Top Chef star killed in tubing tragedy haunting final Instagram post

A TV chef who died in a horrific tubing accident shared her next culinary endeavor in s devastating final Instagram post.

Former Top Chef Masters contestant Naomi Pomeroy, 49, drowned on the Willamette River near Corvallis, Oregon, on Saturday evening.

Two weeks before the tragedy, Pomeroy and restaurateur Luke Dirks launched a dining series called Garden Party.

The renowned chef posted a photo to Instagram showing guests gathered around the dining table at the secret garden in Portland announcing they are accepting reservations on July 1.

‘See you all again so soon! I can’t wait to cook with you again,’ Pomeroy said in a June 26 post.

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Many of the items on the menu came fresh from – or were inspired by – what was growing in Pomeroy’s garden.

The garden just behind the first Stumptown Coffee storefront in Southeast Portland hosts up to 36 people.

For $95 per person, not including drinks and gratuity, diners could enjoy a vegetarian friendly menu focused on seasonal ingredients.

Pomeroy was tied to her her husband and a friend who were also tubing when all three struck a submerged tree and the chef was thrown underwater. 

Her husband Kyle Linden Webster and the friend resurfaced, but Pomeroy was nowhere to be seen.

The Benton County Sheriff’s Office confirmed her body was recovered from the water close to Corvallis around 8:25 pm on Saturday.

Authorities said a strong undercurrent prevented officials from immediately finding her body. 

Pomeroy was not wearing a life jacket at the time, according to KEZI9 News.  

The 49-year-old had no formal culinary or business training. She developed her skills by watching other chefs on television, and created her first recipe at only four years old.

After launching her first restaurant, Beast, in Portland, she launched Gotham Tavern and Gotham Coffee shop with Michael Hebb.

Pomeroy starred on Top Chef Masters in 2011, and won the James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Pacific Northwest in 2014.

She was remembered as a pioneering force for the Portland food scene by close friends.

Gary Okazaki, a fan of Pomeroy’s communal restaurant called Beast that offered live viewings of her performing magic tricks in the open kitchen, remembered her as ‘a rock star chef.’

‘When they write the history of the Portland culinary scene, she’s going to have her own chapter,’ he told KOIN6.

‘It was it was her personality, the cult of personality of Naomi. Just the magnetism. When she was around, you could feel it,’ Okazaki added.

‘Diners flocked to Beast, and at one point it was considered maybe the best restaurant in Portland.’