Naomi Pomeroy, a former contestant on Top Chef Masters, shared details of her business plans in her final Instagram posts, weeks before her drowning death in Oregon.
Citing the Benton County Sheriff's Office, local ABC affiliate KEZI9 said that a woman was one of three people floating in a trio of inner tubes traveling downriver on the Willamette River near Corvallis, outside of Portland, on the evening of July 13.
According to reports, the inner tubes, which were tied together, hit a snag causing Pomeroy, 49—who was not wearing a lifejacket—to go underwater and not resurface. Her family confirmed her death to Portland Monthly magazine. Her husband, Kyle Linden Webster, and an unnamed third person survived, per The Oregonian.
As of press time, efforts to recover Pomeroy's body are ongoing. "Both yesterday and today, the Benton County Sheriff's Office had staff ... both Marine Patrol Deputies and Search and Rescue personnel, on the water, continuing the effort to recover the victim," Sheriff Jef Van Arsdall told the Portland edition of Eater.
"Debris in river, currents, and ragged rocks, make it unsafe for divers to conduct any exploratory search under water. We will continue our efforts to recover the victim, to bring [closure] to the family and the community."
Newsweek has contacted the Benton County Sheriff's Office via a website request form for comment.
Pomeroy's death came two weeks after she announced plans to launch a dinner series called Garden Party with restaurateur Luke Dirks.
In a June 27 post on Instagram, Pomeroy said that it was "FINALLY time to tell y'all about a little thing we're [...] up to."
Pomeroy described the series as a "few dinners a week in a hidden, gorgeous, gem of a garden in SE Portland. Seats are pretty limited. 36 ish a night—but maybe we'll add some dates if they fill up fast?"
In her final post, shared on July 1, Pomeroy posted a black-and-white photo that showed a group of people dining al fresco under dense trees.
"RESERVATIONS ARE LIVE," she captioned the post. "July Garden Party Dates are now open. Link in bio." She also shared dates of availability, running on four pairs of days throughout the month.
The post has since been flooded with messages of condolences from a host of Instagram users, with one writing: "You were a light, a legend, and an inspiration. Rest in peace."
"A sad reminder of how fleeting life is and we need to enjoy it to its fullest," wrote another. "It seems she lived that way, especially lately."
"Wow, I don't know what to say," a third commented. "Rest easy Naomi. [You] had such an impact on PDX [Portland] food. So sad to hear this. Speechless."
In a statement of his own, Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer said: "What a loss. Naomi was not just a fabulous chef and entrepreneur, but an amazing human being. Her impact went far beyond Portland, helping establish our leadership and reputation for food excellence. She will be greatly missed."
Oregon native Pomeroy, who competed on Top Chef Masters in 2011, took home the James Beard Award for best chef in the Pacific Northwest a decade ago. She was also recognized by Food & Wine and Oprah magazines as a chef to watch.
At the time of her death, Pomeroy—who had worked at and opened a number of eateries in the Portland area—was working on a new restaurant next door to her frozen custard shop, Cornet Custard.
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