Men Who Cook do so for a good cause

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

MOKENA — Tom Slazyk explained the winning recipe that has been in his family for four generations, a recipe passed down from his grandmother all the way to his daughter Gabby.

Slazyk’s golumpkis, or cabbage rolls, took second place in the side-dish category Saturday at the Men Who Cook fundraising event, which benefits the Will County Children’s Advocacy Center.

The golumpkis, a Polish meal, are half-beef and half-pork, said Slazyk, of the Will County state’s attorney’s office. The meat is mixed into a patty with cooked rice, and seasoned with salt and pepper. Then the ground meat is rolled up into a boiled cabbage, and cooked in tomato soup.

Dorothy Slazyk, Tom’s mother, got the recipe from her mother, Hattie Dogoda. On Saturday night, Dorothy, Tom and Gabby served the golumpkis to a hungry crowd of hundreds of people, who chose samples from among dozens of tables like Slazyk’s.

The tables lined three long walls at the Pipefitters Local 597 Training Center, on 187th Street in Mokena.

When it came to cooking, the men did a fine job Saturday, and all for a good cause.

Glasgow’s vision

The Will County Children’s Advocacy Center was established by State’s Attorney James Glasgow in 1995.

Glasgow had a goal to improve the way child abuse cases are investigated, his office said in a news release.

“The center’s staff performs child-sensitive interviews when there are allegations of sexual or severe physical abuse,” the statement said. “These interviews are conducted by trained and caring professionals in a non-suggestive, child-friendly environment. The children’s recorded statements have been used in the successful prosecution of hundreds of child predators.”

“The state’s attorney founded the center as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization so it would not impact Will County taxpayers. As a result, the center has relied on grants, foundations and fund raisers like ‘Men Who Cook’ to operate,” the statement said.

Men Who Cook

Tom Grotovsky of Mokena served a shrimp appetizer on Saturday. The recipe included sauteed shrimp, tequila, lime and garlic.

“I added a little bit of cajun spice in there, just to give it some zip,” Grotovsky said.

The tequila gives the shrimp a grilled flavor, he said.

The recipe can be found in the Men Who Cook cookbook. Proceeds from the cookbook also benefit the Children’s Advocacy Center, said Grotovsky, a member of the Men Who Cook committee.

Grotovsky, chief executive officer of the Father Ed Grotovsky Foundation, took second place in the appetizers category on Saturday.

Juan Rodriguez, of Rodriguez Renovation in Joliet, made spaghetti with Italian sauce with a marinara base and seasonings. He added onions, green peppers, ground beef and Italian sausage with mozzarella cheese.

Rodriguez and Kari Morgan of Joliet worked until 2:30 a.m. Saturday to prepare the spaghetti, and served almost three tins of the pasta on Saturday night.

Nick Reiher, managing editor of The Naperville Sun, made Italian Easter bread, Pina, with flour, butter, eggs, sugar and anise.

During his many years as a reporter and editor at The Herald-News in Joliet, Reiher wrote occasional articles about food and restaurants.

Reiher’s daughter, Jillian, a senior at Lewis University, helped at her dad’s table.

Sheriff Paul Kaupas and Will County Executive Larry Walsh were at Saturday’s event, along with many other dignitaries from state and local government levels.

Chris Dieter of Joliet, of the Will County circuit clerk’s office, served an oven-roasted pork sandwich with chips and salsa.

“My dad makes it all the time when he’s in the kitchen,” Chris said of his father, John Dieter.

Whether the men got their recipes from Dad, or from Grandma, their culinary work and fund-raising effort ultimately showed them to be men who care.

Visit www.willcountychildrensadvocacy.org.