Mawn dishes arrive at 40+ cooks' kitchens for 4 days

Home Appétit will deliver two dishes from chef Phila Lorn's restaurant Mawn to customers in Philadelphia from Monday, November 2, through Thursday, November 5. The limited-time menu is available for order between October 27 and October 30. This collaboration marks the first time Lorn's signature recipes are available through the meal delivery service.

The partnership is part of Home Appétit's Chef Charity Collab program. The company works with local chefs to feature their dishes for one week. A portion of the sales goes to a local cause selected by the chef. Lorn chose the Francis Scott Key School, where he attended school in South Philadelphia. The donation will support expanded library access for students.

The menu features Mawn nyawm salad and Sunday chicken curry with an Italian Market baguette. The nyawm salad is a traditional Cambodian dish made with green papaya, carrots, mint, Thai basil, cilantro, and rau ram. The dressing consists of fish sauce and palm sugar syrup. Lorn described the dish as ceremonial, noting its presence at temples, funerals, and birthdays in Cambodian culture.

The delivery version modifies the original recipe to include South Philadelphia flavors. The house-pickled chilies from Mawn are replaced with pickled cherry peppers. These peppers are commonly found in cheesesteaks and hoagies. Lorn said the change allows diners to taste the nostalgia of eating a cheesesteak. He described the adaptation as ultra-homey.

The Sunday chicken curry is a braised chicken leg in coconut curry with potatoes and long beans. It is paired with a baguette from Sarcone's bakery. The dish was a staple in Lorn's childhood home. His parents, Cambodian immigrants who worked picking berries, had one day off each week. His mother would make chicken curry, and his father would buy bread from a neighborhood bakery. Lorn recalled tearing the bread by hand and dipping it into the curry.

The curry is not currently on Mawn's regular menu. Diners who have reservations at the restaurant will find this dish new to them. The meal offers a look at the family meals that influenced Lorn's cooking. The curry reflects the food he grew up eating in South Philadelphia.

Home Appétit founder Lee Wallach said the collaboration helps people who cannot get reservations at Mawn experience Lorn's cooking. Wallach founded the company in 2014. It started as a one-chef operation and now employs more than 40 restaurant-trained cooks. The team prepares a weekly menu from scratch, including butchering meat in-house. Meals are delivered chilled to homes in Philadelphia, surrounding suburbs, parts of South Jersey, and the Wilmington area.

The chef collaboration program began during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first partnership with Nick Elmi raised money for restaurant employees. The program has since supported causes chosen by chefs including Nok Suntaranon of Kalaya, Amanda Shulman of Her Place Supper Club, and Omar and Cybille Tate of Honeysuckle. The company has donated more than $125,000 to date.

Home Appétit is preparing to move into a newly renovated 23,000-square-foot facility in Northwest Philadelphia. Wallach estimates the new space will quadruple cooking capacity. The facility will house the kitchen, offices, and storage under one roof. The company plans to use the space to expand its offerings, which may include stocking office refrigerators, offering grill kits, adding delivery days, and opening a pickup window.

Customers can order the Mawn collaboration by visiting homeappetitphilly.com between October 27 and October 30. They must enter their zip code to check delivery availability. Regular service starts at $100 for a choice of four dishes and four sides. There is no subscription required. New customers can use the code LORN20 for $20 off their first order that week.