Ardmore’s restaurant boom (see here and here) continues, with a new farm-to-table, BYOB concept on the south side of Ardmore: Lavi BYOB. The owners have let us know that the restaurant will open on Saturday, September 29, at 5 p.m.
Located on the corner of Wynnewood and County Line Roads in the former Chris’s Sandwich Shop, this bistro offers a cozy dining room with 30 seats, 10 seats outside, a private dining room and an open kitchen.
Lavi is the joint effort of Khadijah Bush and Aziza Young. The duo met as high school students in Cheltanham and have been friends ever since. Young entered the restaurant industry in her 20s, starting as a server, and then working her way up to managing kitchens in various spots. After relocating to Harrisburg with her family, she did some private chef gigs and then bounced around various kitchens, landing in the some of the Pennsylvania capital’s top spots, such as Mangia Qui. In 2016, she landed a spot on Hell’s Kitchen, earning her a small bit of celebrity (she’ll be appearing on another food-related show later this year, which is still under wraps).
Bush, a real estate agent, has also had her turn on reality television, appearing in 2016 on First Time Flippers on HGTV’s DIY Network. Hoping to capitalize on their momentum, and doing something to contribute to Philadelphia’s rising food scene, Bush and Young decided to combine their talents and passions on a project together.
“We wanted to do something true to ourselves: I like to network and she likes to cook,” Bush says. “We talked about a food truck but decided on a brick-and-mortar … Philadelphia has been growing its restaurant industry and we want to see how we can we fill in some of these empty spaces in Philly or the surrounding suburbs.”
While Young fine-tunes the opening menu (think rustic, approachable dishes, like short rib ravioli and lamb skewers), Bush is using her house-flipping skills to renovate the space, choosing a farmhouse-inspired aesthetic. A sliding barn door, hardwood floors, light pumpkin colored paint on the walls lend an airy, clean look to the space. Bush says she’s especially proud of the planters out front and the communal table in the private dining room, both of which she hand-built.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BiTm_-ABd3u/?taken-by=lavibyo
The name is inspired by the French phrase la vie because, as Bush says, “We’re both trying to live our lives … [we’re going to] invest in our relationship and our friendship and see what we can do.”
Lavi BYOB is set to opening Saturday, September 29, at 5 p.m. Regular hours will be Tuesday through Thursday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m., Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.–3 p.m. and 5–10 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m.–6 p.m.; closed Monday.
Find Lavi BYOB at 1531 W. Wynnewood Rd. in Ardmore; phone: (484) 413-2779.
- Photos: Emily Kovach
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