Padma Lakshmi is paying tribute to Top Chef Masters alum Naomi Pomeroy.
“I am deeply saddened to hear of the untimely death of chef Naomi Pomeroy,” Lakshmi, 53, wrote via Instagram on Thursday, July 18. “She was always a welcome presence at judges table and I was blessed to get to know this inspiring woman over the years. My condolences to her loved ones, what an incredible loss to our community.”
Alongside the message, Lakshmi uploaded several pictures of her and Pomeroy, who appeared as a contestant on season 3 of Top Chef Masters in 2011. Pomeory later served as a guest judge for seasons 10, 15 and 18 of Top Chef. Lakshmi, for her part, hosted the Bravo cooking competition from 2006 to 2023.
Pomeory died on Saturday, July 13, after drowning in an inner tube accident in Oregon’s Willamette River. She was 49.
According to a press release issued by the Benton County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday, July 16, Pomeory was attached to a paddleboard while her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and a third person were on tubes that were secured together.
The department announced that Pomeory was “pulled under the water and unable to free herself due to the paddleboard leash” while they were in the rough currents near river mile 132.
While the Corvallis Fire Department was unable to recover her body when they arrived at the scene, they were able to locate Webster and the third person on shore. The following day, a body was noticed by people canoeing in the river and called 911.
“BCSO marine deputies arrived shortly after, located a deceased female on a shallow section of bedrock near the middle of the river with about one to two feet of water,” a press release read on Wednesday, July 17. “According to the victim’s description, the female was identified as Naomi Pomeroy, missing since July 13, 2024. Deputies released Naomi to a funeral home and notified her family of the recovery.”
Since the incident, police have issued warnings for “dangerous” currents and hazards. They also informed visitors to “not tie yourself to a paddleboard unless you have a quick release leash,” and warned to not “tie two or more inner tubes together.” Authorities have also encouraged everyone to wear a life jacket.
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After news of Pomeory’s death broke, the network released a statement honoring her. “The Bravo and Top Chef family send our heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Chef Naomi Pomeroy,” the network wrote via X on Tuesday. “Naomi was a powerhouse chef who made an indelible mark on the culinary industry.”
Pomeroy is survived by her daughter, August, whom she welcomed with her first husband, Michael Hebb, in 2000. Pomeroy opened her first restaurant, Beast, in Portland, Oregon in 2007. She then opened a cocktail bar called Expatriate with her husband in 2013, winning a James Beard award the following year.
Beast closed in 2020, but Pomeory turned the space into a market and bistro called Ripe Cooperative, which closed in 2022. She then opened Cornet Custard in May, and had plans to open a French restaurant next door.
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