Eagles’ Jason Kelce wants Dalessandro’s cheesesteaks and Stock’s pound cake as his last meal before he dies

When Eagles center Jason Kelce shuffles off this mortal coil, he will ideally do so with a belly full of Dalessandro’s cheesesteaks, Swiaki Meats sausage, and pound cake from Stock’s Bakery — and maybe some ribs from Mike’s BBQ, if he can get them in time.

Kelce said as much in an appearance on the popular YouTube food show Last Meals that aired Tuesday. Produced by entertainment studio Mythical, of Good Mythical Morning fame, the show features chef and host Josh Scherer discussing not only guests’ potential last meals, but their feelings on death itself.

Uplifting, we know.

Kelce, an Ohio native, showed a lot of love for Philly in his interview, pointing toward a few Philly classics that he would love to have before kicking the bucket. Which, to be fair, makes sense — Kelce has spent more than a decade in Philly, and currently calls Delaware County home. He was bound to be as food-obsessed as all of us.

The first Philly food on Kelce’s list was a Dalessandro’s cheesesteak, which he likes with American cheese, fried onions, and mayonnaise. Last Meals had that order shipped in from Philly on ice for this show, courtesy of a crewmember.

Dalessandro’s, Kelce said, is his favorite because it’s his wife’s preferred steak — and as a local, Kylie McDevitt has had a few. But as a Delco resident, Kelce said he is almost honor-bound to go with Dalessandro’s, wife or no.

“I feel like if you’re in Delaware County, you’re all about Dalessandro’s,” Kelce said. His other favorites include Jim’s on South Street, and Tony & Nick’s Steaks on Oregon Avenue (formerly Tony Luke’s). Angelo’s Pizzeria, which also makes a good steak, doesn’t count, he said.

“It is so good. I just don’t think they’re, like, a cheesesteak place,” Kelce said. Our cheesesteak bracket, in which Angelo’s placed third (and Dalessandro’s first), would like a word.

Next up on Kelce’s list of Philly foods was Swiacki Meats’ kabanosy sausage, which the famed Eagle described as “a fresher Slim Jim” (specifically, Kelce prefers the hot and cheesy kabanosy). And he’s not wrong — coverage from The Inquirer has referred to the sausage as “Polish Slim Jims.”

But rather than “kabanosy,” Kelce refers to the sausage as “kabanosa,” deferring to his father-in-law’s pronunciation of the meat’s name. Czerw’s Kielbasa, another Philly-based Polish food institution, calls it kabanosa, too, so we can’t judge.

Third on Kelce’s last-meal list is ribs from Mike’s BBQ in South Philly — but the show wasn’t able to get them. Owner Mike Strauss, Scherer said, was out of town leading up to the episode’s filming, and wasn’t around to smoke the ribs. So, instead, Kelce ended up with a rack from Joe’s Kansas City BBQ, which he called “a good second” to Mike’s.

Kelce wrapped up his hypothetical last meal with a few desserts, and among them, of course, was Stock’s Bakery’s vanilla pound cake, a beloved Philly classic. That item, Kelce said, also comes courtesy of his wife.

“My favorite way to eat it is you take a slice, cut it off,” and take the icing off, Kelce said. Then, the Eagles center said, you toast it up, and slide the icing back on. He is nothing if not a man of culture.

Kelce also brought up the “legend” that Stock’s was grandfathered in under a local set of rules that would otherwise have required them to take the trans fats out of their pound cake recipe, which Scherer called “the most incredible” story he has ever heard about Eastern Pennsylvania foods. And it’s not a myth — Philly City Council actually voted 16-1 to exempt local bakers, including Stock’s, from a trans fat ban in 2007.

Oh, and as for what Kelce thinks happens when we die?

“I think you go into a hole, or a furnace, and you cease to exist anymore,” Kelce said. “As morbid as that is.”

Until then, go Birds.