The story below is from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
Photos Courtesy of John Park.
With a loyal team and community behind them, the future of Evie’s Bistro & Bakery looks as bright and sweet as ever.
For over three decades, Evie’s Bistro & Bakery, perhaps best known for their decadent desserts, has remained cherished by members of our community. But maintaining this legacy hasn’t come without its challenges. One of the greatest yet was posed last year when owner Evie Edman was diagnosed with leukemia.
Having grown up watching her parents run the business, being a part of it as an adult wasn’t something Evie’s daughter Amelia had envisioned, but she was quick to answer the call in her mother’s time of need. “It happened so fast. From one day to the next I was running the family business,” she recalls.
Since taking the reins last December, Amelia has had to navigate through the obstacles of finding the right staff members and learning how to lead them while coping with the emotional impact of her mother’s illness. Despite these trials, she’s managed to embrace this new chapter with grace, love and humor. “I have yet to give myself a job title,” she jokes, but “‘Queen’ has a nice ring to it!”
While Evie’s has taken home numerous Dining Awards wins over the years, their platinums for “Best Special Occasion Cakes” and “Best Desserts” in our 2025 poll are a true testament to the team’s hard work, dedication and perseverance. “Our ‘bakerinas’ are absolute masters of their craft. It makes me so happy to see them receive [these] well-deserved recognition[s],” says Amelia. “There are only four of them in the bakery, which I don’t think most people know. Huge shoutout to Guadalupe, Aracely, Fatima and Jacky, our beloved bakerinas!”
Leadership may have changed hands, but the bistro and bakery’s menu still embodies much of the spirit and passion Evie herself has infused into the business. Diners can order up any number of the restaurant’s classic desserts, including a slice of their favorite cake, whether it be Boston Cream, Chocolate Raspberry Mousse, Birthday Cake, Killer Carrot or, Amelia’s personal favorite, the “light and fluffy” Coconut, along with cookies, brownies and unbelievably luscious cream puffs.
Their lunch and dinner entrées are equally as satisfying. The vegetarian Dragon Tooth sandwich featuring Parmesan eggplant medallions, a mix of sautéed veggies, lettuce, tomato, provolone, ranch and “secret sauce” is a treasured menu staple. “I love it, always and forever,” says Amelia. She also recommends the tastes-like-home Turkey Reuben and the new-to-the-crew Salsa Verde Chicken Enchiladas.
But that isn’t to say Evie’s daughter hasn’t added her own flair to the business. Aside from integrating lots of fresh content on the Evie’s Bistro & Bakery social media pages, the “wildly popular” zodiac cakes are inspired by Amelia’s tarot and astrology background. “It’s so cool to work with the bakerinas to turn ideas into delicious works of art that are dripping with symbolism!”
The Taurus — Devil’s food cake with a cookie butter filling topped off with cinnamon buttercream, chocolate ganache rosettes and a cookie butter drip — was a slam dunk, with other creations like the Virgo — raspberry chiffon cake with raspberry sauce and pistachio cream cheese frosting — giving it a run for its money. New fall items have recently debuted, including the Chai Pumpkin Cream Cake — a chai tea-soaked vanilla layer cake complete with pumpkin spice cream cheese frosting — which will stick around through November. A few dishes they’ve run as specials will soon grace the main lunch and dinner menu, including “the most amazing black beans and rice you can get in Roanoke” and mouthwatering Birria tacos.
Amelia extends so much love to “the amazing Evie’s staff, who [has] wholeheartedly stepped up to the plate, helped [her] learn all this and allowed [her] to be their leader,” and social media manager Rachel McKee, who “has held [her] hand through it all and been the most amazing support [she] could ask for.”
The outpouring of encouraging messages and seeing the dining room filled to the brim with happy customers is the icing on the cake. “We could not feel more loved or be more grateful. Thank you, Roanoke.”
The story above is from our November/December 2024 issue. For more stories like it, Subscribe Today. Thank you!
