MICHELIN IMPOSSIBLE: ONE MAN’S EPIC QUEST TO BE GRANTED A MICHELIN STAR FOR HIS KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN

A KFC franchisee from outback Australia is currently on a mission inParisto receive a highly-coveted Michelin Star for his Kentucky Fried Chicken®

Alice Springs, Australia, July 1, 2019- A KFC franchisee from Alice Springs in outback Australia has been supported by KFC HQ, who are flying him directly to the Michelin Head Office in Paris. In what is his last leg of his quest to be granted a Michelin Star, he will be knocking on the front door of Michelin for a final answer in the hope of getting a Star for his Kentucky Fried Chicken®. Yep, one of the world’s most renowned awards for gastronomic excellence.

MICHELIN IMPOSSIBLE: ONE MAN’S EPIC QUEST TO BE GRANTED A MICHELIN STAR FOR HIS KENTUCKY FRIED CHICKEN

Sam Edelman, franchisee of the Alice Springs KFC, embarked on his Michelin mission from the heart of Australia after stumbling across the criteria needed to be awarded a culinary Star, of which he ticked every box. To grab Michelin’s attention in the northern hemisphere, he began with a local marketing campaign consisting of a Facebook group, posters and bumper stickers for his Kentucky Fried Chicken®, and telling his story to local media in Alice Springs.

It didn’t take long for the community of Alice Springs and eventually the rest of Australia and the world to take notice of Sam. His story has now gone global. Following the outpour of support for Sam, KFC HQ has flown Sam to the city of love, Paris, to try and meet a member from the Michelin Star team and have them try his Kentucky Fried Chicken®.

Nikki Lawson, Managing Director, KFC Australia, said: “After discovering Sam Edelman from Alice Springs wanted a Michelin Star for Kentucky Fried Chicken®, we couldn’t agree more. So we flew him to Paris! We believe it’s finally time the Colonel receives recognition for his 11 secret herbs and spices. Aussies have enjoyed our chicken for over fifty years. It’s fresh, hand-prepared and finger-licking good, so why shouldn’t it receive a Star?”

“All credit goes to Sam for his creativity and passion in his journey to receive a Michelin Star. We do hope the team at Michelin try Sam’s fresh hand-prepared chicken before deciding on his Michelin Star bid. We wish Sam good luck on his Michelin Impossible! If he does manage to get the Star, we’ll proudly put it straight in the pool room**!”

Weighing up the assessment criteria, there doesn’t seem to be any technical reason why Sam can’t get a Michelin Star and many Australians think his Kentucky Fried Chicken®absolutely should.

Sam Edelman, franchisee of Alice Springs KFC, said: “I’ve done my research and they award Stars for a range of things including quality cuisines prepared to a high standard (tick), worth a detour (tick) and skillfully crafted cuisines (tick). Correct me if I’m wrong, but the Colonel’s 11 secret herb and spices recipe surely is something that fits in the ‘skillfully crafted cuisine’ category, right?

What really stood out to me in the criteria is that a restaurant must have “excellent cooking worth a detour.” I once had someone drive a 500km round trip to one of my restaurants...surely that’s considered a detour**!”

The jury’s out on the result with a national debate in full swing across social media and the press, but there’s room on KFC’s logo should the lovely people at Michelin decide to send a Star down-under. Stay tuned on Sam’s Michelin mission and bon appétit.

For more information on Sam Edelman’s journey, you can check the Facebook group he created here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/439929786739977/

ENDS

For all interview requests with Sam Edelman, please get in touch with:

Madeleine Hanley @ Ogilvy PR

E:Madeleine.Hanley@ogilvy.com.au

M: (+61) 423 366 918

Taylor York @ Ogilvy PR

E:taylor.york@ogilvy.com.au

M: (+61) 420 484 029

For more information about KFC, please visit www.facebook.com/KFCAustralia or http://www.kfc.com.au.

KFC, a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. (NYSE: YUM.), is a global quick service restaurant brand with a rich, decades-long history of success and innovation. It all started with one cook, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created a finger lickin’ good recipe more than 75 years ago, a list of secret herbs and spices scratched out on the back of the door to his kitchen. Today we still follow his formula for success, with real cooks breading and freshly preparing our delicious chicken by hand in more than 20,000 restaurants in over 125 countries and territories around the world. For more information, visit www.kfc.com.au