Ed Sheeran Surprises Fans By Serving Them Philly Cheesesteaks

Ed Sheeran certainly knows how to get his fan base pumped up. In the past, the singer has surprised fans in New York City with a pop-up performance and also while at the mall. However, his recent appearance in Philadelphia may just take the cake or should we say sandwich.  

Sheeran was in town putting on a concert, as he is wont to do. (It was a successful engagement, as it happens, setting the all-time record for crowd size at Lincoln Financial Field.) While there, he showed respect to the city's best-known contribution to culinary history by dropping by the institution known as Philip's Steaks, one of many one-name establishments vying for the crown of Philly's best cheesesteak. 

Sheeran didn't just sample Philip's specialty, though. In a video the singer shared on Instagram, he showed himself learning to make the cheesesteaks, just as Adam Richman or Guy Fieri might have done were they in his place. Sheeran embraced the City of Brotherly Love by serving fans cheesesteaks.

Ed Sheeran's first lesson in cheesesteak-making involved cooking the ribeye slabs, slapping them on a bun, and smothering them "wit wiz." (We speak of Cheez Wiz, of course, as this is an iconic cheese steak cheese despite what provolone partisans may prefer.) Philip's proprietor Joseph Baldino called Sheeran's sandwich artistry "beyond unbelievable," although perhaps that relates to the fact that he was there at all. Baldino told BillyPenn, "When his team reached out, I actually thought it was almost a joke. We are 40 years in business, but this is the first celebrity of his magnitude."

Upon learning of Sheeran's new side gig as a sandwich maker, hundreds of people lined up outside Philip's eagerness to get their hands (and mouths) on one of his cheesesteak creations. Most were disappointed with that score as he only put together a single sandwich himself, although the lucky recipient said of the cheesesteak, "It's perfect." 

Sheeran, however, was generous enough to purchase sandwiches sufficient to feed the assembled multitudes. As he told a local radio DJ of his brief career behind the counter at Philip's, "It's just a fun thing to do on a Saturday."