January 7, 2026
Chef Evelyn Shelton, MPA, is the owner of Evelyn’s Food Love, located at 55th and State Street. Photo provided by Evelyn Shelton.
Stories this photo appears in:
Chef Shares Her Food Love With Business
Chef Evelyn Shelton, MPA always cooked and came from a family that cooked. From early on, it was her goal to become a chef and have a restaurant. She went to college and received a traditional education, but in the back of her mind, she knew she would go to culinary school. After culinary school, she ended up at Northwestern Medicine, which was the same place where she worked in her corporate career. There, she was the first Black woman executive chef.