Mike Geary of Old School Sandwich Company
It was the winter of 1996 when Mike Geary and his girlfriend, Cheri, decided to take a one-way road trip to find a new place to live. Both were looking for something new after living in St. Petersburg, Florida for the past four years. Mike was born and raised in Philadelphia (read: huge fan of all Philadelphia sports) and Cheri had grown up on Long Island. When the road signs started counting down miles for the Lehigh Valley, Cheri decided she “loved the name” and that was reason enough to consider calling it home. Of course, what is a road trip without a little adventure? As fate would have it, they drove right into the Valley in the middle of the great blizzard of ’96. Determined to find a place to live, Mike picked an apartment and they moved in in the midst of the snow. The next day, he was determined to find a job. So, despite not knowing anyone in the Lehigh Valley (and the multiple feet of snow on the ground), Mike went out and found people shoveling a restaurant parking lot. He met the chef who was prepping in the kitchen and was hired on the spot as the pastry chef at the Farmhouse in Emmaus.
That same determination and drive to succeed has steered his entire career. Mike had his start in the food industry at age 11 when his mom, a waitress, got him a job as a dishwasher. Every job since then has been a bigger step forward for him and eventually led Mike to open Old School Sandwich Company in Allentown. “Everything is made fresh and in house, all the time, and when we serve our roasted prime rib cheesesteak, customers are lined up around the building,” he says.
“We are always busy prepping in our kitchens and never have enough time to eat, so most of the time, we make a really delicious sandwich from the items we have been slow roasting and marinating for service that night.” Sundays at home are his family meal nights with his now wife, Cheri, and son, Nick.
The lasagna recipe he’s sharing is in heavy rotation, as it is a house favorite. Mike makes his own homemade mozzarella, grows his own vegetables and his pasta is from scratch. The sauce (gravy, as he calls it) slow cooks on the stovetop all day in preparation for each of his six layers of rich cheesy lasagna, stuffed with zucchini and sausage. Mike takes pride in growing his ingredients and making this meal for his family. His enthusiasm and tenacity have won him the title of Pennsylvania Iron Chef gold medalist three times, and his newest adventure, Get Fed Catering, will undoubtedly be successful with his creativity and talent behind it. Mike’s love for his family, for homemade food and for sharing his gift of hospitality will continue to draw both old-school fans and newcomers.
5-Layer Veggie Meat Lasagna by Mike Geary
Ingredients
- 4 cups gravy
- 5 layers fresh pasta sheets or 30 pieces of store-bought no-bake lasagna noodles
- 4 cups ricotta
- 2 lb. fresh mozzarella, sliced
- 2 cups locatelli, grated
- 2 cups aged provolone, shredded
- 1 small zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 small yellow squash, thinly sliced
- 1 lb. fresh sausage, cooked and sliced
- 1 lb. fresh meatballs, cooked and sliced
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray 10x13x4 pan with oil. Cover bottom with 1/2 cup of gravy.
Layers
- Layer of pasta, 1 cup ricotta, half of the meatball, half of the sausage, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup gravy.
- Layer of pasta, 1/2 cup gravy, 1 cup of the ricotta, zucchini, squash, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup gravy.
- Layer of pasta, 1 cup ricotta, the other half of the meatball, the other half of the sausage, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup gravy, 1 cup aged provolone.
- Layer of pasta, 1/2 cup gravy, 1 cup ricotta, spinach.
- Layer of pasta, 1/2 cup of gravy, 1/2 cup of mozzarella, 1 cup of locatelli.
- Layer of pasta, 1 cup gravy, 1/2 cup mozzarella, 1 cup of locatelli, 1 cup aged provolone.
Wrap tight with clear wrap and then foil. Bake 1 ½ hours, uncover and bake another 1/2 hour.
Old School Sandwich Company | 7540 Windsor Dr., Allentown | 610.481.9184 | oldschoolsandwichcompany.com
