It’s the last place you’d expect to find a holistic health counselor, but Miss Tilly’s Phillies (as in cheesesteaks slathered with Cheez Whiz sauce) is a dream come true for Kristin Murphy.

Murphy opened the restaurant in October with Pam Hollingshead, the breakfast cook she worked with at Linda Bean’s Maine Kitchen in Freeport.

“I’ve worked in restaurants all my life and I’ve always wanted a little place,” Murphy said as she leaned on the white counter during a Friday post-lunch lull.

Murphy, who lives with her partner, Andy Stinson, and 6-year-old son, Ryan, in Woolwich, kept driving by the empty restaurant, noting the for rent sign, until one day she pulled over and made the call.

“It was really affordable,” Murphy said. Rachel Monbouquette, whose son attends Woolwich Central School with Murphy’s son, agreed early on to be a partner as well.

Hollingshead, who was busy making a cheesesteak at the grill, was quick to add, “But there was nothing attractive about this place when we first got here except that the rent was cheap. We painted, cleaned and made it cute.”

They also make a signature heaped up, overflowing grilled steak (or chicken), onion and pepper sandwich on a crusty foot-long roll that soaks up just enough Cheez Whiz sauce to keep the whole thing from being a hand-to-mouth mess. And if Cheez Whiz sauce doesn’t tempt you, they’ll serve it with melted provolone. Or even both.

Why Cheez Whiz?

According to Hollingshead, “It’s the official cheese of the Philly cheesesteak.”

For Murphy, who moved to Maine three years ago, she just wanted a little taste of home. “I’m from Virginia and there are a lot of good Phillies down there and I missed that. A steak bomb, which a lot of places serve up here, isn’t the same.”

In addition to cheesesteaks, Miss Tilly’s also serves a selection of deli sandwiches, salads, homemade soups and desserts that range in price from $2.95 to $7.95. Two of the most popular specialty sandwiches — aside from the classic Philly — are the boneless beef short rib with caramelized onions and bleu cheese on a telera roll, and the Vermonter with roasted turkey, apple, sharp Cheddar and honey mustard on a pressed Italian roll.

“I knew I wanted to do sandwiches and such,” Murphy said and, with a background in nutritional consulting, all of Miss Tilly’s offerings feature quality, healthful ingredients. “There’s nothing really healthy about Cheez Whiz, but it’s not like people eat it on steak every day. It’s like anything. Moderation,” she said.

Miss Tilly’s is named after Hollingshead’s 8-year-old rat terrier and is the latest takeout joint to occupy the little yellow building at 393 Bath Road by Bath Iron Works’ Hardings Plant. It follows in the footsteps of Fiona’s Catering and Gilly’s, a seafood restaurant. The location has also been both a pizza and a Mexican place.

Murphy and Hollingshead are optimisitic about their potential success in the location, even though January has been a slow month. Miss Tilly’s Phillies is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

Customers are encouraged to call ahead at 442-0500 for the “speediest” service. A full menu can be viewed at www.misstillysphillies.com. Daily specials are posted to Miss Tilly’s Facebook page.

Murphy still observes some practices she adopted as a holistic health counselor. She limits her dietary intake of meat to once or twice a week, but she said, “I am better at making Philly cheesesteaks than I am at holistic health counseling.”

¦ MISS TILLY’S PHILLIES is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, and Saturday from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. The restaurant is closed on Sundays.

¦ CUSTOMERS ARE encouraged to call ahead at 442-0500 for the “speediest” service. A full menu can be viewed at www.misstillysphillies.com. Daily specials are posted to Miss Tilly’s Facebook page.

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