Flavor Flav opens fried chicken restaurant in Iowa
Flavor Flav is looking to "blow up your taste buds, man."
January 24th, 2011
09:31 PM ET

Flavor Flav opens fried chicken restaurant in Iowa

Look out, Colonel Sanders. Flavor Flav has a fried chicken restaurant, and he's coming for you - starting in a small Iowa city.

The Public Enemy rapper and reality TV star opened Flav's Fried Chicken in Clinton, Iowa, on Monday with a business partner he met through a connection in Las Vegas, the Clinton Herald reported.

"My chicken ain't no joke. I ain't scared to go up against the Colonel, tastewise," Flav said, referring to chicken giant KFC, in a YouTube video of him frying chicken at Monday's opening.

The sight of Flav cooking at his own restaurant apparently won't be a one-time thing. He told the newspaper he intends to work at the Clinton location now and then to help draw customers. (Good news for the fledgling operation: If his trademark attire is any indication, he should have no trouble arriving to work on time.)

"You're going to find me in here working. … You're going to catch me in here seasoning up my chicken, flouring up my chicken, frying up my chicken. And not only that, but coming out here and serving my chicken to people," he said.

The idea for the venture came after Flav befriended Las Vegas restaurateur Peter Cimino. Flav cooked Cimino some chicken, and Cimino, duly impressed, had Flav sell his chicken wings at Mama Cimino's Pizza in Las Vegas, the rapper told northern Illinois news site SaukValley.com.

It was Cimino's brother, Clinton restaurateur Nick Cimino, who suggested he and Flav open a fried chicken restaurant in the Iowa city of roughly 26,000 people.

"He said, 'You know what, Flav? … What I want to do, I want to build you your first restaurant.' I'm like, 'Are you serious?' He's like, 'Yo, I’m dead serious, man. I’m going to go home, I'm going to build your first FFC restaurant,'" he told SaukValley.com.

Nick Cimino bought a building next to his own restaurant and got it ready for Monday’s opening, the Clinton Herald reported last week.

Flav, a 51-year-old New York native, told the newspaper he's developed his own special fried chicken recipe over the years, having grown up in a family that owned a diner and having attended cooking school in the late 1970s.

His chicken has "that deep down southern fried chicken" taste, and also has "some crisp going on up in there," he said.

"The taste … will blow up your taste buds, man," Flav told the Clinton Herald in an interview posted on YouTube.

Flav, who starred in the VH1 reality series "The Surreal Life" and "Flavor of Love," said he'll consider opening more FFCs after getting this one under way.

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Filed under: Celebrity • Food • Iowa • Music • Showbiz
soundoff (305 Responses)
  1. steeve-0

    Yeeeah boyeee! I hope he delivers to the East Coast. I would like some honey and garlic french fried potatoes and a hype drink with that, home boy.

    January 25, 2011 at 7:29 am | Report abuse |
  2. Catharsis

    I actually like him. I think he has this kind of personality that is really cool. He is laughing all the way to the bank with this.

    January 25, 2011 at 7:32 am | Report abuse |
    • gretchen

      I can't stand him. He has NO talent, needs help in dressing himself, and needs to ditch the stupid clocks that he wears. Furthermore, he needs a hairnet if he's going to be "working" at a fast food joint. Sideways baseball cap doesn't do it here.

      January 25, 2011 at 7:36 am | Report abuse |
  3. vinnie

    Eduardo- How dare you, post such "RACIST STEROTYPICAL RANTS" in reference to this mans entrepreneurial spirit!! you are a complete idiot too say the least!!! and for the record... his YEEEEEBOOOOY is his BRAND/TRADE MARK he created years ago in the early 80s. Furthermore black people/ African Americans are a very diverse group of people, and I'm sure many of them have more of an education than you do!

    January 25, 2011 at 7:41 am | Report abuse |
  4. vinnie

    gretchen- First all you do not know him personally!!! and who left you in charge of the fashion department???? Once again another ignorant RACIST POST!!! PLEASE DO SOCIETY A BIG FAVOR... GO OUT BACK AND CHOKE YOURSELF!!!

    January 25, 2011 at 7:48 am | Report abuse |
  5. john

    I'm black, born in NYC, and I LOVE fried chicken! It's part of my southern ancestral background and I am not ashamed of it.

    I always liked Flavor Flav, and I hope his restaurant does well. Maybe he can open one in New York City too.

    Go, Flavor Flav!!! Good Luck!

    January 25, 2011 at 7:52 am | Report abuse |
    • Syracuse

      @john, I'm not Black, my father is White and my mother is Asian (Cambodian), and I love fried chicken too. I wish him all the luck. I hope he open a chain in Syracuse.

      January 25, 2011 at 8:34 am | Report abuse |
  6. Dave

    Open it in New Orleans, I'll be there the next day (and I live in Alexandria) .

    January 25, 2011 at 7:58 am | Report abuse |
    • What?

      I think this would be a BIG hit in NOLA!

      January 25, 2011 at 1:23 pm | Report abuse |
    • hmm

      Keep this away from NOLA. We don't need anymore of his type.

      January 26, 2011 at 12:24 pm | Report abuse |
  7. Andre

    I'll give it a try. I had my doubts about a place here in South GA and it actually turned out great. So yeah. I'll give his food a try. I'm not driving all the way to Iowa though.

    January 25, 2011 at 7:58 am | Report abuse |
  8. john

    He's an awesome rapper:

    "Runnin' for your life, Runnin' from your wife...You should've stuck with home. Your mind to blow your dome. It was you that chose your due! You built a maze you can't get through! I tried to help you all I can..Now I can't do nuttin' for you man..." – Flavor Flav

    January 25, 2011 at 8:01 am | Report abuse |
  9. MassiveMarbles

    His entrepreneurial spirit is refreshing and I truly would like to seem him succeed. Flav, don't worry about the haterz and the racists...just do your thing bro!

    January 25, 2011 at 8:03 am | Report abuse |
    • Syracuse

      @MassiveMarbles, I absolutely agree with you. My father is White and mother is Asian(Cambodian). My cousins are Mulatoes (white/black). We appreciated all kind of foods in our family.

      January 25, 2011 at 8:18 am | Report abuse |
  10. Alan

    That's racist ! hah

    January 25, 2011 at 8:17 am | Report abuse |
  11. Newyorker

    Flavor Flav Chicken. I knew his name sounded like it was describing some kind of food. I was right.

    January 25, 2011 at 8:25 am | Report abuse |
    • kates

      aww, come on now. he just loves his chicken and he wants to share it with the world. i honestly didn't think about his blackness in relation to his love of fried chicken until you reminded me of the stereotype.

      January 25, 2011 at 9:59 am | Report abuse |
    • IBON4IT

      I did! The first thing I thought was "you know that brother can make some fried chicken". Mmmmm, chicken.

      January 25, 2011 at 1:29 pm | Report abuse |
    • CalgarySandy

      I hardly think Flav is a stereotypical black man of any generation. As commercial cooking and cooking courses are part of his history it sounds like a great idea. Better than showing up on the kind of trashy shows he does on TV. It is not too likely that Public Enemy will be doing much in the future. Good for him.

      January 25, 2011 at 1:57 pm | Report abuse |
    • smithbongo

      Instead of a clock around his neck he should wear an egg timer!

      January 25, 2011 at 3:42 pm | Report abuse |
    • I dialed FFC an hour ago

      YEEEEEAAAAAAAAHHHHHH BOYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

      January 25, 2011 at 4:00 pm | Report abuse |
    • mike

      So, Jesus, black men shouldn't be allowed to sell fried chicken?

      Isn't that just letting the stereotype define you in a different way?

      January 25, 2011 at 5:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • whatnext

      Because each piece of chicken has a clock hanging from it the restaurants are banned in San Francisco.

      January 25, 2011 at 7:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • Puddintane

      I thought it was fish that brough out "blackness."

      January 25, 2011 at 8:17 pm | Report abuse |
    • itsbatmansilly

      umm.. flav let a grown woman poop on the floor.. OF HIS HOUSE.. and didn't kick her out.. so like some cook not wanting to wash his hands seems kinda trivial.. i'm not sayin nothin but i'm just sayin lol

      January 25, 2011 at 10:53 pm | Report abuse |
    • Joe Schmoe

      News flash: Everyone likes fried chicken, not just colored people.

      January 26, 2011 at 12:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • kevin

      I'm white and love fried chicken. Sorry we cant all be vegans who morally judge other people for their food choices

      February 16, 2011 at 6:18 pm | Report abuse |
    • Kara Rayy

      I live really close to Clinton Iowa, and lets just say.... Nobody really liked his restaurant... his food sucked. and look not even like 3 months later and he closed down the restaurant... him opening a restaurant was SUCH a joke. 🙂

      April 26, 2011 at 7:43 am | Report abuse |
  12. matt

    The possibility for jokes on this is endless. Thats all the more I am saying.............

    January 25, 2011 at 8:32 am | Report abuse |
    • tmichelle72

      Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha! Matt you are such a funny loser!

      January 25, 2011 at 9:28 am | Report abuse |
  13. brianna

    NASTY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    January 25, 2011 at 8:34 am | Report abuse |
    • Syracuse

      @brianna, you are Nasty, go eat your smelly blue cheese!

      January 25, 2011 at 8:39 am | Report abuse |
    • Perryboy

      I'll eat it!!!

      January 25, 2011 at 10:43 am | Report abuse |
    • Orion

      @Syacuse...Fromunda?

      January 25, 2011 at 1:40 pm | Report abuse |
  14. D Gannon

    I'm looking forward to trying it.

    January 25, 2011 at 8:35 am | Report abuse |
  15. Whoopi Goldberg

    The only drink available will be purple drank

    January 25, 2011 at 8:41 am | Report abuse |
    • that one dude

      LOL

      January 25, 2011 at 9:34 am | Report abuse |
    • anna

      BAhahahaha!

      January 25, 2011 at 10:26 am | Report abuse |
    • Gunbunny

      I was thinking. Lil' John could set up shop across the street w/ a Purple-Drankery called Crunk Stop also serves as a convenience store.

      January 25, 2011 at 5:59 pm | Report abuse |
    • CindyLou

      Sugar, Water, Purple.......Haaaaaahaaaaahaaaaa!!!

      January 25, 2011 at 6:22 pm | Report abuse |
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