Bill Cosby in Attendance at Grand Opening of Popeyes

SPARKS - Luther Mack is doing the wing thing. Taking the breast test. Going thigh high.

He's now in the fried chicken business.

On Sunday at the Legends at Sparks Marina, the longtime local restaurateur and philanthropist opened an outpost of Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, the national chain known for its fried chicken tumbled in spices and other Louisiana-inspired dishes.

The debut comes about a year after Mack opened Northern Nevada's first Fuddruckers, the upscale hamburger spot, nearby at the Legends.

"People had been asking for the Popeyes product," said Mack, who became something of a poultry poobah after visiting more than 40 Popeyes during his franchise due diligence.

"This location was exciting to me. The visibility is great. At night, it's like a Christmas tree." Cosby attends

Sparks Mayor Geno Martini and Reno Mayor Bob Cashell helped cut the ribbon on Sunday morning, but the opening's biggest draw -- aside from red beans and rice, jambalaya bowls, and golden heaps of fried chicken -- was Hollywood.

Thom Barry, who plays detective Will Jeffries on the television series "Cold Case," made an appearance, and so did legendary entertainer Bill Cosby, an old friend of Mack's.

"I'm really here because of Luther," Cosby said. "This will bring people a different flavor and give people a good feeling."

Cosby sat in a tall chair, greeting diners bedecked in Mardi Gras beads, posing for pictures, and offering his thoughts on fried chicken.

"The English don't know anything about fried chicken -- they'd boil it," Cosby said, joking with Aaron Ulibarri of Reno, who was born in England, and who attended the opening with his mother, Victoria.

The Ulibarris last had Popeyes red beans and rice on an American military base in Germany 10 years ago, and they've had a hankering ever since.

"We kept track of the building as it was going up," Victoria Ulibarri said. "The spices -- we love it! We couldn't wait!

Neither could Vince Fernan of Reno. He and five friends camped out at Popeyes beginning at 2 a.m. Sunday.

Big fans? "You have no idea -- they have the best chicken," said Fernan, who ordered a No. 7 "Travelers" combo: five tenders, a pillowy biscuit, a drink and a side.

Cosby chatted and joked with Fernan and his poultry posse.

"I told him to come back 46 years from now," Cosby said, laughing. "I'll leave money for him to have a free leg."

By 10:30 a.m., 30 minutes after the doors had opened, at least 250 of the Popeyes faithful had ordered or gathered. Many, like Harry Geyer and Rocco Baines of Reno, told a tale of craving Cajun, of longing for leg, wing, thigh -- and red beans and rice.

"I've been waiting 10 years," Geyer said, referring to the Kietzke Lane Popeyes that closed more than a decade ago. "We're two fat kids in heaven. I think Luther Mack is a genius." Fried, then sweet

Mack certainly understands the power of atmosphere.

The new Popeyes, which Mack said would create about 75 jobs, is freestanding, which sets it apart from many of its brethren. Mack said he owns the building.

There are about 70 seats, plus a drive-through. An ornamental wrought iron balcony and long narrow shutters above are reminiscent of historic sections of New Orleans.

So is jazz, piped into the bathrooms, "but we don't want people to stay in too long," Mack said, joking.

Hallucinogenically bright, Pop Art-ish images adorn the walls -- one shows a winged chicken wing, another a blown-up detail of a Louisiana map.

The ceiling features exposed ductwork in Mardi Gras purple. Wrought iron railings partition the order queue from the dining room. There are high tables to stagger the dining experience, and flat-screen televisions to watch.

"We hired our own architect. We wanted it to feel bigger -- not like a cafeteria with everything at one level," said Joe Gillespie, Mack's director of operations.

Tucked into the new Popeyes menu, among the desserts, is fried sweet potato pie, 99 cents a slice. The dish is a favorite of Mack's, and "it's something I asked for. We needed that on the menu," he said.

After all, after something fried, why not something sweet?

By: Johnathat L. Wright - www.rgj.com