Real Men Cook
Real Men Cook - Since 1990
Real Men Charities, Inc. presents Real Men Cook events as a way to improve perceptions of black men relative to their families and communities. This annual all-day celebration is held on Father’s Day as a way to recognize real men both locally and globally. Real Men Cook is the largest, longest-running, and most-anticipated Father’s Day celebration of its kind. It was conceived and launched in Chicago in 1990 by entrepreneurs Yvette Moyo and Kofi Moyo as a local Father’s Day family celebration.
Fathers and father-figures donned chef’s hats and cooked for the community. The original concept grew to be celebrated in as many as 13 cities and has evolved into a national Father’s Day tradition. Proceeds from the event go to Real Men Charities, which provides programs that benefit and uplift the community. Over the past 31 years, celebrities, media personalities, ministers, politicians, entertainers, athletes, local community leaders, chefs, and everyday hard-working fathers have participated. This event is regarded as part of their resolve to uplift the family and defy the negative images of Black American men often depicted in the media.
Among the high-profile men who have participated in Real Men Cook is former President Barack Obama, who referred to the annual event as his “family tradition.”
Other past attendees include Congressman Danny Davis and the late, great Representatives John Lewis and John Conyers.
Father/son duos such as Senate President Emil Jones and his son State Senator Emil Jones III, and Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr. and his sons, former congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Professor Jonathan Jackson have also attended in the past.
32nd Annual Real Men Cook
