When Danny Laskans, owner of Prime Steaks in Glenolden discovered the roast pork sandwich crafted by Mike Mastrocola Sr., he knew it had to be on the menu, writes Kathleeen E. Carey for the Daily Times.

“As soon as I tried it, it was delicious,” he said. “I didn’t try anything else after I tried it. I was like, ‘Wow!’

Mastrocola, out of Drexel Hill, created the roast pork recipe after visiting the piazza of Cortona, Italy, where street vendors sold locally made cuisine.

It became the signature item for Mastrocola’s Italian delis, which opened in Plymouth Meeting in 1979, then Conshohocken, Trooper, Norristown and Audubon.

His son, Mike Mastrocola Jr., sold it at Booth’s Corner in Garnet Valley until the pandemic shut them down.

It’s also available in the suite level of Citizens Bank Park and carried by Sysco Philadelphia and the Gordon Food Service.

These days, Mastrocola’s roast pork is made by B&M Philly Steaks, but the recipe has stayed the same.

“My dad passed about five years ago and I wish he could’ve seen this leap,” Mastrocola said. “He loved to see people enjoying it.”

Read more about the success of the Mastrocola roast pork sandwich in the Daily Times.