Beast’s Naomi Pomeroy Opens... A Flower Shop?

One of Portland’s most iconic chefs is about to enter a new business altogether: Beast’s Naomi Pomeroy has officially thrown open the doors to Colibri, a floral studio and meeting space at 1454 NE Prescott St., across the street from Pok Pok Noi.

“Color and texture are two of my favorite parts of working with food,” Pomeroy tells Eater. “Looking at the finished raw beauty of a plate — thoughtfully orchestrated, with restraint — it’s the intersection of that with flowers that I’m interested in.”

Colibri means hummingbird (Pomeroy’s “spirit animal”) in Latin, and also signed onto the project are Expatriate bartender and Pomeroy’s husband and business partner Kyle Webster and visual artist Morgan Rosskopf, who comes with a decade of experience in floral design. Colibri is currently furnishing floral arrangements to individual clients and businesses, including Portland restaurants.

In the announcement, Pomeroy writes that, with their restaurants running smoothly, she and Webster "have been looking for a new project to satisfy different parts of ourselves.” She confirms that she isn’t stepping back from either Beast or Expatriate.

Facebook/Beast

“Why do people wait for ‘retirement’ to explore new sides of themselves?” says Pomeroy. “Why can’t I be something in addition to being a chef? I’ve been a mom in addition to it... Now I want to add a dream I’ve always had into the mix. You can sleep when you’re dead, right?”

And she’s not kidding: She’s starting her mornings at 4:30 a.m. to get the new business up and running. Take a look at the results, with these pics of Colibri’s floral designs:

Colibri

Colibri

• Colibri [Official]
• All Previous Beast Coverage [EPDX]