Zareen Syed

Zareen Syed is an education reporter for the Chicago Tribune, covering issues that touch K-12 schools and colleges and universities. She also writes about campus activism and various student-led movements as well as narratives focusing on underrepresented groups. She joined the Tribune as a suburban reporter and has previously worked for NBC Sports, WGN-TV and Boston 25 News.

Melissa Clark, left, and fellow wine enthusiasts write postcards to members of Congress during a postcard-writing campaign to protest current presidential policies and executive orders, at Deep Red Wine Merchant, 2901 N. Milwaukee Ave., Chicago, on May 12, 2026. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago restaurants and bars become spaces for political protesting: ‘Everyone’s experiencing some level of rage’

May 18, 2026 at 3:07 p.m.

Chicago’s local hospitality scene has become a central front in resistance against ramped-up federal immigration enforcement, combining community-driven economic support with food and shared meals or beverages.

The Tribune's 2026 Readers’ Choice winners, clockwise from top left: Sip & Savor in Bronzeville, Mindy’s Bakery in Wicker Park, The Greggory in South Barrington, Brûlée in South Loop, Burger Bar in South Loop, Dion’s Chicago Dream in Englewood, The Polo Inn in Bridgeport, and Jimmy's Red Hots in Humboldt Park. (Chicago Tribune)

Tribune Food Awards: The 2026 Readers’ Choice winners

May 13, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

After reviewing hundreds of nominations and thousands of votes, we’re excited to reveal this year’s Readers’ Choice Food Awards winners.

Isaias Trevino prepares a Polish sausage with sauerkraut for a customer at Jim’s Original at 1250 S. Union Ave. in Chicago, Aug. 9, 2023. (Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune)

Jim’s Original, famous for its Maxwell Street sausages and hot dogs, relocating to Pilsen

May 12, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

Now in its third generation of ownership, Jim’s Original has been feeding diners on or near Maxwell Street at all hours of the day for decades.

Kennedy-King College students Mo’Hogney Mitchell, left, and Makayla Hurtado shop on Feb. 4, 2026, at the Statesmen Market, an expanded on-campus food pantry in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Kennedy-King College market offers students fresh food for free in an area with limited grocery options

April 29, 2026 at 9:23 a.m.

The market opened in February through a partnership between City Colleges of Chicago and the Greater Chicago Food Depository.

Bob Zeni, known as the Chicago Tomato Man, checks on some of the 200 varieties he has growing at Ted's Greenhouse in Tinley Park, April 15, 2026. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago’s Tomato Man on the impacts of erratic spring temperatures on his beloved heirlooms

April 22, 2026 at 11:46 a.m.

Along with convincing the average consumer that a homegrown tomato is far superior to supermarket ones, Bob Zeni is hoping to help home gardeners cultivate plants using techniques that limit...

Jamila Ismail holds a photo of her late husband, Mohammed Ismail, April 9, 2026, at the Glendale Heights location of the restaurant they started, Italian Express. The eatery is widely considered the first fast-food restaurant to use halal meat in all of Chicagoland. (Terrence Antonio James/Chicago Tribune)

Family-run Italian Express, a pioneer of halal American fast-food in Chicagoland, celebrates 40 years

April 15, 2026 at 5:21 p.m.

The halal iteration of Italian Express is widely considered the first fast-food restaurant to use halal meat in all of Chicagoland.

Crews from the Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts pull a horse to safety that was stranded in floodwaters along Coon Creek on Saturday, April 4, 2026, following overnight storms. Arriving crews located the animal roughly 600 feet from shore surrounded by fast-moving water as the creek had overflowed its banks. (Marengo Fire and Rescue Districts)

Nearly two dozen help rescue horse stranded in flooded Marengo creek

April 5, 2026 at 3:47 p.m.

Firefighters and sheriff's deputies found the horse surrounded by fast-moving streams in Coon Creek, which had overflowed after heavy rainfall.

Cyclist killed in early morning hit-and-run crash

April 5, 2026 at 2:06 p.m.

A driver in the Chicago Lawn neighborhood ignored a traffic signal and struck a man riding a bicycle, Chicago police said.

Bailey Sullivan, center, executive chef at Monteverde, receives a hug from chef Sarah Grueneberg at the nominating ceremony for the James Beard Awards in Chicago on March 31, 2026. Sullivan is nominated in the Emerging Chef category. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

Three Chicago chefs are James Beard nominees, as the awards announce plans to stay in Chicago through 2028

March 31, 2026 at 7:34 p.m.

The James Beard Foundation announced the 2026 restaurant and chef nominees, and that the awards will stay in Chicago through 2028.

Chef Brian Lockwood sits in a dark red velvet booth in Gingie’s dining room on March 13, 2026, in Chicago. (Stacey Wescott/Chicago Tribune)

Boka’s new restaurant Gingie from chef Brian Lockwood brings high-class cooking to an à la carte menu

March 18, 2026 at 4:25 p.m.

Boka Restaurant Group is unveiling a new restaurant March 26 brimming with whimsical details, a carefully concocted ingredient-driven menu and an ode to Chicago’s culinary history.

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