Naomi Pomeroy, the award-winning Portland chef and cookbook author who died Saturday in a tragic river accident, was remembered by friends and colleagues as a “titan of Portland food,” a disruptive figure and culinary “rock star” who changed the face of American dining, in memorial posts flooding social media Monday and Tuesday.
A self-taught cook, Pomeroy rose to prominence through an early pop-up series, Family Supper, held inside her own home. From those humble beginnings, she and then-partner Michael Hebb would go on to open a series of prominent restaurants including Gotham Building Tavern, Ripe Supper Club and Clarklewis, landing the duo spreads in glossy magazines and food TV opportunities.