KFC founder Colonel Sanders’ famous black bow tie and dozens of other personal items are up for public auction, along with his former home and a dinner house he opened after selling his restaurant chain. “Colonel Sanders was the original celebrity chef,” said Bill Menish, whose firm, The Menish Group, is conducting the auction. “He didn’t dress like that before he was starting to build Kentucky Fried Chicken,” Mr Menish said. “He adopted the colonel: the clothes, the bow tie, the glasses, the goatee.” Auctioneer Jonathan Klunk said there is a little-known secret behind the bow tie.