Lucky Steeler Cheese

I really have wonderful neighbors here in Point Breeze. My downstairs neighbor is hands down the best neighbor I’ve ever had. She also happens to be the mom of the owner of Frick Park Market on Reynolds Street. 

Frick Park Market is a wonderful local grocery store that also has a deli. They provide specialty sandwiches, soups and entrees for the people in the area. 

As I was getting to know my downstairs neighbor, she happened to mention an interesting story that surrounded the market and a story that the locals have turned into their very own fable. The plot of this tale surrounds one of the deli’s hot selling items—Steeler Cheese. It’s a cheese dip that my neighbor actually started making for the family as kind of a good luck charm for the Steelers game. However, everyone who knows about it swears by it.

Here’s what I’ve gathered about the locally known Steeler Cheese.  The owner of Frick Park Market, John, is a huge Steelers’ fan and watches the games religiously. His mother always made food for her family to eat while watching the game. The Steelers were losing a game and my downstairs neighbor made the cheese dip for her son and the Steelers won the game. John, her son, said it had to be the cheese and it’s been a lucky charm ever since.

All of the customers who love and make sure to have Steeler Cheese have their own stories of either why their beloved football team won a game or why they lost a game. Last Super Bowl, the Steelers were the team to beat. Frick Park Market had people preorder their Steeler Cheese and almost 200 packages of this delicious dip were ordered. 

However, two of the cheeses were not picked up and the owners are convinced that the loss of the Super Bowl was because not everyone had their Steeler Cheese.

Another story I’ve been told surrounding Steeler Cheese is from another customer. The customer was having a large football party with platters of food, chips and other mouth watering goodies. As you might have guessed, they also put out Steeler Cheese. Near the end of the game, the Steelers were down and a comeback did not look promising. The customer noticed that his guest had not been eating the Steeler Cheese, so in an effort to bring the Steelers’ football team luck, he started passing out Steeler Cheese on crackers. Within minutes of passing out the cheese, the Steelers scored a touchdown to win the game. Coincidence? Maybe…maybe not.

Another customer had a different experience. She forgot to take out her Steeler Cheese and serve it during one of the games and swears that’s why the Steelers suffered a loss that particular game. When Maggie, the owner of Frick Park Market, was telling me this story, she said the customer was in disarray at their forgetfulness and vowed never to forget the Steeler Cheese again. 

I’ve had the opportunity to try Steeler Cheese and it’s beyond tasty.  With the mixture of different cheeses, it can go with almost anything.  It’s great with vegetable platters, crackers and even on hamburgers. 

I’m impressed with the Steelers fans here in Pittsburgh. While I had heard before moving here that the fans were extremely loyal and dedicated, I love this story about the Steeler Cheese. Not only are the fans loyal and dedicated, but superstitious as well. 

Such conviction deserves to be recognized and commended. So, for those of you who haven’t tried Steeler Cheese and are superstitious, it might be time to mosey on down to Frick Park Market and pick some up. However, buyer beware, you’d better be prepared to serve it and finish the batch of gooey goodness or suffer the consequences of a potential Steeler loss!