If you visit Philadelphia, there are certain things that you just have to do. A run up the Art Museum Steps, a moment with the Rocky Statue, or throwing a penny on Benjamin Franklin’s grave for good luck. But after all of that, you really have to try a cheesesteak.
Earlier this month, Frank Oliveri, Jr. — longtime owner of Pat’s King of Steaks — passed away at age 87. It’s been ninety-five years since Italian Market Hot Dog Stand owner Pat Olivieri decided to try something a little different for lunch. Placing some meat on his hot dog grill, he placed the cooked steak on an Italian roll accompanied by onions, and the steak sandwich suddenly had its start.
That very same day, a Philadelphia cab driver asked Olivieri what he had made and tried one himself. Afterward, he told Olivieri to forget the hot dogs and to start selling the sandwiches. By the 1940s, cheese was added to the sandwich and a decade later, cheese whiz became a popular addition.
If you visit Philadelphia today in search of the perfect cheesesteak, you’ve got more than a few options. Debate rages even today about where to get the perfect sandwich around our city. Other options include Geno’s, Dalessendro’s, Campo’s, and Angelo’s Pizzeria. But even with Center City Restaurant Week underway, the location at 1237 Passyunk Ave. in South Philadelphia isn’t just the oldest. It was also the first.
Frank Olivieri, Jr., Pat’s nephew. Olivieri, Jr. was one of the owners of Pat’s King of Steaks from 1968 until 1996. A Memorial Service was held in his honor in Philadelphia on Friday, January 23rd.
