Who is Chef Naji?

Authentic. Traditional. Moroccan.

Hailing from Fez, Morocco, Chef Naji was raised by a traveling incense and essential oil merchant. As a kid he spent a lot of time in the palace kitchen with King Hassan II’s personal chefs. After contract work in cruise ships and other travels, Naji returned home to cook for the Ministry of Youth and Sport where he prepared meals for international members of parliament, professional athletes, and non-profit organizations such as Rotary, Peace Corps and Unicef. He worked his way west to the US, starting in St Paul, Minnesota, where he worked in the kitchen with renowned chef David Fhima and cooked for professional sports teams and event staff such as Lady Gaga’s crew. He then moved on to the Google campus in Seattle for three years before landing in Portland, Oregon, where he found the perfect place to start his own concept of authentic, traditional Moroccan home-cooked meals and souk street food at Kasbah Moroccan Cafe.

Behind the counter at the café, you’ll find Kasbah maître d Naji’s wife Maleaha and sometimes you’ll even find Naji’s mother Zahra in the kitchen making her delicate Moroccan cookie creations or a batch of fluffy khobz flatbread.

KASBAH FAMILY

Chef Naji
Kitchen Conjurer

Maleaha
Keyboard Jabber

Zahra
Baking Extraordinaire

~ ahlan wa sahlan ~