Corona, CA: KFC and the SoCal KFC Colonel in Search of the Southland's Best Cook (Kicking off in Corona)

KFC Southern California to Host Cooks Challenge Competition Beginning Wednesday to Find SoCal's Best Chicken Preparer

KFC Southern California (http://www.facebook.com/KFCSocal) is putting its best to the test in a KFC Cooks Challenge to determine the top chicken preparers in the Southland.

Coming on the heels of the KFC SoCal Colonel's 120th birthday tour, in which the KFC Colonel checked in on Southern California cooks to ensure the Original Recipe(R) chicken was being prepared properly, the never-satisfied Colonel is testing his best cooks in a Southern California KFC Cooks Challenge. Through mid-October, KFC SoCal and the Colonel will host five regional chicken cook-offs that culminate in a competition final October 11 in Westminster.

Participants will be competing for a cash prize of $500 and the top honor of being designated Southern California's best KFC Cook, a coveted title in the nation's chicken capital with more than 700 competing chicken restaurants. Competing cooks will be judged on the preparation of three KFC staples: Original Recipe(R), Kentucky Grilled Chicken(R), and the Colonel's Extra Crispy(TM) Strips. Judges will evaluate the three final products on the basis of uniformity and overall appearance.

"KFC makes America's best fried chicken, so naturally we wanted to seek out and reward the best cooks that deliver on Colonel Sanders' promise and high expectations with a fun -- but very real -- competition," said Shahid Chaudhry, vice president of the SoCal KFC Advertising Association.

Kicking off Wednesday, Aug. 31 in Corona, the regionals stop in Santa Ana, Escondido and Los Angeles before concluding at the finals at a KFC restaurant in Westminster. Awards will be handed out in a ceremony October 12 at the Taco Bell corporate headquarters in Irvine, Calif. Taco Bell is a sister brand to KFC under the Yum! Brands, Inc., umbrella.

Southern California KFC Cooks Challenge August 31 -- Inland Empire Regional: 1151 W. 6th St., Corona, CA 92882 September 7 -- Orange County Regional: 762 S. Harbor, Santa Ana, CA 92704 September 13 -- San Diego Regional: 639 N. Broadway, Escondido, CA 92025 September 14 -- San Fernando Regional: 1244 S. La Brea Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90019 September 21 -- Los Angeles Regional: 3061 Sawtelle Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066 October 11 -- Finals: 6641 Westminster Blvd., Westminster, CA 92683 October 12 -- Awards Ceremony: 1 Glen Bell Way, Irvine, CA 92618