Chef Evelyn Shelton

Chef Evelyn, as she is popularly known, is the chef/owner of Evelyn’s Food Love in Chicago. There she offers diners her eclectic fusion of culture, training, and imagination to make the palate and senses pop with every bite.

Raised in Chicago, Chef Evelyn honed her business and culinary skills as an Executive Chef with the Morrison Division of Compass Group, where she worked as executive chef at Northwestern Medicine.

She is a graduate of Kendall College, one of the top culinary schools in the region, where she completed an accelerated culinary arts program while excelling in Kendall’s baking and pastry arts program simultaneously. Well-rounded, Chef Evelyn also holds a Bachelor's degree from Columbia College as well as a Master's degree from Roosevelt University.

Chef Evelyn and her culinary creations have been featured on: ABC 7’s "The Hungry Hound with Steve Dolinsky," on Windy City Live, The Black Foodies, in The Chicago Sun-Times, Patch Chicago, Black Chicago Eats, Eater Chicago, LISC Chicago, The Chicago Defender, Chicago Woman Magazine, Black Food and Beverage (blackfandb), on WVON Radio, WBBM Radio, WGN Radio, "Operation Breadbasket presents Harambee" Radio, Heritage Radio's "A Hungry Society," Crain’s Chicago Business, Forbes.com, Afros and Knives and more.

Chef Evelyn is a widely sought after featured guest, contributor, and panelist by media outlets and various community organizations on various topics including healthy eating; fabulous seasonal recipes and trends; minority business and the importance of community development.

An advocate and lover of education, Chef Evelyn has also served as a chef trainer with the Chicago Public Schools. A skilled leader in the kitchen on the large and small scale, she has applied her culinary talents in the roles of food service director and personal chef.

Chef Evelyn is a member of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) as well as the James Beard Foundation. Currently, she is penning her first cookbook while working on bringing her spices, sauces, and other fare to the marketplace. She is also looking forward to expanding the Chef Evelyn brand by opening more cafés in other areas around the city that she loves. Chef is passionately working on plans to open incubator kitchens in underserved neighborhoods on the south side to provide jobs in these often-overlooked communities.

In February 2019, Evelyn’s Food Love opened in the West Hall Food Court inside of McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America! Evelyn’s Food Love is also ACDBE/DBE/MBE/WBE certified. View Capability Statement.