Danucera Diaries
Entry 42: Rachel and Phila Lorn
Q: Tell us how your story began and what building a life together has looked like…
We met in a kitchen, grew up together in a restaurant and are building a life together in our industry. We met at Zama, a busy sushi restaurant in the Rittenhouse Square section of Philadelphia. 6 years after our first beer together, we got married and 6 more years we had our son, Otis. Things didn’t seem messy enough, so we also decided to open 2 restaurants..which are both critically acclaimed.
Q: Starting a business with your spouse is a risk most people won't take. How did you two figure out how to build something together without a roadmap?
We’ve learned a lot of very important things together…things that we should’ve learned together in order to keep our unit a cozy space for us. We started LLC’s together and stacked the building blocks of business on a newly found foundation that we sort of made up. It’s these types of makeshift beginnings that set us apart from other “put-together” partners. Our charm is a we-thing.
"Danucera is something we use together to look and feel good for our world."
—Rachel and Phila Lorn—
Q: Was there a moment at the restaurant that made you both stop and remember exactly why you're doing this?
I remember watching a 4 top of Cambodian kids eating at Mawn at table 11. I approached them to ask how everything was and one of the kids looked up at me and said, “it doesn’t even matter, we are just glad this exists”. I looked back at Rachel, and she was as melted as I was…that was when I realized why we do things and how we should do things together. Our passion for community and hospitality is something we share.
Q: Marriage and business partnership are both full-time relationships. How do you protect your individuality when your personal and professional lives are this intertwined?
We are ourselves, together. We are very different in some lights and shine the same way in other lights. We make sure to hold space and allow ourselves to be individual in personality, ironically, to curate the unity that we both live in.
Q: How do you balance being partners in life, parenthood, and business?
Being married, parents and business partners..there’s a lot of things that we are learning to love. Everything’s sort of the same but in different shapes, colors and tones. It’s a whirlwind of emotions that changes by the hour. That’s a circumstance not many people can manage. We work hard together to perfect this…or at least make it look good.
Q: Running a restaurant is notoriously brutal on the people inside it. How do you make sure you're actually taking care of each other in the middle of all of it?
We often remind each other to drink water, to eat right and to take it easy when we see the other fall short of anything. It’s a camaraderie that is essential to sustainability and true love.
Q: What role does Danucera play in your everyday life?
Danucera is something that is the least complex in our lives. Something that is a guarantee. Something that is there for us. Something that knows us. Danucera is something we use together to look and feel good for our world.
Q: If Danucera had a role in your relationship, what would it be, and what does it help you protect (calm, confidence, routine, rest)?
Danucera is something that both Rach and I use. Sometimes, at the same time. It’s a wind down, a therapy session and a ritual at this point.
Q: If you could describe the feeling Danucera gives you in one word, what is it, and why?
If we could describe Danucera in one word…it would be “ assuredly”
Q: When you reach for Danucera, which product do you both keep coming back to, and what does it do for you that nothing else quite matches?
We both love the Cream Supreme, the moisturizer. It’s such an important product, especially for Restaurant people.
