Volume 29, Number 35
www.towntimes.com
Roche continues to slice up the Conn. pizza scene
Friday, September 1, 2023
COMMENTARY
Exciting year ahead for Regional District 13
By Mike DeRienzo Special to Town Times
By Doug Schuch
The last week in August means the start of another school year in Regional School District 13. It was great to be in our schools this past week as we welcomed the Coginchaug Regional High School Class of 2036 (AKA Kindergarten at Brewster Elementary School and John Lyman Elementary School) and began reconnecting with all of our learners after a long summer break.
If you ask people around the world where the best pizza is made, you’d probably get a variety of answers including Italy, New York, or Chicago. But in recent years, the “pies” made in Connecticut, specifically New Haven, have been ranked right up top with all other contenders, and many would suggest that the best way to enjoy a slice of New Haven style pizza is right from a brick oven truck. Jackie Roche would agree. Jackie has been serving her famous New Haven-style pizza at any one of the hundred events she does every summer. And if the name doesn’t sound familiar, you probably have seen her zipping around in her custom-built 1948 International Harvester complete with a working brick oven straight from Italy.
Jackie Roche continues to make a name for herself as one of the state's best and most unique pizza makers. Photos courtesy of Jackie Roche
“It’s a hard job because you’re sweating in the heat and it’s nonstop but it’s all worth it – it really is,” says Jackie, who, at the time of this interview was, per usual, preparing for another long day of back-to-back events.
Speaking of welcoming and comfortable, I am happy to report that the long overdue reconstruction and subsequent paving of Pickett Lane was substantially completed (we still have a bit more work to do) recently and has made driving to the high school/ middle school campus a much more pleasant experience.
She usually starts the day at around 6 a.m. to prepare for the day’s events. The truck – a barn find from Ohio that has been rebuilt using all original parts, with the exception of the brick oven – requires a lot of labor to get ready.
I previously referred to our entering Kindergarten as the CRHS Class of 2036, a daunting thought for educators and families alike, especially when
A labor of love, Jackie would say, but a labor nonetheless. First, Jackie has to unlatch the sides See Roche, A3
Thank you to parents and guardians for recalibrating bedtimes for your children and for your overall support of our schools as we enter 2023-24. I am also thankful for the hard work of our teachers and other employees for making our schools welcoming and helping our learners become more comfortable with new expectations for the coming year.
Jackie Roche’s custom built 1948 International Harvester.
See Schuch, A4