Men Who Cook benefits Will County Children’s Advocacy Center

Taste sweet and savory food samples and support the Will County Children's Advocacy Center on Saturday

The 14th annual Men Who Cook fundraiser will be held 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the Joliet Junior College Weitendorf Agricultural Education Center, located at 17840 W Laraway Road in Joliet .

More than 30 amateur, professional and commercial cooks will serve samples of their appetizers, entrees, side dishes or desserts for attendees to judge.

The event will also feature a cash bar by On The Rocks, raffles, kids activities and music by the JIB Brothers.

Tickets are $40 each, $75 per couple and $10 each for children, All proceeds benefit the Will County Children's Advocacy Center, according to the Will County Children's Advocacy Center website.

A children's advocacy center is a "child-focused, inter-agency coordinated response center," where "representatives from law enforcement, child protection, prosecution, mental health , medical, and victim advocacy collaborate to investigate child abuse reports, conduct forensic interviews, determine and provide evidence-based interventions, and assess cases for prosecution," according to the website.

Will County State's Attorney James W. Glasgow established the Will County Children's Advocacy Center in 1995 to "provide hope, healing and justice for children who have endured severe physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, neglect, and exposure to violence," according to the website.

In 2023, Glasgow called the Will County Children's Advocacy Center "the most indispensable tool we have in law enforcement."

"It [forensic interview] has to be done by a highly trained forensic interviewer in a neutral, non-suggestive environment with our multi-disciplinary team observing to make it a complete interview," Glasgow previously said.