The Philly cheesesteak had no cheese for roughly its first 20 years. This episode follows the sandwich from Pat and Harry Olivieri’s hot dog cart near South Philadelphia’s Italian Market in the 1930s, where a cab driver’s request helped launch Pat’s King of Steaks.

We cover how cheese arrived around 1951, why Cheez Whiz was added off the griddle in a neighborhood with many kosher-keeping customers, the cooking technique behind the sandwich, the fierce provolone versus Whiz debate, the rise of Cooper Sharp, and global variations.

• How the Olivieri brothers improvised a chopped steak sandwich on their hot dog griddle
• The kosher dilemma that shaped how Cheez Whiz was added to the sandwich
• Why ribeye, chopping on the griddle, and an upside down roll matter to the build
• Provolone versus Cheez Whiz, Cooper Sharp, Amoroso rolls, and Angelo’s sesame roll
• Variations from Pillsbury wraps and Hot Pockets to The Heater, vegan versions, and spiced takes in Lahore