Crab cakes and football may be what Maryland does, as famously touted in "Wedding Crashers," but Bradley Cooper gave New York City a taste of his real-life hometown's signature sandwich, Philly cheesesteaks.
In a black food truck parked on the corner of West 3rd Street and 6th Avenue, the "Maestro" star served up the iconic sandwiches Wednesday, alongside Danny DiGiampietro and Seth Braunstein from Angelo's Pizzeria of South Philly fame.
"Afternoon bread heads, come on down, get a cheesesteak," Cooper said with a smile while manning the flat top inside the 'Danny & Coop's Cheesesteaks' truck for the pop-up service. "He's a natural," DiGiampietro boasted in the video, posted on Instagram.
"They make their bread fresh every day and the bread's incredible," fellow PA-native Peter Hand who is a longtime fan of Angelo's, told "GMA" of the carbohydrate quip from Cooper. "Coming from Philadelphia I will say, that's the difference maker between their cheesesteaks and everyoneelses."
Hand, director of entertainment brand solutions for Disney, told "GMA" he was in town for work when his phone "started blowing up" with text messages from friends telling him "you have to go" downtown for a bite of the famed cheesesteaks.
Despite the lengthy line of hungry fans, Hand snagged a sandwich on the famed sesame seed roll, telling "GMA" "it was so cheesy, the meat was delicious, and of course the bread is the standout portion of it. It's obviously freshly baked that day and it's arguably the best cheesesteak I've certainly had in New York, but it's my favorite from Philadelphia too."
Hand said actress Laura Dern was also among the New Yorkers who stopped by with her daughter for a taste of the pop-up offering.
Cooper, who worked in pizzerias as a kid and went on to star in the 2015 chef drama "Burnt," had his ServSafe food handler card with him to help on the line for cheesesteak service Wednesday.
The whole team, including Cooper, sported matching black hoodie sweatshirts as they were slinging the single item menu for $10 to passersby on their lunch hour. "100% of the proceeds from today will be donated to help feed New Yorkers in need," a note on the bottom of the menu sign stated.
"There was a lot of people in Eagle's gear saying 'Go birds, go Philly' -- and yelling other things at the truck" to Cooper, Hand recalled of the sights and sounds on Wednesday.
DiGiampietro and Cooper "hope to open a cheesesteak shop in New York," the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported, adding that this pop-up is scheduled to reprise its appearance on Thursday.
The team has already established an Instagram account dedicated to Danny & Coop's that amassed more than 4K followers by Thursday morning.
