Mawn, the Cambodian noodle house in South Philadelphia, is one of several food spots and chefs nominated as a 2025 James Beard Award finalist and is led by a dedicated husband and wife duo, writes Julia Binswanger for Billy Penn at WHYY.
Phila Lorn, the 39-year-old chef behind the restaurant, is a finalist for the Emerging Chef.
Despite the label of the award, Lorn has two decades of experience in the restaurant industry.
While he leads the food aspect of the restaurant, the establishment is nowhere near as successful without his wife, Rachel. The latter is integral to its culture and overall dining experience.
“That role is often forgotten about,” Rachel said. “There’s another part of the whole restaurant that’s a very important part in building the culture. It really can make or break a restaurant to have service be failed, or people to be rude, and so I think that it’s important to also kind of recognize the full operation of a restaurant.”
Despite only being in operation for two years, Mawn has already earned much praise.
Phila opened the restaurant as a way to honor his Cambodian heritage. Rachel’s background is also prevalent in Mawn’s menu.
The dynamic duo are putting their all into the restaurant.
Read more about Phila and Rachel Lorn, the minds behind Mawn, at Billy Penn at WHYY.
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