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July 21, 7:33 PM EDT
Creator of the Philly Cheesesteak Dies
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- Harry Olivieri, co-creator of the
original cheesesteak, died of heart failure Thursday at Atlantic City Medical Center in Pomona, N.J. He was 90.
As
the story goes, Olivieri and his older brother Pat operated a hot dog grill at Ninth Street and Passyunk Avenue in Philadelphia
in 1930, when Pat said to Harry, "Here's a quarter. Go to the Italian Marker and buy a hunk of steak."
The brothers
cut up the steak, grilled it with sliced onions and slapped it on a roll.
A cabbie drove by and asked what they called
that sandwich. "I guess you call it a steak sandwich," they said and sold it for a dime.
That was the birth of the
Philadelphia steak sandwich. Cheese was introduced 22 years later. First Cheez Whiz was slapped on the cooked steak. A few
years later, they began serving it with provolone and American cheese and pizza sauce.
The details differ, depending
on which Olivieri family member tells it, but the fact is that the brothers founded Pat's King of Steaks and the sandwich
most people associate with Philadelphia.
Harry Olivieri was the youngest of three sons of Italian immigrants. Born
in South Philadelphia, he knew poverty as a kid. He dropped out of school, learned the trade of carpentry, and worked in construction
by day and at the hot dog stand at night.
In 1936, he married a woman from the neighborhood, Anna DeLuca, and they
raided a son, Frank, and a daughter, Maria, in South Philadelphia. She was a homemaker who prepared a pasta dinner for Olivieri
every night.
During World War II, Olivieri worked at the Philadelphia Naval Yard, his daughter said.
In 1940,
the brothers rented the building where Pat's is located today. They worked 15 to 18 hours a day frying steaks. Pat's Steaks
was open 24 hours, and its reputation spread throughout the city and country. Lines snaked around the tiny building, which
was plastered with movie stars' pictured, sometimes all night long.
"My father was an icon in his own town," his daughter
said. "He was very humble. He received accolades with a blush. To me, he is greater than the inventor of the wheel - a wheel
can't make your belly full."
Olivieri is survived by his wife, daughter and son, four grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren.
Pat
Olivieri died in 1970. Harry's son, Frank, now runs the restaurant.
Cheese steak recipe
The Original Pat's King of Steaks® Philadelphia Cheese Steak recipe
For all the people who can not get to
South Philadelphia to get the Original.
Here is the recipe for you home chefs.
This recipe will serves 4 people:
24oz thin sliced rib eye or eye roll steak
6 table spoons of Soya bean oil
Cheese {we recommend Cheez Whiz®} American or Provolone works fine
4 crusty Italian Rolls
1 large Spanish onion
Optional
sweet green and red peppers sautéed in oil
Mushrooms sautéed in oil
Assembly
Heat an iron skillet or a non stick pan over medium heat
add 3 table spoons of oil to the pan and sauté the
onions to desired doneness
remove the onions
add the remaining oil and sauté the slices of meat quickly
on both sides
melt the cheez Whiz® in a double boiler or in the microwave
place 6oz. of the meat into the rolls
add onions, and pour the Cheez Whiz® over top
garnish with hot or fried sweet peppers, mushrooms, ketchup
Put on the theme song to the first Rocky movie and enjoy!
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