Categories: Business, News

Instead of driving 250 miles to Philadelphia, authentic Philly cheese steak sandwiches are being made right around the corner.

On Feb. 19, Joe DeLorenzo, 63, of Schenectady, opened Cheese Steak Heaven in Rotterdam, located at 1307 Altamont Avenue attached to the Runway Express gas station across the street from Wal-Mart.

“The cheese steaks are to die for,” Lorna Langlois said Wednesday.

Langlois said she enjoyed DeLorenzo’s food when he owned Ernie D’s Cafe on State Street in Schenectady and served cheese steaks there.

“The food is just as great as it was there,” she said after enjoying a sausage and egg breakfast sandwich with her friend Gerry MacIssac. “I’m getting ready to move to Schoharie, but I know we’ll keep coming back.”

DeLorenzo said he suffered from some health problems and sold Ernie D’s, but now he’s back at his one-and-only Rotterdam business.

Cheese Steak Heaven offers a wide variety of breakfast sandwiches, burgers, chicken, hot subs, sides like french fries and onion rings, Italian specialties and, of course, Philly cheese steaks.

“The bread we use is from Philadelphia, and everything is homemade and cooked to order,” DeLorenzo said Wednesday. “I wanted to offer this area something different, and when you look around, there’s not much around here but pizza. I wanted something where there wasn’t anything in the area like it.”

Bill Poirier, of Rotterdam, agrees that Cheese Steak Heaven is one-of-a-kind.





Since it opened two weeks ago, Poirier said he’s come to the local business five times.

“I’ve had the breakfast sandwich, but nothing is like ‘The Original’ cheese steak,” Poirier said after ordering one late Wednesday morning. “There’s not a place you can get a real cheese steak. Maybe Subway, but of course, that’s just not the same.”

DeLorenzo has spent over 40 years in the restaurant business and has owned several local eateries, including Park Lunch, Blondie’s Cafe and Stoney’s Pizza in Schenectady among others.

DeLorenzo said while he’s been known to buy and sell many businesses, he plans to stay with Cheese Steak Heaven for a while, and is thinking of turning the restaurant into a franchise.

“I just love serving good food to good people,” DeLorenzo said with a smile. “It’s my passion. There’s nothing like having people tell you how good your food is.”

Cheese Steak Heaven is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Reach Gazette reporter Kate Seckinger at 395-3113, [email protected] or @KateSeckinger on Twitter.