In 1938, a first-generation Italian-American named Albert Ferrerri opened an outdoor stand at the corner of Laflin and Harrison Streets and began serving Italian beef and sausages cooked over a charcoal grill.  It was largely just a front for a horse racing and baseball bookmaking business, but after the cops busted up the gambling ring, the sandwich-making operations continued unabated.  In 1963, Albert and his brother-in-law Christopher Pacelli split the business in two and opened their own separate "Al's Barbeque" restaurants in the neighorhood.  Pacelli's joint opened at this location, and in the 1980's it was renamed "Al's No. 1 Italian Beef."  Meanwhile, Albert Ferrerri, who remained a gambler and a hustler his whole life, passed away in 2001 at the age of 90.