CHICAGO (WLS) — A Father’s Day tradition returned to the South Side on Sunday, and it’s making Chicago Proud.
Real Men Cook is an annual celebration of Black fatherhood, and some dads spent the day uplifting their community with home cooking.
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Amateur chefs got to show off their culinary skills, serving up sample-sized portions of their specialties. The dishes did not disappoint.
A variety of food was on the menu at Real Men Cook, an annual event in its 36th year always held on father’s day.
Yvette Moyo is the organizer, who said she wanted to counteract a harmful narrative about Black men and fatherhood.
The inspiration was to tell the truth about Black men and their families about the love that exists, about the presence that is there and may not look like everybody else’s family,” Moyo said.
The event is held at the Quarry Center on 75th Street n South Shore. For $25, attendees can sample food outside on the patio or listen to entertainment indoors.
Proceeds support Real Men Charities programs, which include health and wellness initiatives in the Black community.
“This weekend, we were able to get more than 210 men screened with the African-American wellness agency on Black Men’s Wellness Day,” Real Men Cook President Rael Jackson said. “So yesterday, we provided more than 210 men with physicals and health screenings. I think it’s amazing how Father’s Day is going to expand.”
Jackson is Moyo’s son and will be taking over for his mother going forward.
While the tradition owes its start to Moyo and other women who started Real Men Cook, Jackson reflected on this Father’s Day what he learned from his dad.
“I learned how to play chess. He taught me how to move through Chicago,” Jackson said. “He taught me how to be a good person.”
The men were the stars of the show Sunday, and the food looked good. There were about 20 dishes for attendees to sample.
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