Philly Mag’s Hoagies Cover Story Wins Coveted National Magazine Award

The opening spread of Philly Mag’s 2023 feature about hoagies in Philadelphia, which just won a National Magazine Award

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Philly Mag’s Hoagie Cover Story About Hoagies in Philadelphia Wins Coveted National Magazine Award

Last year, we here at Philly Mag embarked on an ambitious project surrounding the king of all Philadelphia sandwiches. No, not the cheesesteak. The hoagie.

My colleagues and I ate way too many hoagies throughout the Greater Philadelphia area. We contemplated what life would be like if we didn’t have hoagies. We argued for far too long about which hoagies should make our list of the best hoagies — and which didn’t deserve the honor. (But hey, if you’re going to argue about something, what’s worth arguing about more than that?) We also spent no short amount of time debating what is and isn’t a hoagie. I’m still firmly planted on the side arguing that Norristown’s famous zep sandwich is, indeed, a hoagie. Alas, I was overruled.

All that to say: We weren’t the only ones impressed with our hoagie work.

On Tuesday night in New York City, the American Society of Magazine Editors held the annual National Magazine Awards. This is no small affair. The event features nominees like the Atlantic, New York magazine, and the New York Times Magazine, among other prestigious titles. And the judges at ASME honored Philly Mag with the National Magazine Award for Lifestyle Journalism — an award that “honors print and digital journalism that celebrates readers’ passions and interests” — for our 2023 hoagie feature, “All Hail the Hoagie.” Our competition included Bon Appétit, Travel & Leisure, New York and Audubon.

The cover of our award-winning feature about hoagies in Philadelphia

“We are obviously thrilled to have received this recognition on the national stage for a story about something so near and dear to our hearts … and stomachs,” said Brian Howard, Philadelphia’s editor. “I’m not going to lie. We felt a little bit like an underdog up against all those amazing nominees. So for us to come away with the win feels especially Philadelphian. But the win also confirms what we and our readers have long known: Philly Mag produces amazing journalism worthy of the highest honors. Oh, and that hoagies are awesome.”

After all this, you’re probably craving a hoagie right about now. I know we are. So we’re officially proclaiming today Hoagie Day in Philadelphia. Go out and get one, and be sure to tag us in your photos. #HoagieDay

To help you choose which hoagie you’re going to eat, let me point you to our list of the 25 most essential hoagie shops, one of the main components of said feature. I’m 100 percent heading to Sangillo’s in Delco today for the Uncle Tony.

You can read the entire “All Hail the Hoagie” feature here. We talk about the do’s and dont’s of hoagiedom. We explore the ins and outs of what makes a great hoagie roll. And yes, we do have a few things to say about Wawa hoagies.

Enjoy!

Unnerving Headline of the Week

“Surgical Objects Were Mistakenly Left In the Bodies of More than 200 Philly-Area Patients Over Six Years.” Don’t read this if you’re having a procedure this week.

How Will Weather Impact WrestleMania?

Professional wrestling’s biggest event of the year lands in Philadelphia this week. Yes, WrestleMania. The main events happen at Lincoln Financial Field this Saturday and Sunday, starting at 6:30 p.m. And because it’s at the Linc, it’s outdoors.

The good news is that it doesn’t appear WrestleMania will be marred by a washout like we’re experiencing early this week. There’s not really any rain in the forecast to speak of. But it’s not exactly going to be balmy in those under-the-stars seats. Current forecasts have Saturday night’s event kicking off right around the time that temperatures are expected to dip into the 40s. Sunday looks a bit more pleasant, but by the time the whole thing is over on Sunday night, there will definitely be a 40s chill in the air.

So wear the thickest Ric Flair hoodie you have in your closet. (Sorry, I haven’t watched wrestling since the days when guys like Ric Flair ruled the roost.)

By the Numbers

5: Years in prison a perpetrator of voter harassment could face in Pennsylvania. Plus $5,000 in fines. Important numbers to keep in mind given the tumult surrounding the upcoming elections. If a new bill makes its way through Harrisburg, victims of voter harassment would be able to sue their harassers in civil court.

1.5: Years vegan restaurant Algorithm on Passyunk Avenue in South Philly lasted before shutting down in recent days, despite rave reviews and some major accolades in the press. The lease was no longer affordable — a complaint we’ve been hearing a lot from restaurateurs in South Philly — and now the operation will shift solely to a food truck.

85: Years in business for Di Bruno Brothers, the iconic Philly cheese and specialty shop. The company just got a major investment from one of Jeff Brown’s companies. If that name sounds familiar to you, it’s because he’s the ShopRite mogul who recently made a pitiful run for mayor and who loves to whine about the soda tax.

Local Talent

If you haven’t watched the late-night talk shows in a while, then you probably missed an appearance last week by Narberth’s own Lizzy McAlpine. She showed up on the tonight show with her new single, “Older.” And if you’re of a generation that thinks There’s no good music these days, I would challenge you to consider McAlpine’s performance:

Her new album, also called Older, is out this Friday. You can pre-order it here. And should you be enthused about all of this, get tickets to go see her play the Met in June.

And From the Bryce-Thrice! Sports Desk …

No one could argue that Bryce Harper was happy with his start to this season, or the end to last season. In fact, the Inquirer ran a story about how mad he was — at himself. Well, in last night’s game against the Reds, he got his first three hits of the year — and what hits they were!

BRYCE HARPER GRAND SLAM!!!!!! 🔥😤

HIS THIRD HOMER OF THE NIGHT 😳😳😳

(via @MLB)pic.twitter.com/LG1Z5wN10u

— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) April 3, 2024

They went toward a big 9-4 win in which Spencer Turnbull went five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and, in a happy surprise, Ricardo Pinto entered his first MLB game since 2019 and went four innings in relief — a feat badly, badly needed by the Phils’ battered bullpen. (He replaced Connor Brogdon on the roster, and he did allow three runs, two of them earned, but who cares?)

The Phillies sent a car at noon for Ricardo Pinto, who was in Rochester, N.Y. with the IronPigs. He got stuck in traffic and did not arrive until the fourth inning. He said hello to Rob Thomson, then went to the bullpen. He pitched four innings for the save.

— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) April 3, 2024

Brandon Marsh had a homer, too. The rain took a toll, as the Reds had two errors and the Phils made three; Cincinnati also had a wild pitch, and Phils catcher Garrett Stubb, in his debut on the season, allowed a passed ball. Our guys close out the series with the Reds this afternoon, weather willing, with the first pitch at 1:05. Um, make that 4:05 — the game was delayed because of this god-awful rain.

How’d the Sixers Do?

Joel Embiid was back on the court against the Thunder last night at the Wells Fargo Center, and while he looked a bit stiff, he wasn’t wincing. He came out after just four minutes in the first, having started along with Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris, Kyle Lowry and Cam Payne; Tyrese Maxey was still on the bench with hip trouble. At least he got some good news today.

The finalists for the 2023-24 NBA Sportsmanship Award.

The annual honor recognizes the player who best represents the ideals of sportsmanship on the court. Current NBA players will select the winner from these six finalists (one finalist from each NBA division). #NBAAwards pic.twitter.com/EZ6LdTBoaO

— NBA (@NBA) April 2, 2024

The Sixers fell behind early but regrouped with a 17-6 run that put them up 25-22 at the close of the first quarter. OKC came back strong in the second, though, despite the absence of injured stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Jalen Williams. At the half: 54-46 Thunder.

Embiid seemed to loosen up as the game went along, but OKC was raining threes in the third, and some Sixer turnovers didn’t help. At least there was Bricken for Chicken. Headed into the final frame: 80-73 Thunder. Two Oubre treys early in the fourth made it a one-point game, and a Batum stuff tied it, but Embiid was called for an offensive foul and then a defensive one, and some sloppy ball-handling and bad Harris misses chilled the vibe, and suddenly it was an 11-point Thunder run. Oubre kept up the pressure, though, right down the stretch; he had 25 points on the night.

Embiid tied it with 3:11 to go to cap an 18-7 Sixer run before an Oubre stuff and foul shot put us up 104-103 … oh God, would we actually pull this off? Joel sank two foul shots for the one-point lead with 37 seconds to go — he’d have 24 points on the night — then snagged a steal, got fouled on the layup by Chet Holmgren, made both foul shots again, and the Sixers were up three with 7.9 left. OKC gets a shot off, the Sixers rebound the miss, and it’s a win for us! Yee-haw!

that was fun. 😁 @cryptocom pic.twitter.com/GQY7Ebmm4y

— Philadelphia 76ers (@sixers) April 3, 2024

All Philly Today Sports Desk coverage is provided by Sandy Hingston.