Philadelphia native Michael Paparella brings 1st-ever cheesesteak to Italy with Philly's Steaks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - A St. Joseph's Prep alumnus is bringing a taste of Philadelphia to Italy, serving up the iconic cheesesteak, with homemade cheese whiz, in the country's Puglia region.
"I pitched him the story of the Philadelphia cheesesteak and how it was invented by an Italian-American immigrant," Michael Paparella said.
Paparella owns Philly's Steaks in August 2023 in Trani, a seaport town in the Puglia region. He's a Philadelphia native and a former St. Joseph's Prep student.
"When someone walked into the place, they felt like they were in Philadelphia," Paparella said.
Philadelphia sports team jerseys are framed on the walls. You can't miss the iconic LOVE landmark sign, and on any given day you can catch an Eagles or Phillies game on the big screen. But the draw is, of course, the Philly cheesesteak.
"We are totally loyal to the original cheesesteak recipe," Paparella said, "so we didn't want to modify it or Italianize it at all."
They use local products only.
"Italian local cheese called stracciatella," Paparella said. "The bread is great. The meat is very good. The cheese is good. We make our own cheese whiz. After four or five different artisan bakers, the right baker that was able to make the hoagie roll, the Italian roll just right."
Paparella said they are looking forward to sharing Philly's famous street food with all of Italy.
"Twenty five years ago that fast food would never be successful in Italy, I was wrong," Paparella said. " I saw that over the last decades, Italians started learning how to eat hamburgers, like they would eat a pizza or a plate of pasta. I always asked myself how is it in all these years, the Philadelphia cheesesteak has never made it over Italy."
Well it has now.
Paparella hopes to open two more locations in Rome and Sicily.
