Chunky & Bop’s Takes Aim at Making Best Cheesesteaks in Maryland

Sometimes, a dream deferred gives the dreamer time to make the right moves at the right place with the right people. As an educator and lifelong cook, Todd Mitchell has thought about opening a cheesesteak shop for 20 years.

The June 1 unveiling of Chunky & Bop’s at Le Fantome Food Hall far exceeded what the owner imagined would happen.

“Oh my God, opening up Chunky & Bop’s has been a dream come true! When I moved my family from Philadelphia to Maryland 20 years ago, I wanted to open a shop. Here we are 20 years later, a situation presented itself, and I had to take advantage of the opportunity,” says Mitchell.

Chunky & Bop’s Authentic Philly Cheesesteaks Take Off

More than 350 eager customers crowded into Le Fantome on Chunky & Bop’s opening day at The Station in Riverdale Park. Mitchell recalls how the buzz of excitement created long lines of people waiting for orders inside and outside the food hall.

The turnout kept his crew cooking past closing time. “The restaurant closed at 10 o’clock. They were still outside, and we were still cooking past 12 o’clock. We were still taking sandwiches out the side door. It was chaotic, but it was an exhilarating kind of chaos.”

A friend, Micheline Bowman, helped arrange for Mitchell to appear on Fox 5 TV’s “Lion Lunch Hour” the day before his ghost kitchen launched service. The Station at Riverdale Park’s marketing agency, The Brand Guild, also pitched Chunky & Bop’s to local television and print media, which attracted attention.

The staff of four that Mitchell trained was not prepared for the shop to take off so quickly. Still, Chunky & Bop’s keeps rolling with the demand for its Philly-style ribeye and chicken sandwiches.

“I am swamped all day. We’re open from 11 until 10 at night. The business is running as soon as I turn on that computer at 11 o’clock to say we’re open. Through DoorDash, GrubHub and all those platforms, orders flood in nonstop. Everything is just working,” asserts the founder.

The food hall’s customers place orders with vendors online or through a QR code at the Riverdale Park location. They can pick up orders to go or enjoy Chunky & Bop’s takeout inside Le Fantome’s dining room.

Mitchell trained his team to make cheesesteaks, hoagies, flatbread pizzas, Strombolis, burgers, and sausage sandwiches with fresh ingredients, mostly coming from Pennsylvania.

“Overall, we’ve used 3,000 pounds of steak and almost 2,800 pounds of chicken in less than two and a half months,” says the shop’s owner. “So every morning, when the guys come in, they cut a certain amount of steak because we know we will go through it that day. Nothing is premade at all.”

Mitchell chose to let young people represent his new business. He named his cheesesteak shop after his two daughters, who adore his cooking. Twenty-five-year-old Kennedy Cole Mitchell’s nickname is “Chunky.”

Her sister, 21-year-old Tai Nicole Mitchell, is called “T-Bop.” In addition, he chose one of his former students to design Chunky & Bop’s logo. “I was teaching a financial literacy and tenacity class. It was a new program at Ballou High School in D.C. I said make a logo for me. I’ll pay you.”

The certified history teacher and media program director with a master’s in education administration recognized talent. He remembers his student’s enthusiasm when she presented the drawing that captured his likeness.

“She ran out of the classroom at the end of the bell. Before the day was over, she said, ‘Mr. Mitch. Mr. Mitch. Take a look!’ And there it was. I said that’s it.”

The new logo needed a few tweaks. So did Mitchell’s plan for serving the best cheesesteaks in Maryland. Mitchell had done all his research and licensing paperwork but still had not nailed down the financing or location.

While he did get support from his family, long-time friend Darren Brown and his wife Sharon stepped in to provide money and guidance. “We were sitting by his pool, and I was talking about it. I’d done my homework. Darren said, ‘Todd, let’s do it.’ He was in a position where he was able to do it,” Mitchell acknowledges.

Brown owns Building Mender LLC, a successful contracting company in D.C. His wife is an IT guru and brought her skills to the Chunky & Bop’s venture. “I’m so happy and blessed that I’ve got them as my team. Sharon is totally the mother of the company. She runs me and him, and everything is in order. It’s a beautiful merger,” expresses Mitchell.

Chunky & Bop’s Modeled After Best Cheesesteaks in Philly

Chunky & Bop’s founder was born and raised in Philadelphia. He grew up eating cheesesteaks in the city’s popular pizzeria and hoagie shops. His love of cooking came from sources close to home.

“I’ve been cooking, exploring, and messing with food all my life. My grandmother was an exceptional cook. She showed me how food was supposed to taste. My grandfather was an exceptional cook and hunter. He taught me all about wild game,” says the restaurateur.

His grandmother suggested he tell people to call him “Toddy Mitch.” The name began to mean some tasty food would be prepared and served at family reunions and other social gatherings.

Mitchell’s police officer father worked nights and taught him the joy of making and eating delicious homemade meals . “My dad was an awesome cook. I always had a great breakfast and a full dinner. Daddy was home cooking. That was an excellent insight into how to cook food or what food should taste like.”

The Philly native left home in the 1980s to attend Virginia State University and Knoxville College. He missed the cheesesteaks his city made famous. The tiny refrigerators in Mitchell’s dorm rooms became the treasure chests where he kept the ribeye meat he brought back from visits home, along with rolls, white American cheese and cherry peppers.

“I had a little orange electric wok. That wok dished up so many sandwiches. A couple of guys tasted my cheesesteaks and said, ‘Man, that was delicious,’ Mitchell recounts.

Chunky & Bop’s owner knew where to go to learn more about the ingredients required to make authentic Philly cheesesteaks in Maryland. Mitchell shares why finding the perfect rolls came first on his list.

“The number one ingredient that makes a Philadelphia cheesesteak stand out is the roll. The Philadelphia cheesesteak roll is a roll like no other.”

Just as many New Yorkers believe their state’s tap water produces exceptional bagels and pizza dough, people in Philly point to water from the Schuylkill River for the quality of their cheesesteak rolls.

“I had a baker here in Maryland try making rolls from the same ingredients used in Philly. It did not taste the same. It was not the same quality,” says Mitchell.

The fresh rolls, ribeye and cheese delivered to Chunky & Bop’s from Pennsylvania are the same ones used by Ray’s Pizzeria & Steaks in Lansdale, Dalessandros Steaks & Hoagies in Germantown and Max’s Steaks in Philly.

Mitchell appreciates how the owners of these Philly area institutions shared their knowledge with him, especially Ray Junior. “The owner now has talked to me and coached me through so much, as far as the weight and how much goes into each sandwich. He provided me with rolls and shared everything he does to make his place successful.”

One validation of Mitchell’s belief that he now makes the best cheesesteaks in Maryland is the praise he gets from other Philly connoisseurs. “Two guys came in yesterday, and they were cheesesteak critics. They have been all over the place trying cheesesteaks. The first thing they said was it tasted like Dalessandros. I said that’s one of my mentors.”

Staying True to Best Philly Cheesesteak Traditions

As a cheesesteak connoisseur, Mitchell thought something was missing from the ones he had sampled in the D.C. area. But to judge whether sandwich franchises and shops are delivering the real thing, you have to know what authentic Philly cheesesteaks and hoagies are and are not.

“In Philadelphia, you walk into a cheesesteak spot and ask for a cheesesteak; the next question is, what do you want mayo, fried onions, ketchup?”

Chunky & Bop’s owner details the difference between ordering cheesesteaks in his hometown and his adopted state. “People here automatically assume you’re getting lettuce and tomato on your cheesesteak. Lettuce and tomatoes mean you want a cheesesteak hoagie. If I don’t say cheesesteak hoagie when I go to a cheesesteak spot in Philly, they’re not going to put lettuce and tomatoes on it.”

While the choice of rolls, meat and cheese distinguish a traditional cheesesteak from Philadelphia, the type of peppers also matter. “We use sweet and hot cherry peppers. That’s major. We don’t use banana peppers or any of those other types of peppers. It’s the cherry peppers. That’s the Philadelphia staple,” insists Mitchell.

“We put the peppers and pickles in a small container on the side. It gives customers something to try and keeps them in cahoots with the real Philadelphia flavor.”

The Le Fantome entrepreneur tells people looking for a steak and cheese sandwich to go next door to a national establishment. Mitchell is confident that he serves the best Philly-style cheesesteak in Maryland, even if he had to fight for the right to open close to a chain sandwich store.

“I love Le Fantome Food Hall because they went to bat to get me in there. They got their lawyers involved.”

According to Mitchell, his competitor made two demands: His ghost kitchen could not be in the front of the food hall or within 900 feet of the rival shop. Secondly, 51% of Chunky & Bop’s menu had to offer items not classified as cheesesteaks or hoagies.

Mitchell cleared that hurdle by making his shop more of a pizzeria. He dedicated more than half the menu to serving quality flatbread pizzas, Strombolis, burgers, sausage sandwiches, regular and sweet potato fries and fresh-baked pretzels. He added a few vegetarian options to the flatbread pizzas and hoagies.

Mitchell raves about the Stromboli dough and the sausage he buys in Pennsylvania. “This sausage comes from a family that has been in business in Philadelphia for 90 years. There is only one place where you can get this kind of sausage.”

His ghost kitchen staff turns the ground beef and turkey sausage into patties for sage or spicy Italian beef and turkey burgers.

Several items on the menu are named after Mitchell’s daughters, dad or grandma. “Look at my menu, and you’ll see the G-Pop Special, a hoagie with corned beef, roast beef, turkey, lettuce, tomato and hot cherry or sweet peppers. Everything named after G-Pop is named after my dad. That’s what all the grandkids called him, G Pop,” says Mitchell.

Most of the sandwiches are sold in 12” or 18” sizes. Patrons can also order the beef or chicken cheesesteaks in a 6-inch roll. The Little Bop’s Royal Cheesesteak, Little Chunky Cheesesteak, Little Bop’s Chicken Cheesesteak and Little Bop’s Chicken Cheesesteak Royal were instant hits.

“They are perfect for lunch and come with fries. That’s what made them attractive. Some of our repeat customers come in weekly,” adds Chunky & Bop’s owner.

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Looking Beyond Making the Best Cheesesteaks in Maryland

The life-long Philly cheesesteak aficionado mentions that he comes from a family of successful professionals but is the first to start a food business. “I took advantage of the opportunity, and this has been an unbelievable experience. It’s real! And the smiles and the positive reception I’ve received from the community are overwhelming,” he says.

Mitchell and his partners, the Browns, hope to seize new opportunities to expand Chunky & Bop’s brand. They eventually want to open a brick-and-mortar location and build a legacy that the Philly native’s daughters can join as managers someday.

“I’m excited. I could not ask for a better start; the beauty of it is that we opened up when school was out of session. Wait until the University of Maryland students get a taste of me!”

As for his mission to sell the best cheesesteaks in Maryland, the retired educator sees that as another avenue for serving young people. “I think I’ve done a great job as an educator, providing opportunities and mentorships for young people. I’ve done that for 30 years. Now, it’s time for me to feed them. I’m excited to see the joy on their faces, just as I did in the classroom. Each bite of a Chunky & Bop’s cheesesteak is a celebration, and I want to be a part of that happiness.”

Follow the Riverdale Park cheesesteak shop at Le Fantome Food Hall on social media @chunkyandbops.

This story originally appeared in Cuisine Noir Magazine