i. Biography
Born in 1974, Naomi Pomeroy’s work in cooking took shape through movement, testing, and ownership rather than a single formal line of inheritance. In Portland, that made her career easy to place and hard to flatten: each address marked a different stage of development, and the long run of one restaurant, in particular, gave her public profile its core weight.
Coming Up
Training at Corvallis High School and Lewis & Clark College gives Naomi Pomeroy’s early path its frame, but the craft story starts in Portland, Oregon, where pop-up supper series let her work in public before settling into a fixed house. That format suited a chef still refining control of pace, room, and response, with the menu and the dining room in active conversation. The move from pop-up work to a permanent seat at the stove came with Beast in Portland, Oregon (2007–2020), where Naomi Pomeroy served as owner and head chef. Beast was the central chapter: a site where ownership and creative responsibility sat together for more than a decade. After that, Pomeroy continued as owner at Expatriate in Portland, Oregon, keeping her work rooted in the same city while shifting the setting.
Where They Are Now
Beast and Expatriate give the clearest read on Naomi Pomeroy’s restaurant work. Beast (2007–2020) remains the defining stretch, while Expatriate shows continuity in a different room. Taken together, the venues map a career built through place, repetition, and the slow accumulation of standing.
Signature
Naomi Pomeroy is associated with Developing Portland. The phrase fits because her work reads as part of the city’s own culinary definition, not separate from it. Her name sits inside a broader story of how Portland’s dining identity was made visible, adjusted, and clarified over time.
Honors
Naomi Pomeroy has received Food & Wine magazine — America's Top 10 Best New Chefs (2009). Naomi's honors include James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northwest (2014) and America's Top 10 Best New Chefs (2009). Those recognitions land after the work was already established, marking the point at which her standing had moved beyond Portland and into the wider field.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Naomi
Where did Naomi Pomeroy train or study?
Naomi Pomeroy trained at Corvallis High School and Lewis & Clark College.
What recognition has Naomi Pomeroy received?
James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef Northwest (2014).
