Was the KFC Recipe A Stolen Concept From A Black Woman Named Miss Childress?

Miss Childress, a black woman and African American is the brain behind the original KFC formula NOT Colonel Sanders

We decided to leave this ounce of debate to your whims and caprices. When The African Diaspora Facebook Page made an accusation that the original KFC Recipe was stolen, it sparked intense debates and opened a long line of racial topics that were left covered. But let’s evaluate!

Colonel Harland David Sanders is originally credited for the success of Kentucky Fried Chicken and its authentic recipe. He is a symbol of humble beginnings as painted by mainstream media. However, this affluent portrait has posthumously come under question. It has been alleged that Colonel Sanders stole the KFC Recipe from a Negro lady called Miss Childress.

Miss Childress, a black woman and African American is the brain behind the original KFC formula NOT Colonel Sanders. At least, cooking vlogs have tended to recognize this character. It is not as if she wasn’t paid for her recipe, but it was for a mere $1200. And he paid her because the poor maid had later found out about it. Considering the premise that KFC is now a multi-billion multi-national investment, that sum meant nothing. Miss Childress also died miserably and wretched as the story goes.

No definite proof truly exists to validate these tragic allegations.

However, one can logically draw facts and apply them to make sense of this story. The idea that Black excellence was concealed isn’t farfetched. There have been many unending stories of white businesses guilty of culturally misappropriating from African Americans. Look, take for instance the menstrual pads. Mary Beatrice Davidson Kenner who laid the foundation for this valuable piece of medical kit was shunned by companies for being black. Her story dwelled in forceful secrecy.

Thus, you can see that many black people were denied the will to succeed and thrive amidst the racial system. Another thought to address the Miss Childress saga lies in the fact that culinary practices and skills were more popular with black maids. The exquisite blend of herbs and spicy flavours were usual delicacies of black women who used to hawk fries at train stations. This is not to deliberately assert that Caucasians weren’t friends with the kitchen, but were they more than servants or family maids? I doubt that. In fact, Black people cooked the tastiest meals.

In Joshua Ozersky’s book Colonel Sanders and the American Dream, Colonel Sanders attributed the success of KFC to the utilization of pressure cookers. KFC was founded in 1952 while Sanders licensed the cooker process in 1966. Thus, one can ascertain how scanty this account is conflicting with the period KFC was made.

Nevertheless, the story of Miss Childress will forever be a topic of discussion. And perhaps, there is more than meets the eye.