Chicago Michelin Guide 2025: Feld’s First Star and Kasama’s Historic Two‑Star Award

The Chicago Journal Staff 2 on November 19, 2025

Feld’s First Michelin Star

Chicago’s Ukrainian Village neighborhood has a new reason to celebrate. Feld, a farm‑to‑table restaurant that opened in 2024, earned its first Michelin star this November. The Michelin Guide also awarded Feld a Green Star, which recognizes restaurants committed to sustainability. According to CBS Chicago, Feld highlights ingredients sourced from within a four‑hour radius, with dishes prepared and plated in front of diners.

Chef Jacob Potashnick, a Chicago native, focuses on seasonal products and creative presentations. Diners might see asparagus served three different ways in one meal — raw with a cured lemon emulsion, tempura fried, and juiced alongside fresh cheese. This approach shows how a single ingredient can be experienced in multiple forms.

For Chicago’s food community, Feld’s recognition is reassuring. It demonstrates that new restaurants can break through quickly when they combine creativity with sustainability. Feld’s star adds depth to the city’s Michelin roster and reflects a growing interest in eco‑conscious dining.

Kasama’s Historic Two Stars

Kasama, also located in Ukrainian Village, made history by becoming the first Filipino restaurant in the world to earn a Michelin star in 2022. In 2025, it was elevated to two stars. The bakery and restaurant, run by husband‑and‑wife team Tim Flores and Genie Kwon, is known for long lines and inventive dishes. NBC Chicago reported that Kasama now joins Ever and Oriole as Chicago’s two‑star restaurants.

The recognition is significant for Filipino cuisine, which has often been underrepresented in fine dining. Kasama’s menu blends traditional flavors with modern techniques, offering dishes that resonate with both Filipino Americans and broader audiences.

During the ceremony, Genie Kwon accepted the award with emotion, while Tim Flores was represented by a cutout of his head. WTTW noted that Kasama’s journey reflects both personal dedication and cultural pride.

Chicago’s Changing Michelin Scene

The 2025 Michelin Guide brought shifts across Chicago’s fine dining scene. While Feld and Kasama gained recognition, Alinea — long considered the city’s flagship — was downgraded from three stars to two. This adjustment surprised many, but it also showed how Michelin continues to reassess restaurants based on current performance.

Chicago now has 20 Michelin‑starred restaurants, with Smyth holding three stars. The mix of established names and newcomers reflects the city’s dynamic food culture. As the Michelin Guide explained, Feld’s debut and Kasama’s promotion demonstrate “bold creativity and commitment to excellence”.

For diners, the changes offer reassurance that Chicago remains a destination for diverse culinary experiences. From avant‑garde tasting menus to Filipino comfort food, the city’s Michelin stars highlight a range of traditions and innovations.

Arbitration and Litigation: The Modern Era

The Chicago Journal Staff on November 19, 2025

By: Nic Abelian

When Muhammad Qasim Sheikh first began practicing as a litigator in Pakistan, he witnessed how the legal system’s structure shaped dispute resolution. After gaining three years of experience in civil law at Legal 500 law firms, he is now pursuing his Master of Laws at Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, where he is also part of the International Human Rights Clinic. This early experience continues to inform his academic exploration into the evolving relationship between arbitration and litigation.

Sheikh’s legal writing has appeared in newspapers and leading journals such as The Express Tribune, The Nation, Pakistan Legal Decisions, and London Daily News, where he has explored various aspects of modern jurisprudence. While his previous work did not primarily focus on arbitration, he has still worked on arbitration matters, including obtaining a 100 million PKR arbitral award made rule of court for a client in Pakistan. His extensive experience in litigation has provided a strong foundation for his examination of how arbitration interacts with and at times diverges from traditional litigation processes. In this article, he draws on his professional background in both litigation and arbitration to highlight the limitations of arbitration, particularly in preserving legal protections and ensuring procedural fairness within the U.S. legal framework.

Sheikh’s exploration of arbitration and litigation within the U.S. legal system underscores an important point: the court may order arbitration of a particular dispute only if it is satisfied that the parties agreed to arbitrate it. Furthermore, it is the court’s duty to determine whether the conflict between the parties falls within the scope of the arbitration agreement. Verinata Health, Inc. v. Ariosa Diagnostics, Inc., 830 F.3d 1335,1339 (Fed. Cir. 2016). This balance between private resolution and public oversight is essential, particularly when ensuring fairness and protecting legal rights.

This topic is not just theoretical. Sheikh argues that real-world legal disputes often hinge on whether an arbitration clause is transparent, equitable, and applicable to the issue at hand. Although Sheikh is not currently studying dispute resolution at Northwestern, his past experience as a litigator has sparked an interest in exploring the relationship between arbitration and litigation. Drawing on his professional background, he addresses the limitations of arbitration in this article, particularly when measured against public interest and legal safeguards. Sheikh takes a neutral, well-documented approach to these issues, emphasizing the importance of clarity, procedural fairness, and due process in the context of arbitration’s role within the legal system.

Sheikh argues that rather than presenting arbitration and litigation as opposing forces, they should be viewed as complementary components of the legal system. He notes that while arbitration can play a valuable role in easing court backlogs and providing more tailored resolutions, it is litigation that offers a consistent mechanism for protecting rights, establishing precedent, and ensuring accountability. This is particularly important when disputes involve unequal bargaining power or have broader implications for public policy.

Sheikh suggests that while arbitration can be effective, it is still constrained by the limits set by courts and the legal framework of the arbitration’s seat. Similarly, commentators emphasise that courts play a supportive yet essential role in enforcement, procedural fairness, and the supervision of arbitral awards.

This article delves into the ongoing debate between arbitration and litigation, exploring why arbitration cannot supersede litigation in specific legal contexts. While both methods offer distinct advantages, the complexities and real-world implications of each process must be carefully considered. This analysis provides a thoughtful examination of the stakes involved, grounded in established legal frameworks, and aims to clarify the situations in which both litigation and arbitration work simultaneously.

Sheikh views private dispute mechanisms as needing to operate within a legal framework that prioritizes fairness and accessibility. He emphasizes that the judiciary plays an irreplaceable role in ensuring that legal agreements, including arbitration clauses, do not infringe upon fundamental rights.

As he continues his graduate studies at Northwestern, Sheikh aims to explore the litigation side of the law more deeply and understand the interlink between arbitration and litigation. One of his goals is to investigate further how these two mechanisms can coexist within the legal system and how best to balance efficiency with the protection of legal rights.

Explore More of Muhammad Qasim Sheikh’s Work

Readers who want to follow his academic journey and future publications can connect with him on his LinkedIn profile. To learn more about his writing and professional development, visit his profile on LinkedIn.

Disclaimer: The content in this article is provided for general knowledge. It does not constitute legal advice, and readers should seek advice from qualified legal professionals regarding particular cases or situations.