Around 200 people attended the third annual Men Who Cook event on Saturday, a benefit that supported the efforts of the Child Advocacy Center of East Central Illinois.

Pam Riddle, the executive director for the center, said the potluck benefit always has a good turnout.

Pat Goodwin, the chief of the Charleston Fire Department, created what he called the double chocolate fire chief cake, with homemade fudge sauce, whipped cream and a cherry.

Goodwin said he has participated in the event each year.

“We did it the first year and it was lot of fun,” Goodwin said. “Our goal is to win this year.”

At the end of the night, Goodwin took home the title of master chef for his double chocolate dessert.

City Attorney Brian Bower prepared a crab Rangoon dip and said he was up until about 11:30 p.m. the night before getting everything prepared.

Bower said he attended the first year of the Men Who Cook event, but was not able to attend the second year. He also said he was happy to attend this year’s event because it was a great cause.

Paul Wieck, a lawyer from Charleston, said he heard about the event because his wife, Donna, is on the board for the Sexual Assault Counseling & Information Service.

“As an attorney, I really appreciate the work the Child Advocacy Center does,” Wieck said.

Wieck said he also loves to cook and this year he made a New Orleans inspired chicken jambalaya.

He said he chose the dish because it was fairly inexpensive, could feed a lot of people, and was easy to serve.

State Rep. Roger Eddy also made a dish for the event. Eddy served bite-sized panko-crusted sesame chicken.

“I heard about it and it seemed like a really fun event,” Eddy said.

Asst. State’s Attorney, Tom Bucher, attended the benefit this year and served a sweet potato mash.

Bucher said he attended the event because he handles the prosecution for a lot of cases that the Child Advocacy Center sees.

Tina Huston, a family advocate for the Child Advocacy Center, said she had sampled about half of the fare and was having a hard time deciding on the best.

“Everyone seems to be having a good time,” Huston said.

Huston said her favorite part of the event was seeing the men try so hard, making new dishes and recipes each year.

“There’s not a whole lot of rivalry yet, but we’re hoping to get some,” Huston said.

Kathryn Richter can be reached at 581-2812 or kjrichter@eiu.edu