Portland, Oregon, chef and Independent Restaurant Coalition co-founder Naomi Pomeroy, 49, has died, according to multiple media reports. The chef drowned following a tubing accident over the weekend.
Pomeroy, owner of former restaurants Beast and Ripe Cooperative, was heavily involved in the early days of the IRC. The organization was founded by a group of chefs in 2020, including Tom Colicchio and Kwame Onwuachi, to advocate for independent restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
She fought for the passage of the legislation that established the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, which granted $28.6 billion to 100,000 restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“What a loss. Naomi was not just a fabulous chef and entrepreneur, but an amazing human being,” Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), co-author of the Restaurants Act, said in an emailed statement. “Her impact went far beyond Portland, helping establish our leadership and reputation for food excellence. She will be greatly missed.”
Pomeroy opened a permanent location for her frozen custard shop Cornet Custard earlier this year in Portland. She also appeared on “Top Chef Masters” and received a James Beard Award in 2014 for Best Chef Pacific Northwest.
