Masala y Maíz

The couple [[Norma Listman and Saqib Keval]] met in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] of the United States. According to them, they first noticed culinary parallels between their backgrounds while creating a menu for a party. Listman, who was born in Mexico, returned to the country with the goal of opening a [[tortilleria]], while Keval—who has an Indian and East African background—remained in California.<ref name=nyt/> After securing a lease for a building that included access to a kitchen, they opened Masala y Maíz in the neighborhood of [[San Miguel Chapultepec]], in Mexico City.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=travesías/> They said that they shaped the restaurant with a focus on community, artistic expression, and political engagement.<ref name=f&w2/>

The couple [[Norma Listman and Saqib Keval]] met in the [[San Francisco Bay Area]] of the United States. According to them, they first noticed culinary parallels between their backgrounds while creating a menu for a party. Listman, who was born in Mexico, returned to the country with the goal of opening a [[tortilleria]], while Keval—who has an Indian and East African background—remained in California.<ref name=nyt/> After securing a lease for a building that included access to a kitchen, they opened Masala y Maíz in the neighborhood of [[San Miguel Chapultepec]], in Mexico City.<ref name=nyt/><ref name=travesías/> They said that they shaped the restaurant with a focus on community, artistic expression, and political engagement.<ref name=f&w2/>

Masala y Maíz was originally scheduled to open on 20&nbsp;September&nbsp;2017, but [[2017 Puebla earthquake|an earthquake]] that struck the day before postponed its inauguration until the following month; in the meantime they delivered hot meals.<ref name=nyt/> The restaurant drew interest from foreign diners.<ref name=f&w2/> In April&nbsp;2018, the government of Mexico City temporarily closed the restaurant. The cooks said the reasons were unclear, and then they refused to pay a [[bribe]] to expedite the reopening process. Over the following five months, the couple hosted pop-up events in restaurants around the city while continuing to resolve the closure.<ref name=nyt/>

Masala y Maíz was originally scheduled to open on 20&nbsp;September&nbsp;2017, but [[2017 Puebla earthquake|an earthquake]] that struck the day before postponed its inauguration until the following month; in the meantime they delivered hot meals.<ref name=nyt/> Following the opening, the restaurant drew interest from foreign diners.<ref name=f&w2/> According to Evan Upchurch of ''Travesías'' magazine, its yellow entrance had a "funky vibe", whose interior was "narrow, and deep", featuring a single long table that split the space in two.<ref name=travesías>{{cite web|url=https://www.travesiasdigital.com/mexico-travel/masala-y-maiz-revolution-around-the-table/|title=Masala y Maíz: Revolution Around the Table|magazine=Travesías|first=Evan|last=Upchurch|date=17 July 2019|access-date=14 June 2025|archive-date=19 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219193128/https://www.travesiasdigital.com/mexico-travel/masala-y-maiz-revolution-around-the-table/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Masala y Maíz was reopened in September, but was prohibited from offering [[dinner]] service (except private events) and from serving strong alcohol due to a neighborhood ordinance.<ref name=nyt>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/travel/masala-y-maiz-restaurant-mexico-city-review.html|title=In Mexico City, a Restaurant Draws Locally and From 10,000 Miles Away|url-access=subscription|date=12 October 2018|first=Brooke Porter|last=Katz|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=14 June 2025|archive-date=23 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423231910/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/travel/masala-y-maiz-restaurant-mexico-city-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Husband and wife duo craft Masala y Maíz, a Mexico City hotspot |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/husband-and-wife-duo-craft-masala-y-maiz-a-mexico-city-hotspot/ |access-date=5 June 2025 |website=[[CBS News]] |archive-date=18 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250518122833/https://www.cbsnews.com/video/husband-and-wife-duo-craft-masala-y-maiz-a-mexico-city-hotspot/ |url-status=live |date=17 May 2025}}</ref> According to Evan Upchurch of ''Travesías'' magazine, its yellow entrance had a "funky vibe", whose interior was "narrow, and deep", featuring a single long table that split the space in two.<ref name=travesías>{{cite web|url=https://www.travesiasdigital.com/mexico-travel/masala-y-maiz-revolution-around-the-table/|title=Masala y Maíz: Revolution Around the Table|magazine=Travesías|first=Evan|last=Upchurch|date=17 July 2019|access-date=14 June 2025|archive-date=19 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250219193128/https://www.travesiasdigital.com/mexico-travel/masala-y-maiz-revolution-around-the-table/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In April&nbsp;2018, the government of Mexico City temporarily closed the restaurant. The cooks said the reasons were unclear, and then they refused to pay a [[bribe]] to expedite the reopening process. Over the following five months, the couple hosted pop-up events in restaurants around the city while continuing to resolve the closure.<ref name=nyt/> Masala y Maíz was reopened in September, but was prohibited from offering [[dinner]] service (except private events) and from serving strong alcohol due to a neighborhood ordinance.<ref name=nyt>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/travel/masala-y-maiz-restaurant-mexico-city-review.html|title=In Mexico City, a Restaurant Draws Locally and From 10,000 Miles Away|url-access=subscription|date=12 October 2018|first=Brooke Porter|last=Katz|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|access-date=14 June 2025|archive-date=23 April 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250423231910/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/12/travel/masala-y-maiz-restaurant-mexico-city-review.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Husband and wife duo craft Masala y Maíz, a Mexico City hotspot |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/video/husband-and-wife-duo-craft-masala-y-maiz-a-mexico-city-hotspot/ |access-date=5 June 2025 |website=[[CBS News]] |archive-date=18 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250518122833/https://www.cbsnews.com/video/husband-and-wife-duo-craft-masala-y-maiz-a-mexico-city-hotspot/ |url-status=live |date=17 May 2025}}</ref>

In 2019, the restaurant was relocated to Calle Marsella, 72, in [[Colonia Juárez, Mexico City|Colonia Juárez]],<ref name=twp>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/mexico/juarez-neighborhood-mexico-city/|title=A guide to local favorites in Juarez|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Allegra|last=Ben-Amotz|access-date=14 June 2025|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415152046/https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/mexico/juarez-neighborhood-mexico-city/|url-status=live}}</ref> with its furniture designed by [[Pedro Reyes (artist)|Pedro Reyes]]. He said that he "created a lightweight, functional, and dynamic chair, with a seat that represents the base of a pyramid". ATRA Form made the furniture using a [[Bluing (steel)|bluing]] process to treat the metal, giving the iron a dark finish. Reyes explained that the wood was carded to accentuate the [[Wood grain|grain]], adding warmth to the material. The tables were crafted from Guatemalan Tikal marble.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.admagazine.com/lugares/masala-y-maiz-disenado-por-pedro-reyes-un-restaurante-con-mestizaje-gourmet-en-la-colonia-juarez-20191204-6237-articulos|title=Masala y Maíz, un restaurante con mestizaje gourmet en la colonia Juárez|date=4 December 2019|first=Karine|last=Monié|magazine=Architectural Digest|access-date=14 June 2025|trans-title=Masala y Maíz: A gourmet fusion restaurant in Colonia Juárez}}</ref> The location had a [[communal table]], as well as a terrace area for outdoor dining.<ref name=financiero>{{cite web|url=https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/food-and-drink/2022/02/13/de-a-solapa-5-restaurantes-para-disfrutar-una-comida-a-solas/|title='De a solapa': 5 Restaurantes para disfrutar una comida a solas|trans-title=On Your Own: 5 Restaurants to Enjoy a Solo Meal|language=es|newspaper=[[El Financiero]]|date=13 February 2022|access-date=14 May 2025|archive-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213203009/https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/food-and-drink/2022/02/13/de-a-solapa-5-restaurantes-para-disfrutar-una-comida-a-solas/|url-status=live}}</ref> The restaurant's seating capacity had space for 34 people.<ref name=f&w>{{cite web|url=https://foodandwineespanol.com/actualidad/best-new-chefs-2019-norma-listman-y-saqib-keval/|title=Best New Chefs 2019: Norma Listman y Saqib Keval|trans-title=Best New Chefs 2019: Norma Listman and Saqib Keval|first=Shadia|last=Asencio|date=29 October 2019|magazine=[[Food & Wine]]|access-date=15 June 2025|language=es|archive-date=9 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209150927/https://foodandwineespanol.com/actualidad/best-new-chefs-2019-norma-listman-y-saqib-keval/|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2019, the restaurant was relocated to Calle Marsella, 72, in [[Colonia Juárez, Mexico City|Colonia Juárez]],<ref name=twp>{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/mexico/juarez-neighborhood-mexico-city/|title=A guide to local favorites in Juarez|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]|first=Allegra|last=Ben-Amotz|access-date=14 June 2025|archive-date=15 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210415152046/https://www.washingtonpost.com/travel/mexico/juarez-neighborhood-mexico-city/|url-status=live}}</ref> with its furniture designed by [[Pedro Reyes (artist)|Pedro Reyes]]. He said that he "created a lightweight, functional, and dynamic chair, with a seat that represents the base of a pyramid". ATRA Form made the furniture using a [[Bluing (steel)|bluing]] process to treat the metal, giving the iron a dark finish. Reyes explained that the wood was carded to accentuate the [[Wood grain|grain]], adding warmth to the material. The tables were crafted from Guatemalan Tikal marble.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.admagazine.com/lugares/masala-y-maiz-disenado-por-pedro-reyes-un-restaurante-con-mestizaje-gourmet-en-la-colonia-juarez-20191204-6237-articulos|title=Masala y Maíz, un restaurante con mestizaje gourmet en la colonia Juárez|date=4 December 2019|first=Karine|last=Monié|magazine=Architectural Digest|access-date=14 June 2025|trans-title=Masala y Maíz: A gourmet fusion restaurant in Colonia Juárez}}</ref> The location had a [[communal table]], as well as a terrace area for outdoor dining.<ref name=financiero>{{cite web|url=https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/food-and-drink/2022/02/13/de-a-solapa-5-restaurantes-para-disfrutar-una-comida-a-solas/|title='De a solapa': 5 Restaurantes para disfrutar una comida a solas|trans-title=On Your Own: 5 Restaurants to Enjoy a Solo Meal|language=es|newspaper=[[El Financiero]]|date=13 February 2022|access-date=14 May 2025|archive-date=13 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220213203009/https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/food-and-drink/2022/02/13/de-a-solapa-5-restaurantes-para-disfrutar-una-comida-a-solas/|url-status=live}}</ref> The restaurant's seating capacity had space for 34 people.<ref name=f&w>{{cite web|url=https://foodandwineespanol.com/actualidad/best-new-chefs-2019-norma-listman-y-saqib-keval/|title=Best New Chefs 2019: Norma Listman y Saqib Keval|trans-title=Best New Chefs 2019: Norma Listman and Saqib Keval|first=Shadia|last=Asencio|date=29 October 2019|magazine=[[Food & Wine]]|access-date=15 June 2025|language=es|archive-date=9 February 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250209150927/https://foodandwineespanol.com/actualidad/best-new-chefs-2019-norma-listman-y-saqib-keval/|url-status=live}}</ref>