Provel Cheese

I have just moved to Minnesota and believe it or not they have never heard of Provel cheese. My husband and I are born and raised from St Louis and have sure eaten our fair share of Imos, Cunnettos, Trattoria Marcella and many places on the hill. What's life without Provel cheese? Any thoughts on this?

Yes. What is provel cheese?

I believe that if you go to the Imo's site you can order Provel cheese in bulk... I grew up on Imo's (and delivered for them in college) I think the cheese is essential to the product. Although I must say, an awful lot of people don't enjoy the St. Louis style pies. Oh well...

I now know what provel cheese is.

A St. Louis original. Provel cheese is a pasteurized process cheddar, swiss, and provolone cheese.

Provel cheese is great on pizzas, salads, sandwiches, burgers, and just about anything.


It can be ordered here:

http://foodcraver.com/5lbprovchees.html

Provel cheese may be great on all those things, but it's best at sticking to your teeth like adhesive caulk.

There are lots of things in St. Louis that most people have never heard of... paper-thin pizza, provel, toasted ravioli, pork steaks, gooey butter cake, unusual curiosity as to which high school you attended, etc.

Being a non-native, I discovered those a few years ago.

Hey Extreme Glow,

I grew up is St. Louis (and moved away the moment I graduated high school) . I never realized how important that HS question was until I moved to Chicago in my late 20's.

I met a lot of St. Louis folk up here and there would be this awkward pause (kind of like playing chicken) as you waited to see who would be first to ask The Question. It is very funny to my Chicago born spouse, how it never, ever fails to happen.

Not sure how long you have been in St. Louis, but have you been to Carl's Drive In on Manchester? Great greasy roadfood burger joint thats been there since the 50's, be sure to get a frosty rootbeer!

Shane

Shane,

I've been in St. Louis 20 years. I live near Ted Drewes' on Chippewa. I've never made it to Carl's although I've driven past it many times and always say "I need to stop there".

Whenever you make it back to St. Louis be sure and stop by Iron Barley on Virginia at Bates.

Oh yes, another St. Louis specialty is the St. Paul sandwich found at most Chinese places. Egg Foo Yong with mayo, tomato and lettuce on white bread.

Hi...I just wanted to get in on this topic. I am from STL now living in Chicago area. I also miss the Provel Cheese. It is actually a St. Louis thing. I looked it up on the Internet...type in Provel Cheese.

There are a few favorites from STL that I couldn't find when I first arrrived here, but, I have since located them.

Olive Garden serves Toasted Ravioli..sauce is not meat sauce..chunky marinara. Giordannos on S. Rt. 59 serves Toasted Ravioli...not meat Ravioli, but 3 different types. A sausage...all cheese...a spinach and artichoke. Sauce is not a meat sauce, but a good marinara.

Pork Steaks can be bought. Just ask for a sliced Pork Butt.

I have not found a really thin Pizza Crust....yet.

Most of the foods you mentioned can be ordered online. My Sister in California orders Gooey Butter.

When I go back to STL, I stop at Schuncks and buy Provel and take it home. It really lasts a long, long, time in the fridge without getting moldy.

I miss the Salads from STL. Namely the 'Rich and Charlie' Salads. Most of the STL Restaurants make a version of that salad. I have not had a good salad here in Chicago area, except for the Garbage Salad at Gene and Georgettis (spelling?).

Now I am Hungry. Think I will make a salad...
Sheila

As a side note... provel cheese makes one of the best italian dishes... Beef Mudiga. If you have never had it, I highly recommend it.

Also, as far as toasted ravioli and St. Louis style pizza, the closest thing Chicago has like it is D'Agostino's. The toasted ravioli is definitely close, the pizza has the gooeyness, but definitely missing the provel.

Originally posted by minnesotagirl

I have just moved to Minnesota and believe it or not they have never heard of Provel cheese. My husband and I are born and raised from St Louis and have sure eaten our fair share of Imos, Cunnettos, Trattoria Marcella and many places on the hill. What's life without Provel cheese? Any thoughts on this?
I would like to try Provel cheese. Imos Pizza will send me some but I have to place a order at 5 lbs. for $29.95 with a $75 minimum order. I am alone and could never eat all that cheese! Can you tell me where I could purchase just a couple of pounds of Provel so I can try it? Thanks very much.

Chalk me up as another that had never heard of Provel but I have heard of toasted raviolis.

MikeS.

Having grown up in St. Louis I am a fan of the provel, toasted ravs, gooey butter cake, rich and charlie's salads, etc.--never have heard of the egg foo yung sandwich--sounds interesting. Thanks for the link to the hometown cravings==WOW--now I can get some of faves delivered here in Texas! I will say I have brought home a huge block of provel home before on road trips--we would cut it into large chunks and freeze it--made shreddilng it for pizzas and salad easier due to it;'s frozen state, it is after all a processed food product, but boy is it a yummy taste of home! Anyone interested let me know, I have some fairly reliable knock off recipes for gooey butter and rich and charlies salads, pretty easy and good. I have a recipe for homeade toasted ravs, but way too labor intensive for me--we just get them once a year when we go home and really savor their uniqueness. Olive Garden's don't much compare IMHO. I saw that cutie Giada DeL. on food network do her version after a trip to St. Louis, though she used cheese ravs, not meat ones, so not authentic, sorry Giada.

Well This is funny I have been spending alot of time online looking up things about provel cheese and found this. I was born in st louis till about 4 years ago. Moved to las vegas and have loved living here but have not found any really good places to eat and thought of opening my own place. When I lived in st louis I worked for a few places when I was going SLU. I worked for imo's my frist year of school then left and was at taylanas. From what I remember and have found povel is made by kraft. Now I am not saying you can just order it from them. As for the T-ravis I make them at home only becasue I had to make them at talaynas and they are very easy to make.


you can buy meat ravis at any super market they will be frozen make sure they are thawed all the way.
get you oil what every kind you like between 375 and 400
in 2 bowls you put milk in one the other you put italian bread crumbs
place the ravis in the milk then take them out put them into the bread crumbs shack around to get t athisn coat of crumbs then place in hot oil fry till brown takes about 5-8 mins now I make my own sauce but you can use your own or favoret canned. John

I live in Rockford (about 80 miles west of Chicago) and we have a grocery store called Logli's that is now owned by Schnuck's. They have a lot of St. Louis food that no other grocery stores around here have. The have provel in their deli and toasted ravioli and Ted Drewes in the freezer section. They also have Rich and Charlie's salad dressing and Gates BBQ sauce. My family all lives in St. Louis and I have always loved these foods, it is so cool to be able to get them locally now.

in my lovely little suburb of Dallas, a new pizza place opened recently that serves "St Louis Style Pizza". And yes, I called after reading this thread, and it is provel cheese they use.

I'm intrigued.

http://www.5thstreetpizza.net/index.php

Hah, this reminds me of the part in the movie “Infamous” where Truman Capote goes to the grocery store in rural Kansas. He was thinking about having a bit of wine and cheese. At the store all he found was piles of Velveeta, when he asked where the other kinds were I believe the reply was “there’s more then one kind”? No offense to our Roadfood friends in Kansas, just a funny movie moment.

I also have never heard of Provel before reading this thread, but would certainly be willing to give it a try despite it's STL roots (GO CUBS....LOL)

quote:

Originally posted by planojim

in my lovely little suburb of Dallas, a new pizza place opened recently that serves "St Louis Style Pizza". And yes, I called after reading this thread, and it is provel cheese they use.

I'm intrigued.

http://www.5thstreetpizza.net/index.php

I'll have to try it.

p.s. You may need to change your name to allenjim (it is on the Allen side of Alma).

Provel is the "Italian" version of the kraft american single. Kind of scary, huh? It is an acquired taste, but once you do, it is addictive. I could barely stomach Imo's when I first moved to St. Louis, but by the time I left I couldn't go a week without eating one. And yes, the stuff does stick to your teeth like adhesive caulk!

Does anyone know of a website you can order gooey butter cake and toasted ravs from? I am too a displaced from the Lou for many years now and have been ordering from the foodcraver site but it is now asking for a password - never did that before! Any way if I do not have gooey butter cake on the table xmas morning my 10 year daughter will kill me. Help!! Oh, and by the way I went to SLUH for you true lou's that are wondering... hahahah truly a unique aspect of st. louis peeps... cheers

http://stlouisstylepizza.stores.yahoo.net/stlosttora.html

I know I am a year or two or three late, but I found that you can buy ropes of Provel cheese from www.straubs.com $6.49 for 10 ounces. Much better that $35-$75 for a block if you have never tried it before.

Im a fellow St. louisian transplanted to dallas texas yes i miss my imos pizza 5th street pizza in allen texas has a provel pizza called the st louisian of course you have to order it with extra cheese to get it to really do the trick ive found oh yes with the real deal sausage like imos is there too.  Lets not forget about Lions Choice roast beef when were all reminiscing about home..  ;[