Where Fire, Folklore, and Fowl Collide.
In the glow of a crackling fire, Phil McCockin’s adventures unfold—equal parts danger, flavor, and folklore. Campfire Cock Tales capture the spirit of his world, one smoky story at a time.
Gather ‘round, dear reader, and pull your chair close to the flame — for this is where the legend of Phil McCockin comes alive. A chef, explorer, and accidental troublemaker, Phil’s life has been less of a recipe and more of a rolling boil — equal parts peril, passion, and poultry, with chicken dishes playing a starring role. From the smoky Carolina hills where he outcooked bootleggers, to the wild streets of Rio. In Rio, he turned a hijacked parade into a flaming feast of unforgettable chicken dishes. Phil’s adventures have become the stuff of whispered legend in kitchens and campfires across the globe.
They say every great dish has a story — but Phil’s dishes are the stories. Each recipe in this book was born from a near-miss, a narrow escape, or a fleeting romance with danger. He’s bartered recipes for freedom and wooed strangers with spice. His chicken dishes have cooked his way out of more sticky situations than most men ever fall into. Whether dodging Colombian traffickers with a cast-iron pan or crafting Himalayan dumplings to please silent monks, you can find the best stories in these chicken dishes. Or perhaps grilling surf and turf to flag down rescue boats off the Great Barrier Reef. Phil’s life proves one thing: there’s no place on Earth where a good cock — chicken, that is — can’t save the day.
And then there’s Ophilia Hiney — the elusive muse of this mad journey. Appearing and vanishing across continents, she’s as much a mystery as the man himself. Between them simmers a slow burn that no amount of distance, danger, or dumplings can quite extinguish. Those moments fueled by Ophilia often inspired new chicken dishes.
This collection, Campfire Cock Tales, is only the beginning — a tasting menu of Phil’s long, flavorful life. His stories will continue to sizzle beyond these pages. They are growing wilder and more delicious with every retelling. So pour yourself a drink, settle in by the fire, and prepare to meet the man who’s proved again and again with chicken dishes that the quickest way out of trouble — and into someone’s heart — is through a well-cooked cock.
“I screamed, I cursed, I threw a pan — all because the flavors were TOO good. Bloody seductive, that chicken.” – Gordon Ramméd-Me — Furious Chef