Hometown Living At Its Best 81
got to know how to put some back and save. If you don’t,
it doesn’t matter how much you get for playing football or
basketball; it’ll be gone before you know it, and you’ll end up
with nothing.
“All my kids know how to work and take care of
themselves. I taught my daughters that they don’t need a
man to do something. They can take care of themselves.
And I taught my sons that they don’t need a woman to do
anything for them either. And all the ones that wanted to go
to college went,” which was seven out of thirteen. Three of
his ten daughters are nurses. Another is an accountant. His
two sons have businesses. “All my children are doing well,”
he said with pride. “I don’t have lazy kids.”
For A Taste of Phillie to be a success, Matthew knew
it was essential to have bread from Philadelphia, which he
has shipped in weekly. “Our beef comes from Texas,” said
Matthew, “and the chicken is purchased locally. Everything
is fresh and done by hand. Every order is made to order.
We’re not a fast food restaurant. We cut the beef for the day
each morning. If we sell out, we go home.”
All those lunch breaks spent watching the guys behind
the counter grill sandwiches and hoagies Philadelphia style
in the “Philadelphia Cheese Steak capital of the world”
had finally paid off. A Taste of Phillie soon developed a
reputation for having great food. It is a reputation that has
continued for nearly twenty years.
His best seller continues to be the “Miss Pie,” which is a
shout-out to his wife. “She’s my ‘Pie,’” said Matthew. “She’s
my chicken and my steak. She’s all three of my cheeses.
She’s my lettuce and tomato. She’s my everything.” The
sandwich was the first he created on his own over twenty
years ago. “The rest of the sandwiches are all traditional
Philadelphia,” he said.
In addition to the reputation of his food, the man
behind A Taste of Phillie has also become a father figure
to many young people in his community. Although he is