December 2021
At Home with
MARYAM GHAZNAVI a Charleston City Paper publication
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A HOLIDAY GUIDE TO
PLANTGIVING Raheel Gauba
AT HOME IN THE LOWCOUNTRY
Maryam Ghaznavi: The chef who spices up our lives By Andy Brack
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“I’m obsessed with fountain pens,” she admits, adding there are containers of fountain pens and scissors in just about every room of the house because SOMEONE (hint — husband or two children or a friendly ghost) keeps moving them. With a jar of pens in every room, she figures she should be able to find one when she needs it. Ink color: Black. But other colors are OK, too. Anything is better than the ubiquitous ballpoint pens found across the United States. This infatuation with fountain pens comes from her time in school in Saudi Arabia. “When we grew up, we had to use a fountain pen,” she recalled. “Ball point pens were never allowed. And we always had to write in cursive.” A Pakistani-born daughter of an international banker, she and other students were required to write only with fountain pens from middle school on. When Ghaznavi returned to her birthplace, Lahore, Pakistan, for college, she continued to use fountain pens as she studied for a bachelor’s degree in psychology. Today, she and her husband, Raheel Gauba, are co-owners of Malika, which they describe as a canteen-style eatery of bright, pungently spiced Pakistani street Andy Brack food. In just a few months, they’ll reopen Ma’am Saab, which gained local acclaim A lowly City Paper ballpoint pen is for its creative use of spices while it was among those found housed in Workshop on upper King in one container. Street. The new restaurant, which will feature southern Asian food in a more formal setting, will open in the first quarter of 2022 in the space formerly occupied by Jestine’s Kitchen at the corner of Meeting and Wentworth streets.
Loves sharing her cuisine
As we talked on a recent Saturday, Ghaznavi’s passion for sharing the tastes and culture of her Pakistani heritage wafted like perfume across the couple’s Mount Pleasant home with rich brown
Family photos fill Ghaznavi’s graywalled home office to give a comfortable, warm feel.
Raheel Gauba
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If you visit Maryam Ghaznavi’s comfortable home in Mount Pleasant, don’t mess with any of the fountain pens.
In Charleston since 2006
Ghaznavi met her husband in 1999 soon after her family emigrated to Toronto, Canada.
Andy Brack
Sun shines on a Turkish coffee set near a window.
THE LOWDOWN ON MARYAM GHAZNAVI Age: 44. Birthplace: Lahore, Pakistan. Education: Bachelor’s degree, Punjab University, Lahore, Pakistan. Current profession: Chef and co-owner, Malika and Ma’am Saab. Past professions of interest: Teaching assistant at East Cooper Montessori School, accounting consulting. Family: Husband, Raheel Gauba, and two children, Sophia and Arman. Something people would be surprised to learn about you: “I’m an introvert. After a long day of working, I need to have ‘me time’ to recharge on my own time and space.” Raheel Gauba
Family members collect figurines from popular movies and culture. “It was an Eid (holiday) party and she came in with her family and I fell in love with her smile,” said Gauba, a member of the band playing to more than 300 people in the banquet hall. Ghaznavi got more education to be able to do accounting work. By 2002, she and Gauba were engaged and got married two years later with parties in Toronto and Pakistan. (At one, they remember around 700 people attending!) Soon they moved to Minneapolis where Gauba was a key tech employee in a start-up company. In 2006, Blackbaud recruited Gauba. The couple visited on one dreary, hot weekend without much time to look around. “I had to find it (Charleston) on the map,” Ghaznavi said. At first, Charleston posed difficulties for the couple. There wasn’t any family here. There wasn’t even much of a Pakistani community. And Charleston wasn’t the “big city” that they encountered in Ghaznavi’s Lahore (11 million), Gauba’s native Karachi (15 million) or even Toronto (3 million). But they endured. The opportunity was great. And it wasn’t cold, like in Minneapolis and Toronto. Soon came two children and Ghaznavi then got work at a local Montessori school. By 2019, with encouragement from Michael Shemtov (Butcher & Bee, The Daily) she started cooking for others, first as a pop-up and then at Workshop. Then came the pandemic, which caused challenges. In May 2021, Workshop closed and the couple shifted to open the canteen-style eatery at Mount Pleasant Towne Center by August. These days, it’s busy. They look forward to revealing the tastes of the food they grew up with to people in the Lowcountry and beyond — they get weekend visitors from Georgia and North Carolina who come just to eat Ghaznavi’s food. She says she also wants to give back to the community here. “I would like more opportunities to do some community work,” she said. “My heroes are people who typically do a lot of good work for the community. My take on community is (doing) more for the lives of underprivileged kids, underrepresented women and youngsters struggling to find positive things to do.”
Favorite thing to do outside of work: Listen to music and watch movies. Your passion: “Cooking. I enjoy cooking my cuisine for people.” Books on the bedside table: Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, by Lori Gottleib; The Monk of Mokha, by Dave Eggars; Erotic Stories for Punjabi Widows, by Balli Kaur Jaswal. Something that you have too much of at home: “Dishes — pots, pans and stainless steel vessels.” Hobbies: “Shopping for dishes and cool pots and pans. I’ve collected cool stuff from all over the world.” Secret vice: Investigative and true crime dramas. Favorite musicians: Those on a favorite compilation: Coke Studio: Sound of the Nation: The Rhythm, Harmony, Texture, Language and Melody of Pakistan. Favorite food: Beef nihari; saag of mustard greens; and lentil daal. Favorite dessert: Baklava. Favorite cocktail or beverage: Coca-Cola with real sugar. Five things you MUST always have in your refrigerator: Ginger, garlic, cilantro, yogurt (full fat) and raspberries. Three people (alive or dead) you’d like to dine with: “My father’s father, my father and a cousin who recently died.” Alternative: Michael Jackson, Muhammad Ali Jinnah (founder of Pakistan) and Mother Teresa. Pet peeve: “When people move my pens and scissors around.” (She has containers in about every room of the house so they’re always nearby.) Your advice for better living: “Better listening, overall; focusing more on what another person is saying and really hearing it. I think that creates more acceptance.”
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floors and a neutral furniture palette. “I enjoy cooking my cuisine the most,” she said. “It’s full of flavor. I love the way I can layer and play with the very basics of the spices and give each of the recipes a personality. There are dimensions with this cuisine.” She said she strives to cook satisfying food that’s also cravable — meaning people want to come back for more after experiencing a spice profile they might not have encountered. “When a customer walks in the door and they are brave enough to try a new cuisine — it needs to satisfy them.” Example: The Chapli Kabab Plate ($18) is described as “ground beef patties with traditional spices. A truck stop favorite. Served with basmati rice, raita and naan.” When it arrived, it looked like two char-grilled hamburgers on rice. But tucking into it filled the mouth with unexpected warmth and tang. Yes, heat from peppers punctuated the dish, but there also were subtle layers of onion, garlic, cilantro and something else that highlighted how ground beef could be a platform for much more than the traditional American hamburger. To better understand the Indian and Pakistani food of southern Asia, it’s important to get beyond geographic boundaries. The countries once were one under British rule, but were divided in 1947 into two nations. Hinduism is dominant in India which has 966 million Hindus, or about 80 percent of the country, and 172 million Muslims, or 14 percent of the country. Meanwhile, Pakistan has about 200 million Muslims, who make up 96 percent of the nation’s population. Hindus account for about 2 percent of Pakistanis. The cuisine in both cultures is based on similar use of spices, vegetables, rice and breads. But Hindus don’t eat beef and many are vegetarian-only. Muslims eat beef, but not pork. The differences in proteins create different recipes that evolved from a similar tomato-onion base. Gauba summarized: “If Indian food and Middle Eastern food got together and had a baby, it would end up being Pakistani food.” Ghaznavi noted the way she flavors her Pakistani dishes is by using spices to highlight, not overpower, proteins like beef or chicken. “The main ingredient really shines.” There’s also often less of a use of curry than in traditional Indian dishes.
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HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS Celebrating Charleston Families Since 1996
DIGGING LOCAL
A holiday guide to plant-giving By Toni Reale, special to Digs It can be challenging to find just-the-right gifts this time of year, and if there’s one thing that even seasoned plant parents can’t get enough of, it’s more plants. If chosen and given with intention, plants can be a thoughtful holiday gift that can bring joy for years to come. Successfully gifting an indoor plant takes some forethought and follow-through. Grabbing the first pretty or trendy plant you see doesn’t mean that it will be a good fit for the recipient. Set up recipients for success by considering their plant experience, the lighting in their home and lifestyle (such as frequent travel) before choosing their plant. If you aren’t sure about these things, not to worry — there is a plant for everyone.
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For the beginner
Almost every new houseplant parent begins a collection with a snake plant (aka motherin-law’s tongue). These tough-as-nails plants can withstand low to bright indirect light and thrive on infrequent watering. It gives a lot for requiring little. Instead of gifting this durable, yet common plant, why not try gifting a pothos? While there are many types, one of the most beautiful and accessible is called silver satin pothos. Its dusty green heart-shaped leaves have a flicker of silver that makes them stand out of the crowd. Its trailing growth habit is fit for a shelf or hanging from the ceiling. This low-maintenance plant requires medium to bright indirect light and needs moderate watering. The silver satin pothos is also easy to propagate and will soon become a household favorite.
For the artist
Not every plant needs to be bound to a traditional pot. Surprise the creative heart in your life with a do-it-yourself
brand paints.
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Staghorn ferns make great DIY projects for that personal touch. mounted staghorn fern. There are many simple online tutorials that show how, and once mounted, these ferns can add visual interest to any home. Staghorn ferns are epiphytic, meaning, like Spanish moss, orchids and air plants, they do not require soil. In nature, they cling to trees and thrive in medium bright indirect light. These plants need to be watered more frequently. Get as creative as you want, and turn this gift into a work of art.
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The silver satin pothos is a great durable plant for the beginner.
Pilea Peperomioides, also known as the friendship plant, became a trend-setting houseplant in the 1960s and 1970s with it’s UFO-shaped leaves and interesting shape. It’s called the friendship plant because it is
Charleston’s Guide THROUGH THE House Hunting Process “Digit” Matheny has helped me sell two homes as of this review. Based on this current experience and my previous one, I would gladly recommend his services to friends and family without reservation. I have absolutely no doubt he is among the best in the business. If he can’t sell it, it cannot be sold. - T. Happe, July 2020
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Friendship plants were the thing to have in the 1960s and ’70s.
For the one who has it all
If you are looking for a plant-related gift for someone who seemingly has everything, consider gifting useful items such as a new
watering can that is fit for displaying when not in use or a do-it-all garden tool such as a hori hori. Plant classes or workshops at a local shop to further plant knowledge also may be appreciated, plus they’ll likely make plant-minded friends along the way.
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Gifting tips
Choose an appropriate pot for the plant and get it potted. Be sure to ask a salesperson if you are unsure. It’s nice to receive a finished gift rather than having another plant project. Remember: the plant will be in your care until you gift it. Be sure to properly care for it by giving it the right amount of light and water. This will avoid gifting a stressed plant. Additionally, just like a dog, don’t leave the plants in your car. Toni Reale is the owner of Roadside Blooms, a unique flower and plant shop in Park Circle in North Charleston. It specializes in weddings, events and everyday deliveries using nearly 100 percent American- and locally grown blooms. Online at www.roadsideblooms.com. 4610 Spruill Ave., Suite 102, North Charleston.
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easy to propagate and share. These plants love medium to bright indirect light and moderate watering. They aren’t fussy, but, they easily succumb to pests. What makes this plant interesting is the story of how it got from its native southwest China habitat into homes halfway across the globe. Most non-native plants can be somewhat easily traced back to an organized scientific collection expedition from a university or government entity, but not this pilea. Scientists couldn’t connect the dots of its migration. It wasn’t until someone from the Royal Botanic Gardens and the Botanic Garden in Stockholm published papers asking the public for leads to its origin. This inquiry led to tens of thousands of letters which revealed a lineage of those who passed clippings from China to Scandinavia to the United Kingdom. It’s a fascinating story that the history buff would love to dive into.
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