For more than three decades, the Real Men Cook event has served as a cornerstone celebration of Black fatherhood and community in Chicago. Founded in 1989, the annual Father’s Day gathering has evolved from an upscale affair featuring Chicago’s elite to a grassroots celebration that brings together everyday men, families and organizations around food, fellowship and positive representation.
Rael Jackson, the driving force behind Real Men Cook and founder of Real Men Charities, recently sat down to discuss the event’s enduring mission and its impact on Chicago’s Black community. As the organization prepares for its 36th annual celebration, Jackson reflects on how the event has adapted over the years while maintaining its core purpose: promoting positive images of Black men in their relationships with families and communities.
The conversation reveals Jackson’s broader vision for community health, his observations about violence trends in Chicago and his commitment to breaking down what he calls “silos” that divide the community. With Real Men Cook now housed in its own event space in South Shore, Jackson continues to use food as a vehicle for fostering connections and celebrating the often-overlooked contributions of Black fathers and community leaders.
For those who might not be familiar, can you break down the mission behind Real Men Cook, and why this event has remained such a staple in Chicago for over three decades?
Real Men Cook was started to promote positive images of men in relationship to their families and communities, and of course it was started in Chicago, which of course leads us to a segregated space where we uplift Black men specifically. But I think the message is for all men across the country. We did the event in [13] markets for [10] years. After the pandemic, we ended up doing it just in Chicago to get things back in order, and we bought an event space. So it’s been held in South Shore ever since we bought that event space. So I’m really excited.
We also have a nonprofit Real Men Charities, which builds healthier families and communities. We think that the relationship between men and women, and fathers definitely benefit our community, and our men are dying at a higher rate than any other [demographic]. So we feel like health is very important for our community to stay focused on. And we also look at health as mental health included, which includes the culture of our people and everything else. For 36 years we started this conversation about Black people, Black men, and the conversations continue.
We’ve seen that nothing was happening on Father’s Day 36 years ago. There are no other organizations that have a 36-year legacy with Father’s Day, but I’ve seen that some people have had 20-year picnics. They’re coming up on 15 years of doing things on Father’s Day, and I believe that that’s related to the seed that we planted a long time ago.
And now, Father’s Day weekend is packed with activities. [As a] matter of fact, we’re partnering with an organization. They’re doing a 5K at 7 a.m. in Washington Park, and the goal is to really give a thousand men free physicals and free health screenings. And this is to the mission of Real Men Charities, and what we’re about for our people.
Talk about how the event has evolved over the years, especially in terms of highlighting fatherhood, mentorship, and community leadership among Black men?
The first event was more of a dress-up type of event, so it was more targeted at the [upper class]. I think we understood that we need to get with the people and make sure that it was accessible, that everybody felt comfortable coming to the event. As we evolved, we went towards the everyday man, just regular men, highlighting them and their participation in the community.
We’re really targeting organizations to bring them in, because, back in the day, men would spend $300-$500 on groceries to give it away. But we’re not in those same times. I felt like having organizations, whether it’s churches, whether it’s fraternities, whether it’s community organizations, coming together will be the next phase of Real Men Cook, having them bring their men and represent their organizations.
Food is obviously a central part of the event. What can people expect this year in terms of the culinary experience, and the men who will be cooking?
We have all sorts of food, and this year we have Josephine’s is coming. Victor Love, he’s bringing his famous elote. Of course you have the grillers that will be grilling chicken, beef and fish. Vegan dishes will be available along with desserts. It’s just a great opportunity to get a sample.
You get a sample and get to sample for three hours on this food with one ticket, whereas most events, they make you, they have a food truck or something that you’re buying separate items or ticketed for items. But this event allows you to come together, and just help. It’s pretty economical for your family, and we have tickets for kids and seniors that are very inexpensive as well.
What impact do you hope Real Men Cook continues to have on the next generation of young men and families in our community?
I’ve seen the downward spiral of volunteerism in our community, because[,] the millennials are hustlers. They’ve been able to figure out a way to transform a lot of different things into money. And we want them to understand that money is not everything. Families are important. Time spent with your friends [is] important.
I noticed that when men are cooking, families are coming together; friends are coming together. You think about Memorial Day. You think about the 4th of July. It’s people coming together and having conversation, fun.
This isn’t just a one-day event. This is over the course of Father’s Day weekend. Can you go into what’s happening during the weekend?
Last Friday we did a bicycling, wear orange bicycling in honor of Hadiya Pendleton with her father Nate Pendleton providing the food, and we had that at the Quarry. This Friday, before Real Men Cook, we will have a Real Men Talk at the DuSable Museum at 4 [p.m.] That’s free. And then on Saturday we have a 5K with the free physicals and free health screenings in Washington Park. At 7 a.m. right behind Dyett [High School] [on] 51st [and] Lawrence.
The [Omega Psi Phi fraternity members] are having a family day right after. On Sunday it’s Real Men Cook from 3 to 6.
The 36th Annual Real Men Cook event will be held on June 15, 2025, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the Quarry Event Center, 2423 East 75th Street, Chicago. Tickets are available through Event Noir. For more information about Real Men Charities and their year-round programming, visit realmencharitiesinc.org.
