A chef from Wicker Park is organizing a fundraising event to support the family of Asif Amin Cheema, the owner of Best Sub #2 in Humboldt Park, who was deported to Pakistan in January after living in Illinois for more than three decades.
Chef Zubair Mohajir, known for his work at Coach House, Lilac Tiger, Mirra and Sarima Cafe, will host a pop-up on Sunday at Best Sub #2 (2653 W. North Ave.) from 5-10 p.m. The event will feature menu items inspired by his South Asian restaurants. Complimentary samosa chaats, chai and dates will be offered alongside $15 meals such as chopped cheese with halal beef, tandoori honey chicken sandwiches, traditional wings and gyros.
Mohajir said he learned about Cheema’s deportation through news reports and wanted to assist the family while also supporting the South Asian community in Chicago. “We often don’t scream from the mountaintops when people from our community” are suffering, but Mohajir said he wanted to speak out about the injustice in some way while trying to help the family.
“It’s a dark time, but we have to try to have some happiness and bring some joy to this family,” he said. “Words of endearment and hope go much further than, ‘I am sorry.’ I want to help keep up the spirits and bring their father back.”
Proceeds from Sunday’s pop-up will go toward helping Cheema’s family cover medical expenses and basic needs during his resettlement in Pakistan. A portion will also be donated to the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights to assist other families impacted by immigration enforcement actions under previous federal policies.
Cheema’s daughter Rabia Amin expressed her gratitude for Mohajir’s involvement: “He’s had open arms to help our family – working with him has been so much fun.” She described Mohajir as a “trailblazer in the culinary field” within the South Asian community.
The Amin family continues efforts to bring Cheema back home despite complications caused by recent travel advisories between Pakistan and the United States amid ongoing regional conflicts. They previously launched a GoFundMe campaign that raised over $18,000 for Cheema’s initial medical care and essential needs following his deportation.
Cheema was removed based on an old 1993 order discovered only after he was detained last September during Operation Midway Blitz. His daughter said he did not receive a fair chance to contest that order.
Despite these challenges, Amin noted that her mother and brother have kept Best Sub #2 running thanks in part to loyal customers: “We are not our dad, but my little brother has taken a big responsibility… The loyalty from our Humboldt Park community goes to show how strong the community is.”
