AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Honored to be recognized for our commitment to culinary excellence

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JAMES BEARD AWARD

2025 Semifinalist
Best Chef: Midwest
Chef Jamie & GM Chuckie

2023 Semifinalist
Emerging Chef
Chef Jamie Brown-Soukaseume

James Beard Award 2025 Semifinalist
James Beard Award 2023 Semifinalist

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MADISON MAGAZINE

Best Chef of 2023
Chef Jamie Brown-Soukaseume
Featured Cover Story

Madison Magazine Best Chef 2024

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BEST OF MADISON

2024 🥇 Best East Asian Restaurant
2024 🥉 Best Southeast Asian
2025 🥉 Best Southeast Asian
2023 🥉 Best Southeast Asian
2022 🥈 Best Delivery
2021 🥉 Best New Restaurant

OUR STORY

Our founders, Chuckie Brown-Soukaseume (left) and Chef Jamie Brown-Soukaseume (right), smiling behind the bar at Ahan

Ahan (ອາຫານ, meaning “food” in Lao) is the brainchild of Jamie (formerly Hoang) and Chuckie Brown-Soukaseume. Their vision is to bring Asian-inspired cuisine to the thriving restaurant scene in Madison, showcasing the vibrant flavors and culinary traditions while utilizing locally sourced ingredients.

The success of Ahan was initially demonstrated through a series of well-received pop-up events in January 2020, leading to their triumphant establishment at The Bur Oak in August of the same year. Today, Ahan remains dedicated to continually enhancing its offerings through a harmonious blend of tradition and innovation.


Chef Jamie Brown-Soukaseume

A graduate of the Madison College Culinary Arts Program, Jamie has been a professional chef in Madison, Wisconsin since 2011. With a wealth of experience gained from renowned establishments such as L’Etoile, Forequarter, Estrellón, and Sujeo, Jamie accumulated invaluable culinary expertise over the course of a decade before embarking on her own culinary venture.

Chuckie Brown-Soukaseume

Chuckie brings extensive experience from the food and beverage industry, having worked professionally in Madison since 2012. Notable among his achievements are his contributions at The Robin Room, Mint Mark, and Estrellón. In addition to his culinary pursuits, Chuckie is an active member of the vibrant Madison music scene, having played with The Earthlings for the past 11 years.

MEET THE TEAM

👨‍🍳 BACK OF HOUSE

Jamie Brown-SoukaseumeExecutive Chef / Owner
Manola HoangChef de Cuisine
Drew EckenrodChef de Cuisine
Egon BasslerSous Chef
Josh DykstraSous Chef
Pou SonmesaySous Chef
Astrid Anderson • Cindy Brown
Gabriel Hernandez • Kaila Hogan
Alberta Jimenez-Perez • Gustavo Jimenez-Perez
Nolan Rapp • Matt Roesler
Joe Schoenherr • Tony Soukaseume
James Troia

🍸 BAR

Sasha AndersonBar Manager
Joseph VegaBar Manager
Maddie Butterfield
Makenna Ferrell

📱 COMMUNICATIONS

Yukiko IkedaSocial Media

🍽️ FRONT OF HOUSE

Chuckie Brown-SoukaseumeGM / Owner
Brian SoukaseumeAssistant GM
Brian WamboldFOH Manager
Matt Allenstein • Roman Barut
Cedar Heller • Jacob Hoang-Bambrough
Austin Jackson • Ethan Jackson
Philip Le • Chapor Lor
Maggie Malestycki • Varouni Soukaseume
Angelica Thairuammit • Antonio Thairuammit
Joseph Vega • Ellis Williams

OUR PURVEYORS

Proudly partnering with local Wisconsin farms and producers 🌱

Supporting sustainable, local agriculture is at the heart of what we do.