Many men know this, and a few lucky ladies do too: a lot of men love to cook.  For those black men who have the skills and enjoy participating in community activities Real Men Cook® is a great organization for you.  Launched in 1990, Real Men Cook is a group of volunteer black fathers who host a national Father’s Day community cookout where the men cook, the women and children eat, and the families and the community have a wonderful celebration.    

For over 20 years Real Men Cook events have occurred all over the country and have spread overseas reaching as far as Africa and Europe.  Real Men Cook proceeds have totaled over $1 million and are used to fund charities and events that support families and their communities.

Founded by Kofi Moyo (seen on the right) and Yvette Moyo-Gillard in 1990, Real Men Cook has become one of the largest family celebrations in the country.   

Every Father’s Day thousands of black men join with their families to enjoy great entertainment, eat great food, celebrate family, and of course cook.   The Father’s Day events are an opportunity for families and friends to get together and celebrate each other while doing something positive for the communities in which they live. 

Over the years Real Men Cook events have become quite popular and draw a mix of every day fathers and celebrities to participate in the festivities.  Musicians, artists and even then Senator and now President Barack Obama have participated in the annual celebration.

Where they Operate

Real Men Cook hosts its celebration in multiple cities across the country. The following is a list of the cities that will be participating in the Fathers Day event for the year 2012.  Click each link to find out more details to include the event location and contact information.

There's a lot more going on than just Father's Day, and you can keep up to date with organization activities by regularly visiting their website at www.realmencook.com.  They also have an online network that you can join and of course you can follow the happenings in individual cities on facebook and twitter.

Real Men Charities and Programs

In the spirit of helping community, Real Men Cook has extended it's efforts year round and uses their non-profit (Real Men Charities Inc.) to fund and participate in multiple community events throughout the year.   Real Men Charities participates in several community programs that provide education and health awareness, as well as scholarships and grants to individuals and institutions.  In addition to the Real Men Cook Father’s Day event, other charity programs and events include:

Gimme Five a program designed to have males become fully focused on what it takes to expand their life expectancy. The idea is to put at least five things in place to have the body be strong enough to better fight diseases like cancer and to create a social environment that reduces stress.

Real Men Cooking with Kids contains programs to motivate children is eat more fruits and vegetables and understand the science, math, economics and the joy of cooking at home and serving.

There are also programs for giving away free food on Thanksgiving and giving away toys for Christmas as well as a black tie event called Real Men Love that celebrates the love of couples and singles around Valentine’s Day.

How to Get Involved

If you think you have the skills and want to volunteer you can register online or in person. 

If you don’t know how to cook or just want to improve your culinary skills, never fear. The organization has two great cookbooks available for you to purchase, and you can always find great new recipes online at their website (click cover for info).

For the youngsters that are fortunate enough to live in Chicago, you may be able to attend the next Cooking in the Classroom session where you can learn how to cook from some excellent chefs.

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