Kevin Boehm
Kevin Boehm is an American restaurateur who is the co-founder and co-owner of Boka Restaurant Group and the Independent Restaurant Coalition. With his business partner, Rob Katz, he operates 22 restaurants in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. Kevin, along with his business partner, won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur in America in 2018.
Early life and education
[edit]Boehm was raised in Springfield, Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois.
Career
[edit]In 1993 Boehm opened his first restaurant on money he had saved as a server and bartender. He opened restaurants in Seaside, Florida, Springfield, Illinois, and Nashville Tennessee before founding Boka Restaurant Group with Rob Katz in 2002. Boehm has been featured as a judge on two episodes of Top Chef[1] and one episode of Top Chef Canada. He also played himself in Episode 10 of Season 3 of “The Bear.”
As a writer, Boehm has had pieces published in Esquire Magazine,[2] McSweeney's,[3] Plate Magazine,[4] and the Chicago Sun Times. He is also a contributing writer for Fast Company.[5] Kevin is currently working on writing his own book called Bottomless Cup, this will be set to release in 2025, published by Abrams Press.[6]
During the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, he co-founded and was involved in leading the Independent Restaurant Coalition,[7][8][9] an industry group founded during the pandemic to lobby the federal government for relief for restaurants and their employees, which culminated in $28.6 Billion in grants being given out by the federal government.
Honors
[edit]In 2018 Boehm won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur,[10] after being a finalist in 2015, 2016,[11] and 2017.[12] Boka Restaurant has been awarded one Michelin star for thirteen consecutive years.
Personal life
[edit]Boehm lives in Chicago in the neighborhood of River North.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "MAY 1, 2020 'Top Chef' Recap: Which Chef Can Pitch the Best Restaurant Concept?". Robb Report. May 2020.
- ^ "I Furloughed 1,800 Employees the Day After My Mom Died. I've Never Needed Restaurants More". Esquire. 16 April 2020.
- ^ "Wanted: Restaurant Savior, No Experience Necessary". McSweeney's.
- ^ "If You Want to Save Restaurants, You Need to Become the Squeaky Wheel". Plate Magazine.
- ^ Boehm, Kevin (2022-04-23). "How I learned to stop worrying and embrace my imposter syndrome". Fast Company. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
- ^ Chopovsky, Max. "Kevin Boehm - Moral of the Story".
- ^ "His mom died the day before he closed 23 restaurants. Now he's on a mission to save the industry he loves". USA Today. 27 May 2020.
- ^ "Restaurants Are Like 'a Boat With 15 Holes in It'". Bloomberg. 2 January 2021.
- ^ "Restauratuer says industry is realizing coronavirus effects will last 12-18 months". Fox News. May 2020.
- ^ "James Beard Awards: Boka Restaurant Group, Parachute chefs among big winners in Chicago". Chicago Tribune. 7 May 2019.
- ^ "The 2016 James Beard Award Nominees". James Beard Foundation.
- ^ "The 2017 James Beard Award Nominees". James Beard Foundation.
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