- Pat Olivieri
Pat Olivieri was an Italian-American
restaurateur . He is credited, along with his brother,Harry Olivieri , as the 1933 co-creator of thePhilly Cheesesteak . The brothers opened Pat's King of Steaks in 1940, one of the best known purveyors of steak sandwiches inPhiladelphia .In 1930, Pat opened a
hot dog stall with his younger brother Harry Olivieri at the corners of 9th Street, Wharton and Passyunk Avenues. [ [http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/] Pat's King of Steaks official website.] The brothers ran the restaurant while holding down others jobs; Pat made sleds, while Harry worked as a carpenter.In 1933, as the family relates the story, the brothers invented the steak sandwich. Pat sold the first one to a cab driver for ten cents. [Citation
last =Sims
first =Gayle Ronan
author-link =
last2 =
first2 =
author2-link =
title =Obituary: Harry M. Olivieri / Philadelphia cheesesteak's co-creator
journal =Philadelphia Inquirer
volume =
issue =
pages =
date =July 22, 2006
year =2006
url =
doi =
id = ]By 1940, they rented space to open a restaurant at the same spot that they had their stand. The two brothers worked at the restaurant for 15 to 18 hours a day for the next few decades while the restaurant was open 24 hours a day.
In 1970, Pat retired to southern
California after a family dispute. Pat died in 1974. His son Herbert Olivieri disputed ownership of the business with Harry Olivieri and his children. Harry's grandson Frank Jr. now runs the business.References
External links
* [http://lewistownsentinel.com/oniWire/oniWireDetails.asp?articleID=5886&state=PA&category=News Harry Olivieri obituary]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5573992 NPR segment with sound bite]
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