An Asian American Market Is Bringing Together Chicago’s Top Chefs to Support Immigrant Communities

A star-studded lineup of Asian American chefs will come together for Tiger Moon Market, a culinary fundraiser on Monday, November 3 at Ramova Theatre in Bridgeport. The event will feature more than 30 restaurants and chefs, including James Beard Award winners and Michelin-starred talents, all cooking to raise money for local immigration rights groups and the ACLU of Illinois. Tickets, priced at $100 to $150, are now on sale.

Organizer Ed Marszewski — who’s behind Bridgeport hubs like Maria’s Packaged Goods and Marz Community Brewing — says Tiger Moon Market is a way to support Chicago’s marginalized communities. He points to the beneficiary organizations — ACLU of Chicago, Red Line Service, Organized Communities Against Deportations, Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, and National Immigrant Justice Center — as “groups that are on the ground here in Chicagoland, helping people understand their rights, whether they’re citizens, residents, or undocumented.”

Tiger Moon Market came about almost by chance. During a recent roundtable with chefs at Maxwells Trading to celebrate the Korean harvest holiday Chuseok, Marszewski says the conversation shifted to the idea of creating a large-scale Asian American market. The group eventually decided on a one-night event uniting the city’s restaurant community in support of local immigration rights organizations. Within days, the plan became reality — Ramova Theatre donated its space, sponsors covered production costs, and chefs and restaurants signed on to participate.

“This is what the Chicago community does; people get involved,” Marszewski says. “It’s been really incredible just to see what a community can do under a time of duress.”

The event arrives at a moment of heightened anxiety for many immigrant communities in Chicago. Recent ICE raids and federal enforcement actions have stoked fear and uncertainty, with residents keeping watch and reporting activity to advocacy groups. Marszewski says Tiger Moon Market represents a way for the wider public to stand with the city’s most vulnerable and show that “they’re not alone, and there are people everywhere who support them.”

The evening will include tastings from notable spots like Kasama, Lao Peng You, Perilla, Thattu, and more, along with complimentary cocktails. A karaoke lounge and live DJs will provide the entertainment, while Teetsy will give away screen printed shirts. On the menu is everything from pork belly kare-kare by A Taste of the Philippines to kimchi-potato-cheese dumplings from Parachute HiFi and Anelya chef Beverly Kim to Bayan Ko’s white miso flan with black truffle.

Marszewski emphasizes that the event is not just about food; it’s a celebration of community activism. “It shows that there’s a way for people who are often working seven days a week to try to lend their time and donate their creative skills to benefit causes,” he says. One hundred percent of ticket sales will go directly to the groups, and Marszewski hopes to draw at least 800 attendees and raise $100,000.

For him, Tiger Moon Market is also a demonstration of solidarity and community care from an economic sector deeply impacted by the Trump administration’s immigration raids across the United States.

“It’s really clear that almost every immigrant that comes to America has a big hill to climb to gain acceptance by others in the country,” Marszewski says. “And people in the hospitality industry play a role in granting acceptance and embracing those cultures and identities.”

Tiger Moon Market takes place from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday, November 3, at Ramova Theatre, 3520 S. Halsted Street.