Naomi Pomeroy’s husband Kyle Webster revealed more details about his wife’s inner tube accident, which led to her sudden death at the age of 49.
While speaking to the New York Times, Webster said the Top Chef Masters star’s sudden death was caused by the couple and a friend’s inner tubes hitting a partly submerged branch while floating down the Willamette River in Oregon on Monday, July 15.
Webster pointed out that he, Naomi Pomeroy, and their friend were tied together when they hit the branch. The impact caused all three to fall into the choppy water. Although he and the friend were able to make it back to shore, Pomeroy did not make it in time. She wasn’t wearing a life jacket.
The next day, a search party from the Benton County Sheriff’s Office eventually discovered Pomeroy’s body. However, due to the water being too rough, they were unable to retrieve it. Her body has not yet been recovered.
Speaking about Naomi Pomeroy and her life leading up to the accident, Webster said she was happy and thriving.
“Naomi was pretty advanced in her understanding of this cool ride we’re on,” he told the New York Times. “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.”
Pomeroy began her culinary journey at the age of 24, starting with Ripe Catering in 1999. She later founded Family Supper, an underground supper club, before opening Gotham Coffee Shop in 2002, followed by Clarklewis in 2004 and Gotham Tavern in 2005. She made appearances on cooking competition shows, including Top Chef Masters in 2011.
Along with Webster, Pomeroy is survived by her daughter, August.
Fellow Chef and TV Personality Amanda Freitag Pays Tribute to Naomi Pomeroy
After the news about Naomi Pomeroy’s death made headlines, fellow chef and TV personality, Amanda Freitag took to X (formerly Twitter) to pay tribute to her.
“This is incredibly tragic [and] shocking news to hear of Naomi Pomeroy untimely death,” Freitag stated. “My deepest condolences go out to her family, loved ones, colleagues [and] community. I was just looking back on a text exchange we had and she was so smart, funny, open, willing to give advice.”
Freitag continued by stating, “She was a force to be reckoned with. I was always inspired by her extreme creativity & commitment to her craft. She was always ahead of the curve and stood strong for everything she believed about what was the proper way to feed people good food & support her culinary community.”
She went on to add, “Her mark on this world is indelible. I will not forget her, we will not forget the many generations she has influenced and changed. A legend is gone. Rest in Peace Chef, thank you.”