Pat Olivieri

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Pat Olivieri, "King of Steaks", is believed to have invented the sandwich called the Philly cheesesteak sandwich in 1933 in Philidelphia.

His brother Harry is credited as co-inventor of the sandwich, and together they founded Pat's Steaks. According to a segment aired on NPR in July 2006, Frank Olivieri, son of Harry, said that his father ran a local hot dog stand, and one day grew tired of the same meal and sent his brother to the butcher shop for some steak and an Italian bun. Pat grilled the steak and added sautéed onions, placing them on an Italian roll. A new sandwich was born. In the first few years the sandwich did not contain cheese, but "Cheese Whiz" was added much later for variety.

One of Pat's customers was a cab driver who smelled the steak and asked for a sandwich. Pat sold his creation for a mere 10 cents. The cab driver suggested that Pat sell the sandwich for lunch and the sensation was born. Olivieri's lunch stand was renamed "Pat's King of Steaks".

By the 1960s, cheese was added to the sandwich, and in the 1950s several celebrities has spread the fame of the sandwich nationwide.

Pat died in 1970 and Harry died 07/20/2006 at the age of 90. His son Frank now runs the business.