Tony Luke Jr. cuts a giant cheesesteak outside of the new Tony Luke’s location at the Mohegan Sun Pocono food court in Plains Township on Thursday.
                                 Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

Tony Luke Jr. cuts a giant cheesesteak outside of the new Tony Luke’s location at the Mohegan Sun Pocono food court in Plains Township on Thursday.

Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

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<p>Aryanna Davis of Pittston painted a Philadelphia-themed mural in the Mohegan Sun Pocono Food Court as part of the redesign near Tony Luke’s.</p>
                                 <p>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader</p>

Aryanna Davis of Pittston painted a Philadelphia-themed mural in the Mohegan Sun Pocono Food Court as part of the redesign near Tony Luke’s.

Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

<p>Aryanna Davis of Pittston painted a Philadelphia-themed mural in the Mohegan Sun Pocono Food Court as part of the redesign near Tony Luke’s.</p>
                                 <p>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader</p>

Aryanna Davis of Pittston painted a Philadelphia-themed mural in the Mohegan Sun Pocono Food Court as part of the redesign near Tony Luke’s.

Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

<p>Aryanna Davis of Pittston painted a Philadelphia-themed mural in the Mohegan Sun Pocono Food Court as part of the redesign near Tony Luke’s.</p>
                                 <p>Aimee Dilger | Times Leader</p>

Aryanna Davis of Pittston painted a Philadelphia-themed mural in the Mohegan Sun Pocono Food Court as part of the redesign near Tony Luke’s.

Aimee Dilger | Times Leader

PLAINS TWP. — A taste of Philadelphia has set up shop in the Mohegan Sun Pocono casino, and it replaced a ribbon-cutting with a cutting of a giant cheesesteak.

Tony Luke’s, a chain of cheesesteak restaurants that claims to be “the real taste of South Philly,” officially opened its newest location in the casino’s food court. The location marks the first Tony Luke’s in our area, and one of only a handful based outside of southeastern Pennsylvania.

The company’s owner, Tony Luke Jr., was on hand to mark the occasion, slicing into a cheesesteak that was easily 5 feet long to symbolize the shop’s official opening. Luke praised the casino, saying that partnering with them has gone remarkably well.

“It’s a scary thing to put your name on something and to kind of give it to someone else to take care of; it’s kind of like your baby,” he said, before adding that those fears were assuaged when he saw the casino’s kitchen staff. “I was completely blown away by the standards by which they adhere to.”

Mohegan Sun Pocono’s head chef, Franco Torquato, had similar praise for the Tony Luke’s brand’s standards.

“When you hear their ideology and their story and their passion behind all this, it’s exciting to be a part of,” Torquato said.

According to the Tony Luke’s website, that ideology involves the company working directly with Midwestern cattle farmers and Southern New Jersey produce farms to ensure high-quality ingredients, along with bread baked with a secret recipe.

Accompanying the opening of the restaurant was a Philadelphia-themed mural, painted by Pittston-based artist Aryanna Davis. Featuring some Philadelphia icons — City Hall and its statue of William Penn, the LOVE sculpture and a statue of Rocky Balboa — Davis’ mural uses negative space between sections to mimic the columns of a railway bridge.

Davis says the mural came to fruition after the casino contacted the Pittston Arts Council.

“I wanted to preserve the brick, because I thought the brick was really beautiful,” she said, explaining her use of negative space, showing off the wall’s brick between sections.

Davis’ paintings were done on canvas in her personal studio, which were then attached to the wall during a three-day process. Next week, another mural from her, featuring classic images from New York City, will also be added to the walls at the casino to go along with the New York-style pizza restaurant, Slice’d.

The murals will bookend the food court, with the two restaurants occupying the space in between.

Reach Patrick Kernan at 570-991-6386 or on Twitter @PatKernan