After opening more than 50 restaurants over the past 30 years, James Beard Award-winning restaurateur Kevin Boehm has helped build Boka Restaurant Group into one of America’s most acclaimed restaurant companies. His approach to hospitality has earned recognition from the James Beard Foundation, Michelin Guide, and Food & Wine, while launching restaurants that have become fixtures of the industry.<\/p>\n
Born in 1970, Kevin grew up in Springfield, Illinois and told his mother at age 10 that he wanted to open his own restaurant one day. After attending the University of Illinois for two years, he dropped out and moved to the Panhandle of Florida to start working in restaurants. After surviving homelessness, fist fights, and six months working at an amusement park, he wrote a highly embellished resume that landed him a coveted Captain’s position at Beach House Restaurant.<\/p>\n
In 2002, Boehm partnered with Rob Katz, and the two would open 41 places together in 23 years. The group’s many accolades include 20 James Beard Finalist nominations, two Food & Wine Best New Chefs, 13 consecutive Michelin Stars for Boka, and 6 restaurants in Restaurant Magazine’s top 100 highest grossing restaurants in America.<\/p>\n
In 2019, they won the coveted Outstanding Restaurateur in America at the James Beard Awards. In 2020, Boehm co-founded Bian, a private wellness club that Forbes called “the ultimate wellness destination.”<\/p>\n
As a writer he has had pieces published in Esquire Magazine, Plate, The Chicago Sun Times, McSweeney’s, and he is a contributing writer for Fast Company. He received an honorary Doctorate from National Louis University in 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"