Naomi Pomeroy (born 1974) is a professional chef and
restaurateur. In an interview, Pomeroy explains that she began cooking at the age of three and created her first recipe at the age of four.[2] She graduated from
Lewis & Clark College in 1997 with a degree in history.[3] Pomeroy has no formal culinary or business training; she developed her skills by watching other food-industry professionals.[4] In 2007, she opened the restaurant
Beast in
Portland, Oregon. Previously, she started Gotham Tavern, Gotham Coffee shop, and ClarkLewis restaurant with Michael Hebb.[5] In 2013, Working Mother magazine featured an article which details Pomeroy's experiences as a working single parent.[6]
Professional history
In 2009, Pomeroy was listed by Food & Wine magazine as one of America's Top 10 Best New Chefs.[7] As a restaurateur, she was recognized in the October 2010 issue of Marie Claire as one of the 18 Most Powerful Women in Business.[8]O, The Oprah Magazine mentions her career endeavors and named her as one of the Top 10 Women on the Rise for 2010.[9] In 2014, Pomeroy won the
James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northwest.[10]
In 2010, Pomeroy appeared on
Iron Chef and lost to Chef
Jose Garces.[11] Her television appearances also include serving as a 2014 guest judge on the television series
Knife Fight.[12] Pomeroy also spoke at a TedxPortland Talk in 2013.[13]
Pomeroy is scheduled to publish her first cookbook in 2016 with
Ten Speed Press.[14] According to
Publishers Weekly, the cookbook would be titled Oui: Lessons from an Award-Winning Self-Taught Chef.[15] Pomeroy's cookbook, released in 2016, was entitled Taste & Technique: Recipes to Elevate Your Home Cooking.[16]
Her restaurant, Beast, closed in 2020 during the
COVID-19 pandemic, and Pomeroy used the space for a new venture called Ripe Cooperative, a marketplace that also sold meal boxes for customers to finish at home until 2022.[17]