intimate, communal table setting, plopped in the middle of a residential neighborhood.
FILE: This Sept. 27, 2013 photo shows patrons toasting at Naomi Pomeroy's Beast restaurant in Portland, Ore., where diners enjoyed a six-course prix fixe dinner built around massive flavors and the chef's penchant for butchering whole animals.
Don Ryan / AP