Local dads take the heat and stay in the kitchen

Natalie Hollingshead

Macaroni and cheese, Top Ramen noodles, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches -- most dads have at least a few recipes standing between them and starvation.

True, some dads just can't stand the heat in the kitchen. But while others may perish, there are plenty of men who not only survive but thrive in the kitchen. After all, nothing says lovin' like something from the oven.

"I love to bake and cook for my family," said Eugenio Revuelta, owner of El Azteca Taco Shops in Provo and Orem. "It is a way of showing your love and your care for the family."

Revuelta has been cooking for family members for decades. Many of the father and grandfather's culinary skills have been acquired during his 27 years in the restaurant business. Others he learned at a young age from his mother.

Although it is crucial for business that Revuelta know his way around the kitchen, it isn't mandatory that he cooks at home. But that is what makes it meaningful, he says. Cooking for his kids and grandkids is Revuelta's way of giving back.

"We have a family tradition that every Sunday we eat together," Revuelta said. "It is one of my greatest satisfactions to feed my young grandchildren, because somebody fed me when I was that age and now I am paying back."

The restaurant owner is an ace at cooking, but when he works in the kitchen for friends and family, Revuelta usually chooses to bake instead. Using his mother's sweet bread recipe, Revuelta will often make raspberry, raisin, nut or pecan bread. Or, if he is really feeling indulgent, he'll make his mother's orange pound cake.

"It has so many ingredients and it is very rich and fluffy," Revuelta said. "I love to bake breads for the family, especially during the holiday season. It is one of my hobbies to make cakes for my family and neighbors."

While Revuelta cooks primarily for special occasions, some dads, including Travis Schuur, take charge of the daily cooking at home.

Schuur, owner of The Smokehouse, a local barbecue restaurant in Orem, Provo and Pleasant Grove, is the main cook at his house. His wife isn't big on cooking, he says: "If I'm going to be home at nighttime, I'm the one who is doing the cooking."

Although his restaurants are known for their slow-cooked meats and hearty side dishes, Schuur says he doesn't cook that way at home.

"We don't do that much on the barbecue," said Schuur, who has been a cook for more than 14 years. "If we do grill, we do a lot of basics -- sausages, hamburgers and hot dogs."

Most of the meals the father of two prepares are Mexican-inspired or come from recipes handed down through his family.

"My mom was a single mom and was gone a lot," Schuur said. "I basically grew up having to cook if I wanted to eat."

Jason Merryweather, executive chef for Thanksgiving Point, spends most of his days in the kitchen. But even if he's not in the mood to cook when he gets home, he is quick to jump in if his wife needs help.

"I share cooking with my wife," said Merryweather, a father of six. "I'll come and relieve her when she needs me to relieve her or give her a break."

When Merryweather cooks for the family, any meal is game.

"I can pretty much go into the refrigerator and no matter what's in the fridge, I can pretty much pull a dinner out of there," Merryweather said.

Frustrating as that may be to his wife, who has to spend more time preparing meals, Merryweather's meals are a hit with his kids, who luckily "aren't too picky."

One of the family's favorite meals is breakfast for dinner -- items like French toast, fried-egg sandwiches, omelets and the like.

"That is something any dad can do," Merryweather said.

Merryweather doesn't help out in the home kitchen to hone his cooking chops. Those get plenty of practice at work, he says. Rather, the busy father likes to take part in preparing meals so that his kids learn cooking is not gender specific.

"I think kids like to see their dad take a role in different facets of the family, whether that be cooking or helping out cleaning or whatever," Merryweather said. "I think they appreciate that. A lot of things that fathers do are kind of unseen. Cooking can show the kids that you're doing something for them."