How the chicken man got famous
John Phillips, aka “the Chicken Guy,” at the Manhattan Beach Farmers Market. Photos John Phillips is no celebrity chef, just a guy born and raised in South-Central LA who got into the chicken business after working as a machinist, a baker, and a few other odd jobs. There are no Michelin stars on his food truck, just a sign proclaiming him The Chicken Guy. And he doesn’t serve coq-au-vin, just rotisserie chicken, grilled potatoes cooked in chicken fat and a dozen other savory sides. It’s just basic American food, but it was good enough for the LA Weekly’s Pulitzer Prize-winning food critic Jonathan Gold, who changed Phillips’ life with a single column. And it’s good enough to make Phillips a big hit every Tuesday at the Manhattan Beach Farmers Market. Gold, who had been working for the Los Angeles Times for the last decade when he suddenly died last month at age 57, left behind a long trail of shocked and grief-stricken fans, foodies and food vendors – including Phillips. “I couldn’t believe it when I heard the dude passed,” Phillips said. “I prayed for the man, and I prayed for his wife and kids to come through it OK.” Gold used his writing –- spiced with plenty of pop-culture…
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