Naman Shrestha
In the seventh volume of Netflix’s ‘Chef’s Table,’ we were introduced to numerous acclaimed chefs creating culinary brilliance in different parts of the world. Mexico City-based Norma Listman and Saqib Keval, chef-owners of Masala y Maíz, were a couple of chefs who talked about their lives and journey to success. Upon getting the opportunity to feature on the show, they felt excited and grateful to share their stories and spread the word about what they do and stand for, apart from just being owners and chefs at Masala y Maíz.
Despite Coming From Different Walks of Life, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval Shared Similar Culinary Beliefs
Hailing from Mexico, Norma Listman’s passion for cooking ignited from her father’s life-long work with maize. It also helped her develop an interest in working with native varieties of the crop and traditional cooking methods. Meanwhile, Saqib Keval was born and brought up in California into a family that had ties to South Asia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Thanks to his family, especially his grandmothers, aunts, and cousins, he got into cooking and gradually developed recipes of his own.
For a short while, he also stayed and cooked in France, allowing him to critique the Eurocentric cooking techniques and narratives of the food world. Given his diverse family lineage, he is fluent in five languages and has knowledge about some more. Their shared passion for traditional ingredients and cooking methods was one of the many reasons that brought them closer to one another and allowed them to establish their restaurant Masala y Maíz, where they deploy their culinary beliefs.
Norma Listman Has Worked at Various Restaurants Throughout Her Career
After graduating with her art history degree from the Universidad Iberoamericana in Ciudad de Mexico, Norma Listman handled the responsibility of managing two acclaimed Oakland restaurants — Camino Restaurant and BayWolf Restaurant. Realizing her passion and talent for cooking, she decided to become a professional chef. In her early days, she worked under various established chefs, including Anthony Strong at Delfina, Russell More at Camino, Dominica Rice at Consecha, and Charles Phan at Hard Water. In an attempt to preserve traditional Mexican culinary techniques, she also got involved in numerous art-inspired dinner performance projects, such as A Sors and a collaboration dinner for Museo Experimental El Eco’s 60th anniversary in Mexico City.
In 2015, Norma began teaching mole classes at a non-profit organization in San Francisco called 18 Reasons, pushing forward Mexican cooking techniques. Given her knowledge of the art of culinary, Mexican food history, and traditional agricultural techniques, she has also given lectures at a number of universities across Mexico and the USA. Residing in Mexico City, she not only co-owns and runs Masala y Maíz with Sabiq Keval, but she also works for La Perla Hospitality as a restaurant consultant.
Saqib Keval’s Road to Success in the Food Industry Was Not Easy
To many of your surprise, Saqib Keval did not attend culinary school. Instead, he studied French post-colonial literature at Humboldt State University for his graduation degree. While he was getting a deeper knowledge of French cuisine and Eurocentric techniques, he realized that it was pulling him away from the rich and diverse culinary heritage he has through his roots in India, Kenya, and Ethiopia. During his career in the food industry, he has worn many hats and ensured to always stick to his belief system. Besides working as a program director at People’s Grocery in Oakland, California, he also established a food business incubator program called The Growing Justice Institute and worked as a national director at the worker’s rights organization Restaurant Opportunities Center.
Like Norma, Saqib has also imparted his vast knowledge of culinary techniques and food systems at many conferences and universities across the globe. Putting his experience in the industry to good use, he regularly provides consulting services for community-focused food projects. In order to bring a change to the food world through his activism, he founded The People’s Kitchen in 2007, aiming to make good food spaces accessible to marginalized people.
Norma Listman and Saqib Keval Own a Successful Restaurant Group
Despite their different backgrounds, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval crossed each other’s paths in the Bay Area while they were still making a name for themselves in the culinary industry. Their common passion for traditional cooking techniques and other related issues like migration, politics, and food justice, allowed them to form a deep connection. Soon, they began dating. However, in 2017, the couple lived separately for a short while as Norma went back to Mexico City to learn more about the intricacies of indigenous Mexican corn and Saqib stayed in California.
That same year, the couple was given the opportunity to open their restaurant in the Mexican capital and they couldn’t say no to that. Thus, Saqib relocated to Mexico City, where the couple officially opened Masala y Maíz in September 2017. Norma explained what Masala y Maíz represents in an interview with Travesias, “We never wanted Masala y Maíz to be a traditional restaurant. It is more of a platform to explore art, politics, justice issues, and of course, food. Food is a vehicle for these more complicated subjects and a way of disseminating issues in a tangible, palatable way. We are cooking with a very particular tension.”
Unfortunately, in 2018, they faced a setback due to the sudden suspension of their restaurant. However, the couple got through the corruption behind it all together, and Masala y Maíz bounced back stronger than before. After finding success with the restaurant, the co-owners also established another eatery, Mari Gold, a chef residency program, and a worker-owned grocery called Super Cope. In order to keep their restaurant group functional and profitable, Saqib moves between Mexico City and Oakland quite regularly. Currently, they are preparing to open another Masala y Maíz outlet in Mexico City, as its construction is ongoing.
Norma Listman and Saqib Keval Are Doting and Proud Parents Today
After a couple of years of dating, Norma Listman and Saqib Keval decided to take the next step in their relationship and got married in April 2019, surrounded by loved ones. In February 2024, they gave birth to their adorable son, Tonatiuh Keval Listman, and entered parenthood. Based in Mexico City, Mexico, the married couple manage to take time out from their busy schedules to spend time with each other and their son. A few months later, in June, Saqib celebrated his first Father’s Day and expressed the immense pride and joy he felt.
He said, “I’m so grateful to be in this journey of being parents with my beloved @Normalistman. She is such an incredible mother and she inspires me and grounds me in the father I want to be alongside her. When we found out we were going to become parents she talked about how the world needs more good men and how we have the responsibility to raise a caring boy with strong values. And that’s what we are going to do. We are raising someone who will make his community better.”
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