The world's most expensive beef and ramen are the delicacies in Lukas Podolski's current home base in Japan at Vissel Kobe.
But the German World Cup winner's time in Turkey is the inspiration for his latest venture - a kebab shop.
The former Arsenal forward launched Mangal Doner on Saturday in Cologne and his version of the late-night favourite got a rock star reception.
Fans started queueing five hours before the opening of the outlet, his spokesman Sebastian Lange said.
Poland-born Podolski is a local hero in Cologne, the German city in which his career began at FC Koln in 2003 before he moved to Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich.
Podolski already owns an ice cream parlour in Cologne, where he returned again from Bayern before becoming a household name at Arsenal.
While being treated for a thigh injury, Podolski made time to show his slicing skills with the special doner blade at the shop's unveiling.
Thousands turned out for the opening while Podolski also stopped to sign autographs for fans.
Podolski's appreciation for kebabs developed during his stint at Galatasaray, Lange said, where he moved permanently in 2015 from Arsenal following a loan stay at Inter Milan.
Podolski hailed his kebabs on Twitter.
"A night to remember in Cologne, the beginning of a new fun chapter," he said.
"The best döner out there. Thank you all for coming and I hope you enjoyed it!"