One of Toronto’s favourite food influencers is living his dream of stepping into the kitchen. Marcello Varacalli, otherwise known as Marcello Eats, is on a mission to perfect a Philly cheesesteak recipe for a new popup concept he’s soon launching across the GTA.
When Marcello announced the concept of Cello’s Cheesesteaks earlier this month, he was met with widespread support from his followers — which includes over 250 thousand users combined across Instagram and TikTok. Based on the hundreds of comments on the posts, one thing is clear: Toronto foodies are in full support of his plan.
“I had no idea my first video would have a response like that,” he says. “I didn’t realize people cared that much. It was one of those things where I just wanted to get it off my chest because I didn’t want to live with the regret of not following my dream of opening a restaurant.”
Though Marcello has been a content creator since 2018 (when he began his food reviews on a whim after watching a critic berate staff at his favourite restaurant) he’s had a love for the kitchen from a young age. When other kids spent their weekends watching cartoons, Marcello was watching The Food Network.
Still, after years spent with restaurant owners and chefs, he says he was filled with “self-doubt” because he saw firsthand how difficult the restaurant industry can be.
“You have to really give it your all. It’s one of those professions that you have to do it properly, and you have to have a passion for it, because if you’re going in it for the wrong reasons — just to make money — then it’s not going to work out. But if you’re going there to feed people and try to give people a unique experience and the best quality — that’s the intention you need,” he says. “For years I was contemplating if I had that in me and I just honestly decided if I don’t do this, I’m probably going to regret it for the rest of my life.”
The original plan was to open a smash burger spot, but as the trend exploded, he pivoted to the one thing he always found himself ordering whenever it was on a menu: Philly cheesesteaks. After spending time in Philadelphia, he returned to study what makes an authentic cheesesteak before bringing the sandwich to Toronto..
“I didn’t realize how big of a deal it was in Philly. It’s a whole cultural thing — there are spots that have been around for almost one hundred years,” he says. “That’s what I love about it — it’s not just a sandwich. It’s a way of life for people in Philly. I thought people in Toronto don’t even know this exists, and this would be so cool to bring that kind of culture around this food to Toronto.”
In conducting his research, he noticed how different cheesesteaks often appeared in Canada with many using mixed vegetables or thick slices of meat. The original sandwiches, however, typically use thin slices of ribeye with just onion and cheese (often provolone) on a roll.
His goal at Cello’s Cheesesteaks, Marcello says, is to bring this authentic version of the sandwich to the city while also adding a “twist” to fit Toronto’s palate. He’s thinking high-quality dipping sauces like a chimichurri, garlic parm, or chutney. But these are all still in the works, as well as a three-day sourdough bread which he notes will be both structured and airy for “a cross between a soft sub bun and a baguette.”
“Every day I’m cooking up cheesesteaks for some friend and just trying to get better every day because there’s always room for improvement,” he says. “I just want to make the sandwich so when someone buys it, they feel satisfied, they’re happy, and they’ll come back. That’s my number one goal with this sandwich.”
The first Cello’s Cheesesteaks popup will be held in partnership with Zet’s Fuel Meal Prep, located at 399 Four Valley Drive in Concord, in early or mid-August. Though Marcello says the first one will be a soft launch, likely only a few hours long, in the future he hopes to partner with more restaurants, breweries, and other venues to host the pop-up on a regular basis — and he has even loftier goals on the horizon!
“We’ll see how the community responds, and then I’ll definitely start looking into a more permanent location,” he says.