I don’t think we’ve had a restaurateur on the show until now — correct me if I’m wrong? But today’s guest, Kevin Boehm, wrote a memoir, and I am a real sucker for memoirs; his is very good, too — emotional and candid, and I really enjoyed reading it. It’s called The Bottomless Cup: A Memoir of Secrets, Restaurants, and Forgiveness — and it gets into everything from parenting and being parented, to learning how to open restaurants, to hospitality, to alcohol and bipolar disorder, and marriage, and having kids — you get it.
Kevin co-founded Boka Restaurant Group almost 25 years ago now. With his business partner, Rob Katz, Kevin operates 35 restaurants in a bunch of cities including Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York — like Laser Wolf in Brooklyn and Girl and the Goat in Chicago. Kevin and Rob won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Restaurateur in America in 2018.
In all honesty, this was one of the best chats we’ve had so far. My dad even texted me afterwards to tell me he felt the same. Kevin is very charismatic, as you’d expect, but also very candid and warm. Hope you enjoy, too!
Here’s what was mentioned in today’s podcast:
The Bottomless Cup: A Memoir of Secrets, Restaurants, and Forgiveness, by Kevin Boehm
Truro Center for the Arts at Castle Hill
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