Passing: Co-inventor of Philly Cheese Steak

From Philadelphia Inquirer,By Gayle Ronan Sims, July 21, 2006:

Harry M. Olivieri, 90, younger brother of Pat, as in world-famous Pat's King of Steaks, and co-creator of the original cheesesteak, died of heart failure yesterday at Atlantic City Medical Center in Pomona, N.J.

As the story goes, the two brothers operated a hot dog grill at Ninth Street and Passyunk Avenue in 1930, when Pat said to Mr. Olivieri, "Here's a quarter. Go to the Italian Market 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. 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 which Olivieri family member tells it, but the fact is that Mr. Olivieri and his brother founded Pat's King of Steaks and the sandwich most people associate with Philadelphia.

For more go to:http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/obituaries/15086849.htm