Extra Serving: A restaurant industry podcast · November 5, 2026 · 22 min

Restaurateur Kevin Boehm is having a full-circle moment

Kevin Boehm has experienced the highs and lows of the restaurant industry. His award-winning restaurants range from the Michelin-starred Boka to Girl and Goat with Chef Stephanie Izard. Still, in his early days in the industry, he fought addiction and mental health issues and eventually hit rock bottom. Many of those highs and lows are detailed in “The Bottomless Cup: A Memoir of Secrets, Restaurants, and Forgiveness.” Boehm has a lot of stories to tell, but guest host Gloria Dawson was most excited to discuss evolution — both Kevin’s and the industry’s. There have been huge changes in how Kevin and the industry at large treat addiction, mental health, and balance. Boehm also discusses his latest venture: This summer the Boka Restaurant Group opened three concepts in Nashville. The openings marked a full-circle moment for Boehm. Back in 1999, he opened a restaurant in Nashville that opened with a bang but closed soon after, and “it knocked me into a tailspin,” Boehm said. Today, Boehm and, to a certain extent, the restaurant industry are in a much better place.