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.

The Soul & Smoke Meat Lover's Pizza is part of The Little Lark's 2026 Chicago Restaurant Week dinner menu. (Steve Lewis)

Chicago Restaurant Week 2026: 5 menus we’re excited about

January 19, 2026 at 1:52 p.m.

More than 500 restaurants are taking part in the 19th year of this food fest, including 75 that are making their Chicago Restaurant Week debut.

A bartender works inside Time Out Market Chicago food hall on Fulton Market, March 5, 2020. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

Employees surprised and saddened as Time Out Market Chicago announces closure

January 17, 2026 at 1:11 p.m.

After seven years in Fulton Market, an all too familiar fate has caught up with Time Out Market Chicago, which will close its doors on Jan. 23.

Rabia Amin, right, an attorney, and Nooraan Amin, a mathematics and architecture student, on Jan. 8, 2026, at Best Sub #2, a long-standing shop in Humboldt Park owned by their father, Asif Amin Cheema, who was deported to Pakistan after being detained by Border Patrol agents in September. (E. Jason Wambsgans/Chicago Tribune)

After their patriarch was deported to Pakistan, family vows to keep beloved Humboldt Park sub shop open

January 23, 2026 at 2:11 p.m.

Asif Amin Cheema, owner of Best Sub #2, was deported to Pakistan on the first day of the new year, leaving behind a beloved customer base and a business he...

Sous chef Ian Miller prepares a roasted garlic Caesar salad at Buttercup in the South Loop on Dec. 30, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Restaurant reviews: Buttercup, Kanin and Nadu in Chicago

January 6, 2026 at 2:39 p.m.

To kick off 2026, the Tribune food team takes a look at three notable restaurants that opened last year: Buttercup in the South Loop, Kanin in Ravenswood and Nadu in...

Owner Michael Hornick, center, talks with customers during the dinner rush at The Chicago Diner during its final day of business at the Logan Square location in Chicago, Dec. 12, 2025. (John J. Kim/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago’s vegan restaurants struggled in 2025. But the reasons why are complicated.

January 5, 2026 at 5:00 a.m.

The Chicago Diner is one of at least four vegan or plant-based restaurants in the city that announced closures in late 2025.

The pepperoni and Mike’s hot honey drizzle pizza in a takeout box at Pizz'amici on Grand Avenue in Chicago, Sept. 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

2025 food favorites: The most memorable dishes and drinks we had across Chicago

December 29, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

With 2026 just around the corner, the writers and editors of the Tribune food section have taken some time to reflect on our favorite bites and drinks from 2025.

Amber Rens of Wisconsin, right, introduces her friend Rae Inting, of Florida, to her parents on the phone, Dec. 25, 2025, at Christian Liberty Academy in Arlington Heights. (Dominic Di Palermo/Chicago Tribune)

Naval Station Great Lakes sailors get taste of home at Arlington Heights celebration

December 25, 2025 at 5:33 p.m.

On Christmas Day, recruits received a roaring welcome at Christian Liberty Academy, a tradition embraced by the community for 13 years.

Inocencio Carbajal, hat, and son Marcos Carbajal, owners of Carnitas Uruapan, with Chef Diana Dávila, owner of Mi Tocaya Antojería, along with other chefs and restaurateurs as they pose for a photo in front of Carnitas Uruapanon in Little Village, Dec. 17, 2025, during a luncheon announcing Todos Ponen, a citywide culinary fundraiser at the Ramova Theatre. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)

Chicago chefs to unite for ‘Todos Ponen’ in January to raise money for immigrant families severely impacted by ICE

December 19, 2025 at 12:50 p.m.

More than 40 Chicago chefs and restaurant owners launched a coordinated effort to raise money for families severely impacted by federal immigration enforcement.

Line cook Jesus Rosario has a laugh with chef Darryl “D.C” Carter, left, and executive chef Corey Rice as Rosario prepares a wine reduction for a short ribs dish at Burnham Yacht Club in Chicago on Dec. 12, 2025. Rice hired Rosario for a full-time role in September after Rosario interned at the club following his completion of the free culinary bootcamp style 12-week program at Inspiration Kitchens. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)

Inspiration Kitchens’ free culinary boot camp helps students break barriers to find jobs in food service

December 17, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

Inspiration Corporation's job training program is essentially a culinary school bootcamp shortened and condensed to help individuals who have experienced poverty, homelessness or both get that foot in the door.

The Tribune holiday cookie contest winners. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

2025 Holiday Cookie Contest winners: Pracny, eggnog crème brûlée and mandelbread recipes come out on top

December 3, 2025 at 5:00 a.m.

For the 39th annual Tribune Holiday Cookie Contest, 32 readers submitted recipes for sweet treats, including biscotti and shortbread, bars and balls, and classic chocolate chip and sugar cookies.

All Stories