Young entrepreneur Ashley Bohan finds a home in Philadelphia’s restaurant scene

By: Sarah Punderson

Philadelphia, Pa- Six years ago, Kennett Restaurant owner Ashley Bohan came to Philadelphia for a doctors visit and decided not to leave. It was almost as if the city chose her.

Ashley Bohan (l), owner of Kennett Restaurant.

“I told my dad to drop me off at the Free Library, and I would find my own way home,” Bohan said.

Within two weeks, the Toms River, N.J. native had gotten an apartment and made fourth and

Pine St.

her home. Bohan and I know each other from her brief stint in Catholic education, where we attended Saint Joseph’s Grade School together (seventh and eighth grade) in Toms River. Facebook reunited the two of us a year ago when I saw she was living in Philadelphia. We hadn’t seen each other since we were 13 years old.

After high school, Bohan was hit by a car while attending the University of West Virginia in her sophomore year. Dealing with injuries related to the accident, she moved home, went to the local community college and then Rutgers-Camden once she made her move to Philly. Nearly 200 college credits to her name, Bohan did not earn a degree. She selected a different path.

“I started working in the restaurant business when I was 13 in Long Beach Island (N.J.). My first job with (renowned Philadelphia restaurateur) Stephen Starr came in 2006 when I got a text message that said there was a job at El Vez as a food runner," said Bohan. "I was still using a cane and hobbled into the interview with my mom, asking for the manager. He turns around and says OH MY GOD DID I SLEEP WITH YOU LAST NIGHT? I said no, but this is my mom and I’m here for a job. He said- I woke up with your name in my phone and couldn’t figure out why. After that he kind of had to hire me, and everyone made fun of him because he hired a food runner who needed a cane to move around. We’re still very good friends to this day.”

Bohan’s introduction to the Philly restaurant scene wasn’t pretty- she cried a lot in the beginning at El Vez and the chefs told her to quit. Two chef exes later and two and a half years under her belt, Bohan had mastered El Vez and was ready for greener pastures. She took a job at Starr’s newest restaurant- Parc, and after two weeks ran back to El Vez begging for her job back.

“I crumbled at Parc just like I did at El Vez when I started. But I stayed because people doubted me and I knew I had to stick it out. I stayed for another two and a half years.”

Turns out Parc is still in Bohan’s plan, as she’s going back to serve two nights a week to continue her wine and cheese education (Starr offers his servers continuing education on both topics).

When asked about the challenges of being a female in the restaurant industry, Bohan said she wasn’t fazed.

“El Vez is in the gayborhood, so I dealt with a lot of gay men there- serving margaritas and doing shots with your guests, that was fun,” she said.

“There’s more of an issue about my age than my gender. As a woman (she’s 28), there aren’t any problems,” Bohan said.

As an owner/server/bartender at Kennett, Bohan, the resident redhead, is often supervising staff that are years older than her. True to her Jersey girl, sand between her toes upbringing, Bohan seems better fit for a lazy day of surfing than a raucous late night commercial kitchen shift. She isn’t a yeller. She’s friends with her staff, and sometimes has issues when friends and business mix.

“It’s almost a matter of respect- sometimes if you don’t yell the staff won’t take you seriously, but that’s just not my personality,” Bohan stated bluntly.

Bohan and business partner at Kennett, Johnny Della Polla, opened the restaurant on December 4^th, 2010. She picks her schedule and works three days a week, while Della Polla, formerly of Yards Brewery, serves as general manager. During the rest of the week, Bohan likes frequenting other local bars including Time and Bar (where she contributed a start-up loan).

“I like eating out- Parc, Jose Pistola’s, drinking margaritas at El Vez and Bar,” said Bohan.

She’s usually at the restaurant until midnight, which serves food until 1 a.m.

“Sometimes I’ll sit at the bar, sometimes I’ll go home (to the same apartment she moved into six years ago),” said Bohan of what she does when her shift’s over.

As an owner, she’s constantly worrying. Will people show up? Why aren’t the lights on? What are the specials tonight? These are the stresses of being a small business owner.

Asked about the beer at Kennett, because of Della Polla’s relationship with Yards Brewery, the restaurant is especially tuned into the local suds scene. Bohan says the Philadelphia brewing community is very supportive and tight knit. Kennett’s relationship with Yards is a coup, especially since less than three miles separate the two businesses. Kennett also has Nodding Head on draught and has been known to support nano-breweries in the neighborhood. .

As for the future of her professional life, Bohan jokes she’d like to be retired in five years.

“I’d like to still be a restaurant owner. I’d like to have kids eventually. I don’t really do five year plans, I kind of take life as it comes,” said Bohan.

You can check out Kennett Restaurant at

848 S. 2^nd St

., Philadelphia Pa 19147

. Hours are listed on their website at http://www.kennettrestaurant.com/.