Philly’s food scene just keeps growing stronger and stronger. This year, four local establishments and chefs received nods as finalists for the 2025 James Beard Awards, also known as the Oscars of the culinary world.
One of them is chef Phila Lorn (pronounced Pee-la) of Mawn, the standout Cambodian noodle house with “no rules.” The 39-year-old local earned a nomination for Emerging Chef.
He first heard the news while at home taking care of his 3-year-old son.
“He’s potty training, so I was wiping him, and I got a text message,” he explained. “A friend of mine was like, ‘Congrats on the James Beard, man.’ I was like, what?!?”
“Surprised was the initial feeling,” he said. “And then, you know, disbelief, imposter syndrome. It’s all the stuff that my therapist is like, you gotta work on.”
Lorn has a goofy, laid-back vibe. He grew up in South Philly and his parents are Cambodian immigrants who named him after the city.
Though he’s an “emerging chef,” this distinction doesn’t mean that Lorn’s new to the industry. The restaurateur has two decades of experience under his belt serving under several celebrated Philly chefs.
Although Phila received the James Beard award nod, he opened Mawn as a shared vision with his wife Rachel. The restaurant, he said, is a true mom-and-pop operation.
The two have been together for 13 years and married for eight. They met working at Zama. And while Phila’s food may be the star of the show, the restaurant is nothing without its supporting cast. Rachel is in charge of the front of the house, and runs the whole enchilada (or in this case noodle bowl?).
“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.”
Rachel sets the tone and vibe of the dining experience at Mawn. According to Phila, she is a “ninja” and Mawn would not be the same without her.
“I got nominated for emerging chef, but … it’s a man’s world type of thing that I get to go to the James Beard awards,” he said. “She’s my business partner … I don’t think I could work without her.”
“We are like a dynamic duo,” he added. “She runs the floor with so much integrity.”
Mawn has been open for two years, but just try to get a reservation online. Odds are that it’s completely booked. The spot has received praise for its celebration of Cambodian flavors and warm vibe. Different dishes also have American, Jewish and Thai influences.
The restaurant gets its name from the Cambodian word for chicken. The menu takes significant inspiration from Phila’s background and family history. His parents came to the United States because they were fleeing civil war.
“This is not a Cambodian story. This is my Cambodian story,” he said. “My mother did run through the jungles in a Cambodian genocide … If you saw somebody eating chicken, it means the gunfire has stopped, because the chickens are chilling now. You can actually catch it and eat it. So, Mawn represents peace time in that way, and also peace time in our careers.”
This backstory is inseparable from the heart of the restaurant – an example of an American dream come true. Because Phila’s story is so powerful, sometimes it’s easy to overlook Rachel’s hand in shaping the restaurant’s DNA and her job to make sure every single customer walks away with a good experience.
“Rachel is your best friend, your enemy, your aunt, your sister, and your mom all at the same time – all in the same outfit,” Phila said.
It’s her role to communicate with the kitchen to make sure that the food is timed right. She’s constantly scanning and listening to diners’ needs to curate their perfect menu, creating a medley of courses. Mawn offers a “Puck and See” option for $65, in which she orders for you.
“It’s like organized chaos in my brain,” Rachel explained. “I can look at a room and be like, ‘OK, they need something.’ It’s basically being the eyes over the entire floor and then knowing exactly what’s going on.”
Rachel also grew up in Philadelphia and certain elements on the menu are inspired by her own background.
“The Mawn Noodle Soup is based on the stock of my grandma’s Jewish-style chicken soup,” she said. “And then we also have the chicken skin, which was more from my side of the family. My dad, who’s passed away, his passion was cooking … And so we keep his picture up on the wall in the restaurant. In the dining room, he watches over everything that’s going on.”
Rachel has been in the restaurant industry just as long as Phila. The two are driven and have put their all into making their family business a success. Before working at Mawn, she was the director of banquets at the Logan Hotel, winning an award for her managerial skills there. However, when they started Mawn, she initially did not quit that job. Instead, she worked two full-time gigs, giving both 100%.
“I ran a whole department there,” she said. “I worked there pretty much 8:30 to 5. And would run here and get here by 5:15, 5:30 and jump right into service. So I was here. I was still here every night we were open.”
For Rachel, this nomination has been “unbelievable,” but also a long time coming.
“I’m not surprised,” she said. “I knew [Phila’s] talents. I know how good he is and the food, but it still is pretty amazing that our little restaurant we put together has now gotten that kind of recognition.”
“To have that many people see his food and see what we do is pretty cool,” she added. “We were never chasing this kind of thing. It was more like, we just want to make really good food. We want to make money and be able to live our life and do it for ourselves.”
Phila said that if he wins, the first thing he’ll do is go over and kiss Rachel. Then whisper in her ear that he told her so. He knew that their restaurant would be a success.
“There’s not a lot of [Cambodian] representation,” he said. “You know it’s amazing to look at the list of nominations, and there’s a Cambodian name. And for some young kid, some young bull, to look and see a face that kind of reminds him of himself, it means the world to us.”
