Philippine Oriental Market and Deli

Master Chef Evelyn Bunoan has always had a passion for healthy cooking. When she and her siblings took over an existing Filipino market in 1976 and opened the Philippine Oriental Market and Deli, it provided the outlet for her considerable talent. Behind the unassuming exterior works one of the most recognized chefs in the area. After a 30-year career at the World Bank, Evelyn attended the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary Institute in London to become a master chef. Her accolades include being one of the 100 most influential Filipina business leaders in the US, winning the Most Outstanding Migrant Award in Culinary Arts, receiving the Dakila Special Achievement Award for Filipino-Americans, and being inducted into the Les Dames d'Escoffier International.

Evelyn has hosted her own television show, Evelyn’s Kitchen: Cooking with Friends, self-published her own healthy-living cookbook, Cooking with Master Chef Evelyn, and written cooking columns and articles for various publications. She also has been the guest chef for Ambassador dinners at the Philippine Embassy in DC.  Despite these accolades, Evelyn is most proud of her charity, CHEW (Cancer Health Eat & Wellness). When her best friend passed away from cancer, Evelyn formed this nonprofit to provide healthy meals to people fighting cancer and other serious illnesses. Although their hours are limited these days, you can still find Evelyn and her husband Oscar cooking behind the counter at the Philippine Oriental Market and Deli, providing Arlingtonians (and a global clientele) with healthy Filipino fusion meals and desserts.