close
close
You are Here
Pueblo’s Feelin’ a Little Philly celebrates 15 years of cheesesteak
vefms

Pueblo’s Feelin’ a Little Philly celebrates 15 years of cheesesteak

The beloved Philly cheesesteak sandwich is a revered mainstay across the country and Pueblo’s Feelin’ a Little Philly is ready to celebrate 15 years of bringing that tasty tradition to customers in Southern Colorado.

Pueblo natives Celia Duarte and her brother John Duarte opened the restaurant 15 years ago. Their manager and niece, Amber Harman, has been with them every step of the way.

Harman took over as owner in January 2019, when her aunt was ready to retire. While Celia Duarte stayed home and raised Harman’s children, Howard, now 10, and Ellie, now 5, Harman was busy following her aunt’s recipe for success and running a business during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Philadelphia meets Pueblo

“Our meats and bread come from Philadelphia, so the sandwich is pretty close to the original. That helps a lot because you can’t alter food from that city,” Harman said with a laugh.

“We use the original recipes just as Celia taught us to prepare them. We cut all the vegetables fresh and the burger meat is always fresh; we don’t use frozen burgers,” he explained.

“We cut fries every day,” Harman said. “My aunt taught us that if something ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”

In a nod to Pueblo’s love of its own local chile harvest, the restaurant also features Pueblo chiles sourced from Musso’s Farm.

Sandwich lovers debate the type of cheese used on top of the cheesesteak. Feelin’ a Little Philly uses white American cheese on its cheesesteak sandwiches, but the restaurant also offers Swiss, provolone, and Cheese Wiz for those who prefer a different cheese flavor.

Customers can order everything from the steak and onion main to one that includes mushrooms, one with bell peppers or the “maximum,” which has all three vegetables. There are even Philly-style cheesesteak wraps, nachos and fries.

The menu includes Philly chicken sandwiches, meatball subs, 1/3 pound burgers and more.

Another key to success has been the consistency of the staff. Harman said she is grateful to store managers Tara Ritchie, Conner Wilson and Kianna Torres.

“Our people have been the key to our success. Our team of 12 hasn’t changed much since I started working with them in 2019 and that helps with consistency,” Harman said.

Business is also thriving thanks to a satellite sandwich shop set up at the Pueblo Ice Arena, 100 N. Grand Ave., which serves cheesesteak sandwiches during Pueblo Bulls hockey games. This year’s season opening is Oct. 11 and will be the third year Feelin’ a Little Philly has catered to hockey fans.

“It’s the customers who have been eating with us for 15 years, and some of them have eaten once a week for each of those 15 years, who have supported us and kept us going,” Harman said. “Because of our location, we’re always very busy during the (Colorado State) Fair.”

“I grew up a military kid, so I lived all over the place. When I got here, I fell in love with Pueblo and I’m going to stay. It’s a really nice town,” Harman said.

The anniversary festivities will be set for August 10th

To thank Pueblo customers, Feelin’ a Little Philly will host an all-day celebration from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 10 at their 1111 S. Prairie Ave. location. The day will kick off with breakfast burritos from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m.

“We don’t serve them very often, but the breakfast burritos are really good. We’ve been supplying them as a caterer for the Labor Day hot air balloon launch in Colorado Springs every year,” Harman explained.

The event will also feature $4 buy-one-get-one-free sandwiches, music by DJ Christapher Garcia from 3 to 8 p.m. and sweet treats from Pueblo West’s Shiver and Shake from 5 to 8 p.m. The Pueblo Chamber of Commerce will host a grand opening at 3:30 p.m.

“It will be like a block party because we are located right next to Red’s Alabi (1107 S. Prairie Ave.) which is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year and All-Pro Barbershop (1109 S. Prairie Ave.) which is also celebrating its 15th anniversary this year,” Harman said.

The restaurant’s regular hours are 11am to 8pm Monday through Saturday.

More local restaurant news: The Dish on Pueblo’s food scene: Spice up spring, Classic Catering, Shiver & Shake

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or by X, before Twitter, on twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin

Related Posts