Gabby Ferraro knows cheesesteaks.
After all, she’s been serving the Philly staple from her popular food truck since December 2020.
“We average 575 (in 12 hours a week), give or take,” the co-owner of Double Dee’s Munchies said. “On good days, it’s about 180 to 200 in three hours.”
Multiply that times 52 weeks, and you have about 30,000 orders a year, placed by new and returning customers.
“I recognize about 75 to 85 percent of the customers now,” Gabby said on a recent Thursday afternoon in Cape Coral. “I know all their orders. I don’t know names well, but I remember orders.”
Always taking the time to offer suggestions (like the new hot honey chicken sandwich) and chat all things Philly, Gabby quickly became a friendly and familiar face in a community that appreciated her as much as she did them.
And that’s why she had a hard time telling everyone she was leaving.
“I don’t want to cry,” she said a week before her final shift on May 1 (from 4-7 p.m. or sellout at Family Hardware in Cape Coral). “I really appreciate all the people who love our cheesesteak so much. Even on rainy days, even in the heat of summer, they’re standing here, waiting in line. I’ll miss the connection with this community.”
Double Dee’s Munchies is easy to spot. Just look for a line of customers and a Philadelphia sports team flag proudly displayed.
She’s heading back to her alma mater, Rowan University in Glassboro, New Jersey, where she earned an undergraduate law degree. It’s about 30 minutes south of Philadelphia, and if all goes according to plan, it’s where she will get her MBA.
Jobwise, in the meantime, will “take me wherever the wind goes.”
“I totally winged this decision,” she said. “It’s more of a why not go. My boyfriend asked if I wanted to move back, and I said, ‘Sure.’”
From Cape Coral beer garden to Double Dee’s
Gabby’s last decade or so in Florida followed a similar path.
“My uncle decided to open a beer garden and asked if I could help run it,” she said. “I’ve worked and lived with him on and off for the last 17 years. We’ve done a lot together.”
Gabby Ferraro and her uncle Gabe Ferraro serve some of the best cheesesteaks around from their Double Dee’s Munchies food truck.
Her uncle is Gabe Ferraro, and his restaurant was Backyard Beer Garden in South Cape, which took over Two Amigos’ space and is now occupied by Stones Throw.
Gabe also knows cheesesteaks.
Which is why Gabby says all those loyal customers need not worry.
“Nothing else is changing (at Double Dee’s),” she said.
Gabe has been the one behind the scenes and working the grill when all of those orders come through.
“I’ve been cooking cheesesteaks since I was 16,” the Philly native said.
Gabe Ferraro and his niece Gabby Ferraro opened Double Dee’s Munchies food truck in late 2020.
He spent decades opening 200-plus restaurants with a longtime partner before their beer garden debuted in late 2018.
It took off quickly and built quite the following until it “was lost to COVID.”
Shortly after, Gabby and Gabe started Double Dee’s.
“It took only a month, then people realized these are the same cheesesteaks we served at the bar,” Gabe said.
It’s been busy ever since.
Double Dee’s brings the taste of Philly to Cape
Double Dee’s Munchie is parked in front of Family Hardware on SE 47th Terrace in Cape Coral three days a week.
Double Dee’s ships in most everything — rolls (better than Amoroso’s, according to Gabby), meats, hot cherry peppers included — from Philly.
“We were the first to bring in Cooper sharp and seeded rolls here nine years ago,” Gabe said.
We’ve been ordering our cheesesteaks with that creamy, dreamy, melty Cooper sharp white ever since Gabby recommended it three years ago.
Customizable cheesesteaks come with beef or chicken, choice of cheese ― Whiz, American, provolone, Cooper sharp or Dee’s sauce (another big hit brought from Backyard Beer Garden), and additional toppings of fried onions, mushrooms and sweet or hot peppers.
Specialty cheesesteaks include the best-selling Buffalo chicken, barbecue chicken, veggie and hot honey chicken. Philly Philly tacos, and tots and fries (available in cheesesteak, Buffalo chicken, barbecue chicken or veggie ) round out the menu.
You’ll find Double Dee’s a few days a week at Family Hardware on SE 47th Terrace in Cape Coral, where it’s “been from the jump.” It also makes regular stops at Gulf Coast Medical Center.
While we — and so many others — will miss Gabby, we’re not worried.
After all, we still have Gabe.
“Everything is exactly the same,” Gabby said. “Some of you just need to remember your orders now. Other than that, nothing is changing.”
Follow Double Dee’s Munchies on Facebook and Instagram for locations and times.
Robyn George is a food and dining reporter for The News-Press. Connect at rhgeorge@fortmyer.gannett.com
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This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: Beloved Cape Coral-based Double Dee’s food truck still rolling along