When someone asks a 20-year golf industry executive and former member of the Oklahoma Sooner golf team whether he’s better at cooking dinner or playing golf, one would assume the answer would be the latter. For Chance Cozby, the executive director of The Thunderbirds – hosts of the Waste Management Phoenix Open – the answer might be the former, at least according to his 300,000-plus followers on Tik Tok. According to Cozby himself, there are good days and bad days for both.

Cozby has become a celebrity chef in the circles of the burgeoning social media platform Tik Tok, racking up millions of likes from fans all over the world who flock to the Tok to see his unique takes on home-grown recipes ranging from Tex-Mex to traditional Oklahoma BBQ. And while social media popularity is new to The Thunderbirds ED, cooking for friends and family runs in his Boomer Sooner blood.

 

Cozby grew up in the kitchen of his parents’ home in Bartlesville, Okla., where at a very young age, he developed a passion for cooking with his mother Karole in the kitchen and his father Jerry on the back patio where he picked up the nuances of preparing meals for family and friends.

Cozby and his father loved to smoke ribs on their custom-built, offset smoker which, contrary to contemporary smoker practices, did not have a temperature gauge. Instead, Cozby’s father said, “just keep three pieces of Oklahoma pecan on the fire and your temperature will be just right.” From that quip, a new-age cooking channel was born – “3 Pieces of Pecan” – a homage to the wisdom passed to Cozby from his late father.

On New Year’s Eve, 2020, Cozby’s youngest son Catcher encouraged him to film his family meal preparation and publish the videos on Tik Tok and in just over five months, the Cozby cooking videos have gained more than 38 million views.

The popularity continues to grow, with Cozby and Catcher – the director, cinematographer and video editor of the team – gaining enough buzz to be featured on Good Morning America last weekend – a fitting Father’s Day treat for a father-son duo who now can enjoy two family pastimes together – playing golf and preparing excellent meals.

Check out the Good Morning America segment below.