Naomi Pomeroy ’97

Naomi Pomeroy is the chef and owner of Beast. Since the restaurant opened in 2007, accolades and awards have followed, including features in Gourmet, Elle, and Marie Claire magazine. She has been recognized by Bon Appètit and Food and Wine as one of the best chefs in America, and in March 2010 she was selected as a finalist for the James Beard Award in the category Best Chef-Pacific Northwest.

Before opening Beast, Pomeroy and Michael Hebb started Ripe Catering in 1999 and launched an underground supper club. Soon after, they opened the Gotham Coffee Shop, Clarklewis restaurant,and the Gotham Tavern. In the summer of 2007, after the Gotham Coffee Shop and Tavern had closed and Clarklewis had been sold, Pomeroy started to cook small family-style suppers again. The intimacy of these suppers is preserved at Beast, which was named restaurant of the year by the Oregonian in 2008.