Naomi Pomeroy’s family and supporters remembered the “Top Chef” star with a moving tribute during a memorial service on Monday, just one month after she died in a tragic tubing accident.
At a special ceremony held at St. John’s Bridge in Cathedral Park in Portland, Oregon, her loved ones celebrated the late 49-year-old’s life with food and conversation, according to local reports. News outlet KOIN 6.
“She was our guardian, our guide, our food guide. It all worked out amazingly,” said Naomi’s father, Toby Pomeroy.
Among the treats enjoyed by attendees at the memorial service were berry pastries garnished with edible flowers, deviled eggs and an assortment of bread baskets. Guests were also served vegetables grown in Naomi’s garden at home.
Fellow chef Madeline Cook remembered the “Top Chef Masters” alum as a mentor who played a major role in her career and personal growth.
“She took me under her wing and I worked with her at the Ripe Cooperative,” Cook told the outlet. “Her spirit is incredible. Her intensity, her commitment and sometimes she makes you laugh and she humiliates you.”
“I learned to be fiercely independent and honest, not just in my culinary skills, but in my personal life too.”
Naomi drowned on July 13 while tubing with her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and a third person in the Willamette River in Portland.
The celebrity chef was strapped onto a paddleboard when it got stuck on “an exposed underwater reef.”
Her body was discovered by canoeists on the river four days after the incident and was removed by authorities.
Upon the James Beard Award winner’s passing, other famous chefs, including Padma Lakshmi and “Top Chef” judge Gail Simmons, also paid tribute to her.
“I have been fortunate to have known this inspirational woman over the years and my condolences go out to her loved ones. What a great loss for our community.” Lakshmi He said on Instagram.
“It’s more than just a broken heart,” Simmons said. That’s what I said at the time. “I first met Naomi Pomeroy the night she won @foodandwine’s Best New Chef award in 2009. In fact, the internet reminded me today that I was the one who presented her with that award. 15 years and countless laughs, emails and meals later, I’m still as in awe of her culinary talent, generosity, sharp wit and overall awesomeness as I was then.”
