Closeup of philly cheesesteak sandwich made with steak, cheese and onions on a toasted hoagie roll with french fries on a wooden table
Food - Drink
The True Origin Of The Philly Cheesesteak
By CHRIS SANDS
Philadelphia has a well-earned reputation as a great sandwich city because the hoagie, the roast pork sandwich, and the Philly cheesesteak were all created there, likely in that order. As for the Philly cheesesteak, just about everyone in Philadelphia knows who invented this comfort food and when.
As the story goes, it all started in 1930, when Pat Olivieri began operating a hot dog cart near the Italian Market in South Philadelphia. One lunchtime, Olivieri was in the mood for something else to eat and sent his brother to a butcher for beef, which he chopped up and cooked on his cart’s grill, scooping it into an Italian roll with onions.
The story might have ended there if it hadn’t been for a passing cab driver who asked for the same thing, and after tasting it, told Olivieri to sell it instead of the dogs. Thus, the Philly cheesesteak was born, but it wasn’t until the 1940s when “Cocky Joe,” a manager at Pat’s King of Steaks, added some provolone cheese, creating the first authentic Philly cheesesteak.