Cleveland’s known for it, but who created it?
The Polish Boy is a standard in local cuisine with an origin story a bit more complex than its list of toppings.
Most locals credit Virgil Whitmore Sr., a Texas native — who opened Barbecue restaurants across the city — with the kielbasa-based sensation. In the early ‘40s, Whitmore opened his first eatery, Mt. Pleasant Barbecue on Kinsman Road. By the ‘60s, he was focusing all his efforts on building his flagship location in the bustling Lee-Harvard neighborhood.
Folks don’t always agree on how the sandwich came to be. As the story is often told, Whitmore took what he had on hand – fries, slaw, sausage – and mixed his Southwest tastes with his newfound Midwestern sensibilities. Cleveland witnessed the birth of the Polish Boy…