KFC superfan explains his love of Colonel Saunders
Finger lickin’ good! Fried chicken fan gets FREE food for a year after eating in KFC restaurants in more than FIFTY countries around the world
- Kamlesh Mistry, 37, was named KFC’s first ever Super Fan in 2020
- The father-of-two from Watford was given a year’s supply of free chicken
- Becoming the first KFC Super Fan is a ‘great ice breaker’ at work, he says
A married father of two may be the world’s biggest KFC fan after the fast food giant granted him a year’s worth of free chicken having visited stores in more than 50 different countries.
Kamlesh Mistry, 37, from Watford, first fell in love with the fast-food chain when he was 12 years old.
Ever since then he has travelled to the remotest corners of the world to find out which KFC is the best.
Is this the world’s most dedicated KFC fan? Kamlesh dressed as Colonel Saunders on his stag do
Kamlesh commissioned special KFC T-shirts for his friends attending his stag do
Chilly chicken: Kamlesh at a KFC in Reykjavik, Iceland, which he says is the strangest place he has ever found the fast-food chain
Kamlesh has enjoyed a KFC treat in more than 50 countries across the globe
The technical director’s pursuit has seen him try the world-famous chicken in more than 50 different countries, including places such as Reykjavik in Iceland, Tallinn in Estonia and Minsk in Belarus.
He wore a Colonel Sanders outfit for his stag do in Valencia and asked for a KFC bargain bucket cake for his 25th birthday.
All of his efforts resulted in him being named the world’s first KFC Super Fan in 2020 and given a year’s supply of free chicken.
KFC’s strangest ever dishes
Salted Egg Chicken: Sold in Indonesia in 2018, this dish features crispy fried chicken drizzled in a savoury salty egg sauce
Paneer Zinger: Launched in 2014 in India, this paneer cheese burger filled with spicy sauce in the middle was part of a meatless advertising campaign
Pachito Pasta: This spaghetti dish topped with tomato sauce, fried chicken and cheese is still available now in Vietnam
Cheese Top Burger: Debuting in 2012, this bizarre chicken burger – with the cheese on top of the bun instead of inside – was a hit in 2012 in the Philippines
Popcorn Chicken Poutine: Canada’s national poutine dish of French fries topped with cheese and gravy was converted on to the KFC menu for a limited time only featuring popcorn chicken
Deep Fried Chicken Cartilage: A common snack throughout Asia, this featured for a short period of time in Hong Kong in 2021
Zinger Porridge: Perhaps the strangest dish on this list – KFC introduced this savoury oatmeal option with fried chicken, shallots and sesame oil to their menus in Malaysia
Double Down Dog: There’s no need for a bun in this fried chicken hot dog that first appeared in the Philippines in 2015
Chizza: Last but not least, this odd twist on a traditional pizza, replacing the normal dough base with crispy fried chicken, was introduced in the Philippines in 2015 and featured across KFCs in Thailand, South Korea, Japan and the UK
Kamlesh said: ‘Travel is a real passion of mine and it started when I was younger and my parents would always take us away to experience new cultures that were different to my British Indian culture.
‘From that, and combined with my love of KFC, whenever we started travelling to other places with my friends and family I would always like to find a KFC to compare the differences with the UK menu.
‘That’s how I ended up eating it in over 50 different countries which helped me to win the competition for KFC Super Fan of the year.
‘I am definitely happy with the Super Fan title because it is a great ice breaker when meeting new people at work.’
Asked which country had the best KFC, Kamlesh said: ‘Kuala Lumpur definitely had the most interesting menu. I love my spicy food and they had a lot of spicy alternatives.
‘Reykjavik was by far the strangest KFC I have ever been to – I was just so surprised when I saw one there.’
After winning the Super Fan competition Mistry received a year’s supply of chicken in the form of electronic vouchers worth £400 fan plus KFC dressing gowns, face masks and t-shirts.
‘KFC was always on the menu,’ Kamlesh said, whenever his friends and family came round after he won the free food.
His favourite prize however was a one of one custom ceramic bargain bucket with his face on.
Kamlesh’s wife of nine years Jaina, who he met through an online dating site, spoke about her husband’s dedication to KFC.
She said: ‘Our love of food and worldwide cuisine was a big talking point for us and one of the first things we found in common. Although this did not focus on KFC!
‘I discovered his obsession with it when I saw his 25th birthday cake that was modelled on the KFC bargain bucket.
‘I do like KFC, but nowhere near as much as he does. As long as we don’t have it all the time it doesn’t bother me.
‘Sometimes I think he likes it too much but not more than my cooking, otherwise there would be trouble!’
The moment his wife realised he was obsessed with KFC: Kamlesh on his 25th birthday
Better than free chicken: This is the custom one of one ceramic bargain bucket with Kamlesh’s face on that he treasures the most after being named a KFC Super Fan
Celebrating Christmas the KFC way: One of the many gifts Kamlesh received after being named the first ever KFC Super Fan
A global taste of fried chicken: Here is Mistry in a Californian KFC
Kamlesh added that whenever he is on holiday he is still always on the lookout for a KFC.
His ‘go to meal’ is a Zinger Tower meal with a couple of hot wings on the side.
KFC, formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, has more than 24,000 restaurants in more than 145 different countries.
Today the fast food franchise, which began in a gas station in North Corbin, Kentucky, is celebrating its 70th anniversary.
Kamlesh in Munich, Germany, where you can get chili cheese fries and a creamy toffee milkshake on the menu
When he visited Dubai he had to sample the KFC menu and see how it compared
The Arsenal fan has crossed the globe in search of different KFC stores
He has eaten the chicken-based meals in more than 50 countries since his first taste as a child
One of his proudest possessions is a personalised porcelain bargain bucket given to him when he was announced Super Fan of the year 2020
How KFC’s menu has changed over the past 50 years
1952-1956: The first KFC franchise location in Salt Lake City featured regulars on the menu now, such as fried chicken in boxes, mashed potatoes, gravy and coleslaw, but featured hot rolls and honey
1957-1963: The famous red and white KFC bucket of chicken debuts. Branded to families as a simple solution for dinner, it was an instant hit
1964-1969: After KFC became a national sensation, Colonel Saunders decided to sell the company for $2million and a yearly salary. But changes to his delicious chicken gravy recipe by the new owners, so it could be easier to make, led to a sharp decline in quality
1970-1979: During the 70s new sides such as a fruit salad, mixed bean salad and potato salad were added to the menu. Extra crispy chicken was also trialled and the original recipe chicken name tag was created so people could differentiate between the two.
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