- Credibility:
WEST TOWN — The Nono’s Deli food truck, a parody of the closed Nini’s Deli, raised $10,884 over the weekend for two Chicago charities.
Proceeds will be split equally between Chicago organizations My Block, My Hood ,My City, a group focused on Black and Brown youth, and Center on Halsted, the Midwest’s largest LGBTQ organization.
Of the nearly $11,000 raised, $518 represents credit card fees donated by Cash Drop, the payment processing service once used by Nini’s.
Event organizers initially came up with the idea to parody Nini’s Deli as a joke, said co-organizer Jared Bobo, owner of Chicago marketing company Like Food.
Credit: Justin Laurence / ProvidedChef Danny Espinoza, of Cantina Laredo and Santa Mesa, made an array of empanadas and sandwiches ranging from $5-$12.
Dark Matter Coffee supplied a speciality cafe con leche made special for the food truck. Anmar Foods, of West Town, donated meats.
Nini’s Deli, 543 N. Noble St., closed permanently after owner Juan Riesco stood outside the restaurant and, for hours, repeated homophobic and anti-Black Lives Matter comments.
In response, hundreds of protesters quickly gathered outside Nini’s and lingered throughout the weekend. Companies including Nike and Molly’s Cupcakes cut ties with Nini’s, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Riesco’s church, the Underground Church of Chicago — also known as Metro Praise International — engaged in illegal services during COVID-19 in the Belmont Cragin neighborhood. The church has taken an official stance of opposition to Black Lives Matter, according to Facebook posts.
Credit: Jared Bobo / ProvidedSubscribe to Block Club Chicago. Every dime we make funds reporting from Chicago’s neighborhoods.
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