Cambodian eatery Mahope sets opening date for brick-and-mortar location in Northside

CINCINNATI – Vy Sok and her partner, Mike Laguna, busily worked to wrap up final touches inside the future location of their Cambodian restaurant, Mahope, two days before Thanksgiving. ... After starting her own family in Greater Cincinnati, Sok said she wanted to open a Cambodian restaurant and introduce people to the foods she loves. "There's nothing like it around," she said. In 2016, Sok enrolled in a program at Mortar, the Cincinnati entrepreneurship hub in Over-the-Rhine designed to help prospective small-business owners launch their dreams. After graduating from Mortar, Sok and Laguna launched Mahope as a food cart. "We started off in Urban Artifact at a Cinco de Mayo event (in 2017)," Sok said. Over-the-Rhine bar Rosedale then invited Mahope to serve its food from Rosedale's Mortar Mess Hall this past summer. Sok said she often put a twist on the Cambodian dishes she served at Rosedale and Urban Artifact in Northside.