Ryan Howard is cooking it up in a South Jersey kitchen

MOUNT HOLLY, New Jersey (WPVI) -- In Philadelphia, Ryan Howard will forever be known for hitting it out of the park. But these days the former slugger is cooking it up in the kitchen.

Howard recently teamed up with Mike and Craig Colby and celebrity chef Fabio Viviani as a part-owner in Colbie's Southern Kissed Chicken, a brand new restaurant that opened in Mt. Holly, New Jersey on Monday.

"I'm very excited for it. I hope the people can check it out and hopefully they're excited for it too," Howard tells 6abc.

With indoor and outdoor seating, places to charge your phone, plus a drive-thru, it's a cool spot. And there's a dish named after Ryan.

"It's the Big Piece Chicken Sandwich. I don't want to say forced, but I was encouraged to make the first one. So my first job in high school I used to work at a fast-food restaurant. So I kind of knew my way around the backline a little bit," he laughs.

"It consists of lettuce, tomato, cheese, pickle and a little garlic aioli. It's very good, very good."

Life is good for Ryan right now. His oldest son Darien plays junior college baseball, and he's busy these days with daughters Ari, Lexi and Amarah, ages 6, 4, and 1.

What's it like being a girl dad? "It is different. It is different. It's fun though" he says.

As for daddy's venture from the baseball world to the business world? It isn't as much of a stretch as it may seem.

"The world of business, yea it's like baseball. Sometimes you swing and miss. Sometimes you make contact and hit home runs," he said.

And he better connect because if he doesn't?

"With three daughters it's like y'all might make me have to come out of retirement and try to play or something to start covering these weddings down the line," Howard jokes.