PHILADELPHIA (CBS) – A St. Joseph Prep graduate is bringing a taste of Philadelphia to Italy, using his homemade cheese masters to serve up iconic cheesesteaks in Italy’s Puglia region.
“I pitched him the story of the Philadelphia cheesesteak and how it was invented by Italian-American immigrants,” Michael Paparella said.
Paparella will open Philly’s Steak in the port city of Trani in Puglia in August 2023. He is a native of Philadelphia and a former student at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School.
“When someone walked into that place, it felt like they were in Philadelphia,” Paparella said.
The walls are decorated with jerseys from Philadelphia sports teams. You can’t miss the iconic LOVE landmark sign. You can also watch an Eagles or Phillies game on the big screen anytime. But the best part is of course his Philadelphia Cheesesteak.
Michael Paparella
“We’re completely faithful to the original cheesesteak recipe, so we had no intention of modifying it or making it Italian-style,” Paparella said.
We use only local ingredients.
“It’s a local Italian cheese called stracciatella,” Paparella said. “The bread is the best. The meat is the best. The cheese is the best. We make our own cheese masters. We go through four or five different artisan bakers until the right baker makes the hoagie roll, the Italian I was able to make the roll perfectly.”
Paparella said he is looking forward to spreading Philadelphia’s famous street food throughout Italy.
“Twenty-five years ago I thought fast food would never be successful in Italy, but I was wrong,” Paparella said. “In recent decades, I’ve seen Italians start learning to eat burgers the way they eat pizza and pasta. I’ve always asked myself, The Delphia cheesesteak had never spread to Italy.”
Well, now it is.
Paparella hopes to open two more stores in Rome and Sicily.