Lawson is actually the surname he received from his American father, but it forms part of his trademark, his business being called Lawson’s Pain au Levain artisan bakery. As a result, most of his Western customers call him Lawson, even ones who know him well, a fact he accepts with good grace. His Thai birthname is Purin, though to his friends he is Pooh, as in the well-known Winnie-the-Pooh. Pain au levain is the French term for bread baked using a natural starter, and has become synonymous with sourdough.

Lawson’s Pain au Levain artisan bakery is barely two years old but it is already going from strength to strength, thanks to the efforts of Lawson and his wife Nichakon, nicknamed Iris, who initially began dating when Lawson was only 16 years of age. The pair share a birthday, August 26th, with Lawson turning 24 in 2024, and Iris a single year older. The same date of birth isn’t the only thing they share.  Their son Maverick, or Bear, or even Baby Bear as he is affectionately known, is already four-years-old, so this young couple are very busy juggling the needs of their young family at the same time as building their business. Lawson is savouring his first tastes of success, and he likes it very much, though Iris has to moderate Lawson’s impulsivity to ensure every step forward is carefully staged and managed.

Lawson was born in Krabi but moved to Hua Hin with his parents at the age of seven, and has lived here ever since, apart from a brief time at college in Bangkok studying Art, a course he did not complete. His father, a senior Foreign Service Officer of the American Embassy, was a career diplomat who met Lawson’s mother when she worked in a large hotel in Krabi. Lawson’s dad took five years pursuing his mother, who came from a poor financial background. As a girl, without shoes of her own, she would strap leaves to her feet to protect them as she walked to work. The pair have been together 25 years now, but the young woman was initially very suspicious of the motives of the American man who was courting her.

Lawson was raised as an only child, although he does have an older half-brother and half-sister from his father’s previous marriage.  His loneliness as a child, and his feelings of not belonging, have sparked his and Iris’ desire to grow their own family, with hopes of eventually having three children, so they all live in a home with siblings. Certainly, by the time he started high school, Lawson considered himself a misfit and was having negative self-esteem issues. There is a definite disconnect between Lawson’s genial personality and his physical appearance. It was a long journey to find himself, with Lawson engaging in some risky behaviours to combat the tedium he felt, but luckily Lawson has arrived and is now truly confident about who he is and where he hopes to go next, all the while squeezing in as much quality family time as he can manage.

Lawson’s favourite memory from his childhood is of walking to school every day with his dad, from the ages of eight to seventeen.  Lawson’s dad took this time with his son to discuss some of life’s big issues, the so-called “deep stuff”, a significant proportion of which went straight over the boy’s head at the time.  It is only now, in retrospect, that Lawson is fully able to appreciate exactly what was happening on these morning walks, though at the time he knew that this father/son time was important and valuable. Lawson has always looked at his dad as a super-hero.

Still a very young man, Lawson has big aims.  For his growing family, he wants a large house.  He desires the very symbol of Thai business success, a Mercedes Benz, and he wants the freedom to explore more of the world, without being so tied to the bakery seven days a week. Lawson is happy that his sad, groundhog days are firmly in the past and that he now gets to wake up excited, albeit a bit exhausted still, every day.  Lawson is truly glad that he gave up on waiting for it to happen, and decided to make it happen, proud of the life-agency he has created.  When customers tell him they love his bread, it brings Lawson joy. Other experiences which make Lawson happy include beach visits with the family, taking Bear to the zoo or on the occasional shopping trip to Bangkok, a medium-rare steak, and receiving new orders so he can make more money.

At heart, Lawson is a family man to the core. He considers himself a good person, and despite all his tattoos, is a real softie.  Lawson is a concrete example of why you should never judge a book by its cover. In the event of a fire, the one material possession Lawson would save is the little toy dog called Pepe which he has had since birth, now gifted to Bear.  Lawson couldn’t live without Iris by his side, and is full of hope for a bright future for the whole family.