These viral Denver hoagies cost nearly $30; fans say they’re worth every penny

When Arthur John (AJ) Shreffler III started selling hoagies and Philly cheesesteaks out of his Denver apartment in 2019, he would skip a night of sleep to bake all the bread.

Those freshly made rolls, usually semolina sesame seed, still provide the base for every one of his sandwiches, no matter what is inside, because Shreffler likes to build things from the ground up.  “The day I start buying bread [instead of baking it] is the day I shut down the business,” he said.

Four years after starting the business as a hobby, Shreffler has moved the kitchen prep out of his apartment and into a string of pop-up kitchens around metro Denver. His East Coast-style hoagies — everything from chopped cheese to Italian subs to meatball grinders — sell out almost immediately after he posts them online for pre-orders.

To keep up with the demand, he’s found a team of s...