Chef-Owners, Masala y Maiz Group|Mexico City, Mexico

Saqib Keval and Norma Listman are the renowned chef-owners of the Masala y Maiz Group, an activist project in Mexico City that explores the migration of people, culinary techniques, political movements, and ingredients between South Asia, East Africa, and Mexico. The food is a mestizaje- an organic blending of cultures over generations often in response to colonization & displacement. Masala y Maiz opened in 2017 and is a reflection of Keval and Listman’s belief that food can be used as a powerful tool in the struggle for justice and that chefs have the responsibility to advocate and work towards bettering labor conditions for everyone in the food industry. The Masala y Maiz group includes a nonprofit foundation championing worker’s rights, a chef and artist residency program, a cooperative natural wine project, and the award-winning restaurants Masala y Maiz and Mari Gold. The Masala y Maiz Group proudly puts workers and farmers first.@masalaymaiz   

Photo Credit: Ana Lorenzana