As Adrienne Paranjothi settles into bed and digs into a good book, she usually can count on her husband, Kitcha, doing the same – sort of.

“I’m an avid reader, and I always have stacks of reading,” she says. “His reading is cookbooks and cooking magazines.”

Paranjothi says the reading has paid off for her husband – especially for his Philly cheesesteaks, one of her favorites.

Kitcha Paranjothi will be among those demonstrating his talents Sunday at “Real Men Cook,” a first-ever fundraiser hosted by the Lawrence branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

The event, from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. at Steve’s Place, 31st and Louisiana streets, will raise funds for scholarships awarded by the chapter.

Fifteen local men have signed up to bring their specialty dishes, including entrees, appetizers and desserts. There will be enough food for attendees to sample, and a panel of celebrity judges will dole out prizes.

“Some of the entries they are cooking, they’re not the norm,” says Sonya Johnson, chapter president. “It also breaks down the stereotype of men who say they can’t cook, and when they do you think of hamburgers or spaghetti or chili. That’s not the case with this. There have been a ton of interesting entries.”

One of those might be Willie Amison’s banana pudding. It’s a food his mother made when he was growing up.

Amison says he also likes to cook soul food, including barbecue, greens and beans.

“Within our culture, we do a lot of cooking,” he says. “Most of the guys I know and hang out with, it’s not a stereotype (of men not cooking). A lot of men cook these days. It’s a good thing.”

He says he’s planning to make Sunday’s event a friendly rivalry with his friends who are entering.

“I’ve got to do a bang-up job,” he says.

Johnson admits she didn’t know what kind of response the first-time event would have.

“I was extremely nervous,” she says.

But the 15 entries have her convinced that, assuming Sunday’s tasting and judging goes well, this could be a long-running fundraiser for the group.

Paranjothi says he plans to make a peanut butter pie and oatmeal cookie bars for Sunday’s judging. And, for the record, he doesn’t even have an option to cheat.

“My family’s going to be gone, so they won’t be able to help me,” Paranjothi says. “On the other hand, if there’s any leftover pie, they won’t be there to help me eat it. I’ll have to do it myself.”