Norma Listman and Saqib Keval are a dynamic husband and wife duo, who fuse Mexican and South Asian flavors to create a unique culinary narrative that reflects their cultural roots. Co-chefs and co-owners of a renowned Mexico City restaurant group that now includes two restaurants — Masala y Maíz and Mari Gold — they have dedicated their careers to advocating for food as a tool for exploring justice, decolonization, and the establishment of community-based businesses centering movement building and political education. The pair operate their businesses, which also include a labor justice foundation and a chef residency program, with a worker and community first mentality, full financial transparency, and a focus on radical hospitality and a collective leadership model.

Together, Keval and Listman are community organizers whose work is focused on imagining and supporting new food systems focused on social justice movement building, political education, and accessible community dining. Before co-founding Masala y Maiz, Keval spent three years with People’s Grocery, a groundbreaking food justice organization in Oakland, developing and managing their social enterprise incubator program and food justice fellowship.