Will County State’s Attorney James Glasgow will honor Pipefitters Local 597 with the Glen Marcum Selfless Dedication To Community Service Award during this year’s annual MEN WHO COOK competition to benefit the Will County Children's Advocacy Center.
State’s Attorney Glasgow will present the honor to the Pipefitters for graciously opening the doors to their Mokena training center for the annual competition over the past seven years. The honor also recognizes the hard work performed by Pipefitters apprentices every year on the evening of the event.
Organizers for MEN WHO COOK hit the road this year looking for a larger space to accommodate the expanding number of chefs and diners who eagerly attend Will County’s most popular community event.
This year’s MEN WHO COOK will be held from 6-9 p.m., Sept. 22 on the sprawling infield at Chicagoland 
Speedway, which will provide unlimited parking and more space to accommodate an anticipated 2,000 hungry guests.
“It’s bittersweet to leave a place that truly became defined as the home for MEN WHO COOK,” State’s Attorney Glasgow said. “The Pipefitters were excellent hosts, and the accommodations at their training center were first-rate. Their dedicated apprentices also provided invaluable assistance to our community volunteers and kept MEN WHO COOK running smoothly every year. Although we have outgrown their vast facility, we want to make certain everyone in this hardworking union knows how much we appreciated their support over the years.”
The Glen Marcum Selfless Dedication To Community Service Award is named after the late Glen Marcum, a former Joliet Park Board president and a devoted community volunteer. It is presented each year to individuals or groups for their selfless support of the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center.
MEN WHO COOK is a fun and casual cook-off competition that features 50 local guys – leaders in business, construction, accounting, law enforcement, healthcare, manufacturing, real estate, government, education, and media – serving bite-size samples of their favorite dishes for public judging. Diners can vote for the cuisine served by their favorite cooks in the appetizer, side dish, entree, and dessert categories.
Kids’ activities, supervised by Will County Children’s Advocacy Center staff, will be provided in Victory Lane. Guests will sample all the great food in an outdoor setting with a view of the illuminated grandstand, providing an early fall, alfresco dining atmosphere in which to relax and socialize. This year, organizers also are coordinating a Professional/Commercial Chef division for those who work at restaurants or other eating establishments.
MEN WHO COOK is a favorite of all ages and provides critical financial support for the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, which provides hope, healing, and justice for sexually abused children. With more than 1,100 attendees last year, Men Who Cook is widely recognized as the largest and most popular, single-day fundraising event in Will County.
State’s Attorney Glasgow and the Children’s Advocacy Center are proud that CITGO Refinery will be a VIP Presenting Sponsor and that Leopardo Companies, Inc. will be a VIP Superhero Sponsor for the 2018 Men Who Cook. Both recently made a $10,000 contribution to the fundraiser. Additional VIP Sponsors include D Construction, Waste Management, Ed Czerkies, Midland States Bank, and the Sewer & Tunnel Miners Laborers Local #2. Sponsorship opportunities are available at the www.menwhocook.info.
State’s Attorney Glasgow established the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center in 1995 to guarantee successful investigations of child sexual abuse cases. The center’s professionally trained and compassionate staff performs child-sensitive interviews when there are allegations of sexual or severe physical abuse. Children’s recorded statements have been used in the successful prosecution of thousands of predators.
The cost for MEN WHO COOK is $40 per person; $75 per couple. The price is $10 for children between 6 and 12; kids 5 and under can attend for free. And of course, there’s no need to dress up for this casual, fun and affordable event.
Tickets for MEN WHO COOK are available online at www.menwhocook.info or they can be purchased at the door. For additional information, call the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center at (815) 774-4565. Or visit on the Web at www.willcountycac.org or on Facebook at facebook.com/willcountycac.