Real Men's cooking feeds the soul

Imagine a holiday when guys get together to cook for others. Not Mother's Day or the first day of school, but Father's Day. That's the spirit behind Chicago husband-and-wife Kofi and Yvette Moyo's Real Men Cook, a cooking-for-charity program celebrating 14 years next Sunday by pooling the culinary talents of dads in 10 cities. To date, their food-tasting events have raised $750,000. We spoke with Kofi:

Is it true you're the family cook?
[Laughs.] I do about 90% of it. I love to cook, especially in the Afro-Italian style -- that's Italian with an African flare.

What's your favorite dish?
Sea bass and grits. A real Southeastern dish and perfect with a spicy side of sautéed portobello mushrooms.

Yum. What four ingredients should every cook have in the kitchen?
Onions, garlic, ginger and cayenne.

Ever come close to a mealtime disaster?
I was cooking for 200 when an electrical storm [hit]. It was total blackout and raining torrents. I ended up cooking by candlelight under the porch. It launched my signature dish, Capt. Kofi's Candlelight Catfish! [Laughs.]

Does sharing meals make a family closer?
You connect through the foods your kids grow up with. We're a blended family with nine kids -- all grown now. Weekends, we'd sit down together for truck-driver breakfasts. Summer vacations, we'd stay in places with a fridge and stove and fix huge meals.

And now that your kids are gone?
When they come home, you fix food that reminds them of times when they felt so well cared for.

-- Kathleen Conroy