AA Learn more about in-home care options for your loved ones

Given the choice, most of us want to stay in our homes. Sometimes, people need help to remain at home. That's where Always Best Care Senior Services comes in.

Personal Care Consultation

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TESTIMONIALS

“We are 3 weeks into working with this agency for homecare for my dad. There were a few bumps in the road, but we have hit the jackpot with two of our caregivers. Melissa Pericas and Jordene have been amazing! My mother has been struggling with having strangers in her home and letting someone else take care of her husband, but these two lovely women have melded into the family and put her completely at ease. They are both very experienced and are doing and amazing job. My mom is able to put the caregiving into their capable hands and focus on being his wife and spend valuable time with him. These ladies both deserve 5 stars!! I rated the agency with 4 stars because we had some scheduling issues in the beginning and had one caregiver that was problematic, but he was removed from our schedule as soon as I reported the issue.”

Sherry D.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Our caregiver Anne Sumner is more than a passionate, compassionate, caring, dependable and dedicated professional. She quickly became a family member and friend.”

t M.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Cynthia Montano is the amazing from Always Best Care. Cynthia has helped my parents and us with this transition process. She has been wonderful explaining everything. If we had questions or just needed to talk about what is going on with the parents she was there to help. She goes above and beyond. She has help us tremendously. I feel blessed for having Cynthia during this time. Our family would like to say thank you for everything. We couldn't have done it without her.”

Deborah M.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I just want to thank ABC agency for allowing us our angel giver which is what we call her. Shay is a life saver without her I'll be running like a chicken with my head cut off. She has stepped in and saved the day numerous times between changing her schedule to work with ours, to even making sure Steve visits his wife grave. We appreciate her please don't take her from us steve would be devastated. She's amazing”

Stephanie B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“They are very hospitable and provide a wide range of job and in various locations. They communicate these job very well and make access to these opportunities easy. I definately like working for them.”

Jardene R.
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TESTIMONIALS

“My experience with ABC has been great. My current caregiver Tashaya S. Is helpful and quick”

Virginia C.
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TESTIMONIALS

“I enjoy my job , I love the flexible hours :)”

Zhane C.
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TESTIMONIALS

“The caregivers talk with me. I like that the caregivers clean for me.”

Walter S.
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TESTIMONIALS

“ABC has been very supportive in providing excellent caregivers to take care of my 96 year old father. It’s been a very good experience working with them over the past few months. Responsive and flexible in covering last minute requests. We are also blessed to have Ginny as our full time day caregiver and Mike for overnight. Both are very passionate about the care they give and do a terrific job. We have no worries when they are with dad. They care for him as if he was their own and it means a great deal to my family. They go above and beyond our expectations. We are more than grateful for their assistance.”

Donna M.
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TESTIMONIALS

“My uncle needed support-fast! Cynthia’s assistance helped him weigh his options and make the transition from home to assisted living in surprisingly quick fashion. In addition, she suggested vendors and agencies to help support and manage the distribution of his belongings. We are forever grateful.”

Deborah S.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Nothing in particular. Generally, I get people who are good people, most of the people they send are okay and I have had 2 or 3 people who were bad. I have someone now who is good and I have had some people who were not good from the agency. Some of them need to be more thorough.”

Anonymous_7278
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TESTIMONIALS

“Great company to work with, flexible and reasonable. Always involved and available as well as continued contact from beginning to end of service. The caregiver we had was amazing and devoted as well as super knowledgeable and driven to not only care but to rehabilitate . I would recommend them to anyone in need without hesitation.”

Kevin A.
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TESTIMONIALS

“ABC was a great care giving company to work with. If there were issues, they were corrected quickly by the office staff and the aides my mother had were kind and caring. Kudos to everyone!”

Rich R.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Great company to work with, flexible and reasonable. Always involved and available as well as continued contact from beginning to end of service. The caregiver we had was amazing and devoted as well as super knowledgeable and driven to not only care but to rehabilitate . I would recommend them to anyone in need without hesitation.”

KJA511
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TESTIMONIALS

“She talks with her while I go to appointment and if there is a problem. I would recommend because it provides companionship.”

Connie B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“They've boosted my husband's spirits and his wellbeing. We've had two people, and they're absolutely incredible.”

George G.
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TESTIMONIALS

“My Mom started requiring 24x7 care 2 years ago and her primary aid was attentive to her needs and treated her with dignity and respect. She would often call my Mom her "Queen". They always provided advanced notice whenever the aid needed time off and was responsive to questions and concerns. I don't know what we would have done if not for ABC and its services.”

KBPells
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TESTIMONIALS

“If my back is hurting, the aid will do everything I need. She takes me to every one of my appointments. I would recommend this agency because the people that have cared for me have all been great people, and they are willing to do everything for me.”

Andrew R.
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TESTIMONIALS

“The client feels comfortable with the provider. I like that they are attentive to the patient.”

Domenico B.
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TESTIMONIALS

“The first time you send an aid to someone, send a list of expected duties the aid is supposed to do. I like that they always offer a fill in care giver. They always make sure I have an aid when I am supposed to have one.”

Barry P.
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TESTIMONIALS

“My Mom started only requiring part time care due to her cancer but as it progressed, we needed around the clock care. The aides were always extremely helpful and kind to my Mom and when we needed care 24x7 our aide was Na who was here for my Mom day in and day out. In a six month period she had only taken two days off where we needed coverage which Always Best took care of for us. Na was just wonderful and my Mom loved her and everything she had done to comfort her. I also appreciated everything Na had done for my Mom and to have an aide as dedicated to my Mom was critical in my eyes. I would also like to thank their entire office they always worked with me and were always available whenever I needed anything. Thank you Always best Care, my Mom couldn't have been treated any better!!!”

kevinRK
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TESTIMONIALS

“I deal with Deanna, and I can ask her to do what I need without question. I like that they're prompt.”

Gilmay L.
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TESTIMONIALS

“Tommico, she makes my bed, she helps me with cleaning my floors cleans my bathroom, and she really does a nice job. They try hard to get caregivers and the right care to have someone here for me.”

Barbara K.
 In-Home Care East Haven, CT

How does In-home Senior Care in East Haven, CT work?

Home is where the heart is. While that saying can sound a tad cliche, it's especially true for many seniors living in America. When given a choice, older adults most often prefer to grow older at home. An AARP study found that three out of four adults over the age of 50 want to stay in their homes and communities as they age. When you begin to think about why, it makes sense. Home offers a sense of security, comfort, and familiarity.

The truth is, as we age, we begin to rely on others for help. When a family is too busy or lives too far away to fulfill this role, in-home senior care is often the best solution. Home care services allow seniors to enjoy personal independence while also receiving trustworthy assistance from a trained caregiver.

At Always Best Care, we offer a comprehensive range of home care services to help seniors stay healthy while they get the help they need to remain independent. As your senior loved one ages, giving them the gift of senior care is one of the best ways to show your love, even if you live far away.

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 Senior Care East Haven, CT

Aging in Place: The Preferred Choice for Most Seniors

While it's true that some seniors have complicated medical needs that prevent them from staying at home, aging in place is often the best arrangement for seniors and their families. With a trusted caregiver, seniors have the opportunity to live with a sense of dignity and do so as they see fit.

In-home care makes it possible for millions of seniors to age in place every year. Rather than moving to a unfamiliar assisted living community, seniors have the chance to stay at home where they feel the happiest and most comfortable.

Here are just a few of the reasons why older men and women prefer to age at home:

Comfort
Comfort

How much does a senior's home truly mean to them? A study published by the American Society on Aging found that more than half of seniors say their home's emotional value means more than how much their home is worth in monetary value. It stands to reason, that a senior's home is where they want to grow old. With the help of elderly care in East Haven, CT, seniors don't have to age in a sterilized care facility. Instead, they can age gracefully in the place they want to be most: their home. In contrast, seniors who move to a long-term care facility must adapt to new environments, new people, and new systems that the facility implements. At this stage in life, this kind of drastic change can be more harmful than helpful.

Healthy Living
Healthy Living

Institutional care facilities like nursing homes often put large groups of people together to live in one location. On any given day, dozens of staff members and caregivers run in and out of these facilities. Being around so many new people in a relatively small living environment can be dangerous for a seniors' health and wellbeing. When you consider that thousands of seniors passed away in nursing homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, opting for in-home care is often a safer, healthier choice for seniors. Aging in place has been shown to improve seniors' quality of life, which helps boost physical health and also helps insulate them from viral and bacterial risks found in elderly living facilities.

Independence
Independence

For many seniors, the ability to live independently with assistance from a caregiver is a priceless option. With in-home care, seniors experience a higher level of independence and freedom - much more so than in other settings like an assisted living community. When a senior has the chance to age in place, they get to live life on their own terms, inside the house that they helped make into a home. More independence means more control over their personal lives, too, which leads to increased levels of fulfillment, happiness, and personal gratification. Over time, these positive feelings can manifest into a healthier, longer life.

Cost and Convenience
Cost and Convenience

More independence, a healthier life, and increased comfort are only a few benefits of aging in place. You have to take into consideration the role of cost and convenience. Simply put, it's usually easier to help seniors age in place than it is to move them into an institutional care facility. In-home care services from Always Best Care, for instance, can be less expensive than long-term solutions, which can cost upwards of six figures per year. To make matters worse, many residential care facilities are reluctant to accept long-term care insurance and other types of payment assistance.

With Always Best Care's home care services, seniors and their families have a greater level of control over their care plans. In-home care in East Haven, CT gives seniors the chance to form a bond with a trusted caregiver and also receive unmatched care that is catered to their needs. In long-term care facilities, seniors and their loved ones have much less control over their care plan and have less of a say in who provides their care.

Empowers Seniors

Affordable Care Plans

In-home care is a valuable resource that empowers seniors to age in place on their own terms. However, a big concern for many families and their loved ones is how much in-home care costs. If you're worried that in-home care is too expensive, you may be pleasantly surprised to learn that it is one of the most affordable senior care arrangements available.

Typically, hiring an Always Best Care in-home caregiver for a few hours a week is more affordable than sending your loved one to a long-term care facility. This is true even for seniors with more complex care needs.

At Always Best Care, we will work closely with you and your family to develop a Care Plan that not only meets your care needs, but your budget requirements, too. Once we discover the level of care that you or your senior need, we develop an in-home care plan that you can afford.

In addition to our flexible care options, families should also consider the following resources to help offset potential home care costs:

Veteran's Benefits
Veteran's Benefits

Aid and Attendance benefits through military service can cover a portion of the costs associated with in-home care for veterans and their spouses.

Long-Term Care Insurance
Long-Term Care Insurance

Many senior care services like in-home care are included in long-term care insurance options. Research different long-term care solutions to find a plan that provides coverage for senior care.

Private Insurance
Private Insurance

Home care can be included as part of a senior's private insurance plan. Read over your loved one's insurance policy carefully or speak with their insurance provider to determine if in-home care is covered.

Life Insurance
Life Insurance

Depending on the life insurance plan, you may be able to apply your policy toward long-term care. You may be able to use long-term-care coverage to help pay for in-home elderly care.


Respite Care East Haven, CT

During your Care Plan consultation with Always Best Care, your Care Coordinator will speak with you about in-home care costs and what options there may be to help meet your budget needs.

Compassionate Care. Trusted Caregivers

When you or your senior loved one needs assistance managing daily tasks at home, finding a qualified caregiver can be challenging. It takes a special kind of person to provide reliable care for your senior loved one. However, a caregiver's role involves more than meal preparation and medication reminders. Many seniors rely on their caregivers for companionship, too.

Our companion care services give seniors the chance to socialize in a safe environment and engage in activities at home. These important efforts boost morale and provide much-needed relief from repetitive daily routines. A one-on-one, engaging conversation can sharpen seniors' minds and give them something in which to be excited.

At Always Best Care, we only hire care providers that we would trust to care for our own loved ones. Our senior caregivers in East Haven,CT understand how important it is to listen and communicate with their seniors. A seemingly small interaction, like a short hug goodbye, can make a major difference in a senior's day. Instead of battling against feelings of isolation, seniors begin to look forward to seeing their caregiver each week.

Understanding the nuances of senior care is just one of the reasons why our care providers are so great at their job.

Unlike some senior care companies, our caregivers must undergo extensive training before they work for Always Best Care. In addition, our caregivers receive ongoing training throughout the year. This training ensures that their standard of care matches up to the high standards we've come to expect. During this training, they will brush up on their communication skills, safety awareness, and symptom spotting. That way, your loved one receives the highest level of non-medical home care from day one.

 Caregivers East Haven, CT

Taking the First Step with Always Best Care

The first step in getting quality in-home care starts with a personal consultation with an experienced Care Coordinator. This initial consultation is crucial for our team to learn more about you or your elderly loved one to discover the level of care required. Topics of this consultation typically include:

An assessment of your senior loved one

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An in-depth discussion of the needs of your senior loved one to remain in their own home

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Reviewing a detailed Care Plan that will meet your senior loved one's needs

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Our caregivers are trained to spot changes that clients exhibit, like mental and physical decline. As your trusted senior care company, we will constantly assess and update your Care Plan to meet any new emotional, intellectual, physical, and emotional needs.

If you have never considered in-home care before, we understand that you and your family may have concerns about your Care Plan and its Care Coordinator. To help give you peace of mind, know that every team member and caregiver must undergo comprehensive training before being assigned to a Care Plan.

When you're ready, we encourage you to contact your local Always Best Care representative to set up a Care Consultation. Our Care Coordinators would be happy to meet with you in person to get to know you better, discuss your needs, and help put together a personalized Care Plan specific to your needs.

Latest News in East Haven, CT

How Much Does Hiring A Plumber Cost In East Haven?

From leaky faucets to burst pipes, hiring a Thumbtack professional is the fast and easy way to handle all your plumbing needs.Thumbtack, Brand PartnerAs a homeowner, plumbing probably doesn’t cross your mind much until there’s a problem. But when your faucet won’t stop dripping, your toilet is clogged or a burst pipe causes flooding, ...

From leaky faucets to burst pipes, hiring a Thumbtack professional is the fast and easy way to handle all your plumbing needs.

Thumbtack, Brand Partner

As a homeowner, plumbing probably doesn’t cross your mind much until there’s a problem. But when your faucet won’t stop dripping, your toilet is clogged or a burst pipe causes flooding, finding a plumber to come to the rescue quickly is an absolute necessity. Fortunately, Thumbtack, a home services app used by millions, has East Haven residents covered.

Thumbtack connects homeowners with local professionals, including top-rated plumbers. When you need a plumbing professional to repair faulty fixtures, clear drain blockages, replace damaged pipes, or handle any other plumbing need, Thumbtack makes it simple to find and hire a plumber in the East Haven area.

Stubborn clogs in sinks, toilets, or showers can eventually lead to pipe and drain issues. Plumbers have specialized tools to repair drains, clear blockages and ensure water flows freely. The average cost of plumbing drain repair in Hartford is $351.74, according to data obtained by Thumbtack.*

Once your plumbing needs are handled, you can use Thumbtack to connect with other pros in the East Haven area to complete virtually any home task. You can hire a house cleaner, electrician, landscaper, and more to help you tackle that to-do list.

Each professional on Thumbtack has a profile, allowing you to read reviews, see how many times they’ve been hired by others, and see how long they’ve been in business. You can contact pros and request free cost estimates, allowing you to compare prices and choose the professional that best fits your budget.

Find out what's happening in East Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Whether you need services from a plumber or any other professional in the East Haven area, Thumbtack is the way to go.

*Pricing data is based on projects requested on Thumbtack in the past 24 months as reported directly by the independent service professional or individual consumer. These figures are provided for educational purposes only and are subject to change at any time due to various factors. Details about your specific project and local rates can impact costs.

East Haven Election 2023: Official Vote Totals In For All Races

Here are the vote totals for every candidate that ran in the East Haven local elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7.EAST HAVEN, CT — The votes have all been counted in East Haven, and here are the totals for each candidate.The vote totals are per the Secretary of State website:Mayor Democrat Joseph A. Carfora, 3,931Republican Samantha "Sam" Parlato, 1,962Find out what's...

Here are the vote totals for every candidate that ran in the East Haven local elections on Tuesday, Nov. 7.

EAST HAVEN, CT — The votes have all been counted in East Haven, and here are the totals for each candidate.

The vote totals are per the Secretary of State website:

Mayor

Democrat Joseph A. Carfora, 3,931

Republican Samantha "Sam" Parlato, 1,962

Find out what's happening in East Havenwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Petitioning Anthony R. Camposano, 142

Town Clerk

Democrat Lisa Balter, 3,206

Republican Stacy Gravino, 2,523

Town Council District 1

Democrats: Ann Penington, 680. Ashley Lesco, 628. Beth Capotorto, 686.

Republicans: Sandy Swierad Woodhouse, 407. Eileen Parlato, 496. David Hultgren, 380.

Town Council District 2

Democrats: Karen Martin, 813. Joe Deko, 874. Joe Santino, 804.

Republicans: Kelli Carr, 455. Carmine Riccitelli, 510. Sharon Cote, 455.

Town Council District 3

Democrats: Lou Pacelli, 707. Marianne Cesare, 587. Paul Thompson, 583.

Republicans: Bill Richardson, 356. Louis DeSorbo, 361. Carl Ruggiero Sr., 358.

Town Council District 4

Democrats: Michael Ginnetti, 609. Tina Hedley, 576. Sue Stacey, 593.

Republicans: Mark Christman, 419. R.J. Connors, 448. Linda Hennessey, 502.

Town Council District 5

Democrats: Guy A. Bimonte Jr., 632. Joseph Kikosicki, 596. Al Vollono, 621.

Republicans: Bryan Surprenant, 349. Joan A. Adamczyk, 441. Loria Jaffe, 374.

Board of Finance

Democrats: Al Purzycki, 2,858. Ronald Desena, 2,916. Rich Esposito, 3,210. Chris Perdo, 3,070.

Republicans: Beth Percell, 2,372. Frank Aiello, 2,296. Ralph J. Vitale, 2,418. Rich Goulart, 1,963

Board of Education

Democrats: Karen Putney, 2,912. Michele A. Delucia, 3,070. Erika Santino Santiago, 2,937. Jack Stacey, 3,184. Marianne Johnson, 3,013. Patricia (Tia) DePalma, 3,067.

Republicans: Lynn A. Torello, 2,982. Jennifer Dilungo, 2,350. Thomas DeMatteo, 2,189. Thomas Hennessey, 2,340. Kerry Martens, 2,072. Nick Adams, 2,070

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More from East Haven

East Haven ‘Golden Bachelor’ contestant talks beauty treatments after chemo

EAST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — While East Haven’s “The Golden Bachelor” contestant wasn’t on the show’s recent “Women Tell All” episode, she’s still sharing her secrets — about her beauty treatments, at least.Peggy Dercole, who turned 70 last month, was one of the women (all over the age of 60) dating 72-year-old Gerry Turner during the “Bachelor” spinoff. The dental hygeniest was eliminated in the show’s second week. ...

EAST HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — While East Haven’s “The Golden Bachelor” contestant wasn’t on the show’s recent “Women Tell All” episode, she’s still sharing her secrets — about her beauty treatments, at least.

Peggy Dercole, who turned 70 last month, was one of the women (all over the age of 60) dating 72-year-old Gerry Turner during the “Bachelor” spinoff. The dental hygeniest was eliminated in the show’s second week.

The women recently spoke to Allure about their beauty secrets, sharing their tips and go-to routines.

Dercole is a breast cancer survivor who lost her hair and eyebrows while undergoing chemotherapy. She told Allure that while her hair has returned, it’s thinner than it used to be.

She said that “the eyebrows really make the face,” which is why she did microblading. She returns once a year for an annual touch-up.

However, she doesn’t want to take things too far.

“I’ve always said I’m going to age gracefully and not do lots of cosmetic work on my face,” she told Allure. “We all get tempted to do something because we liked the way we looked when we were young, of course. But I’m not ready to go that route. I just want to look healthy. And I still think I can make that happen on my own.”

That’s not the only secret she’s sharing. In a post for the Bachelor National blog, she’s seen wearing an apron that reads “PEGGY 70 and Cookin!” while discussing her favorite Thanksgiving recipes.

According to the blog, she loves entertaining, decorating and singing holiday music at Thanksgiving. What are her favorite recipes? Those are roasted vegetable casserole, Chrisstmas bark and seven fishes.

Her sangria recipe, however, is a secret she’ll never share.

The finale of “The Golden Bachelor” will air at 8 p.m. Nov. 30 on WTNH.

The Lasting Pleasures of New Haven Pizza

Not long ago, in line at Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop, a hundred-year-old bakery in New Haven, I encountered a burly middle-aged man pacing in front of the counter in a state of distress. The cannoli, he was horrified to see, were not being filled with ricotta to order but, rather, had been pre-assembled and were now growing soggy (he was sure) in a large glass display case. He slapped a palm to his forehead. I asked him if he had come to Wooster Square, New Haven’s historically Italian neighborhood, for the pizza. He certainly ha...

Not long ago, in line at Libby’s Italian Pastry Shop, a hundred-year-old bakery in New Haven, I encountered a burly middle-aged man pacing in front of the counter in a state of distress. The cannoli, he was horrified to see, were not being filled with ricotta to order but, rather, had been pre-assembled and were now growing soggy (he was sure) in a large glass display case. He slapped a palm to his forehead. I asked him if he had come to Wooster Square, New Haven’s historically Italian neighborhood, for the pizza. He certainly had not. “I don’t buy Connecticut pizza,” he said scornfully. “I’m from the Bronx. It don’t taste right.”

I beg to differ. But, of course, I would: I was born and raised in New Haven, where pizza is also known as “apizza,” pronounced “ah-beetz,” a bit of enduring Neapolitan dialect. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, an influx of Italian immigrants, mostly from Naples, arrived to work at factories like Sargent & Co., a manufacturer of locks and hardware; in the nineteen-tens, New Haven had the highest per-capita Italian American population of any city in the U.S. Small, family-owned bakeries, many of them serving simple, inexpensive pizza made in brick ovens, proliferated in Wooster Square and beyond.

Of the dozens of apizza restaurants in and around New Haven, three have earned the most renown: Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana, which opened in Wooster Square in 1925; Sally’s Apizza (1938, down the street); and Modern Apizza (1934, in an adjacent neighborhood). Though they have much in common—Salvatore (Sally) Consiglio was a nephew of Frank Pepe—there’s a compulsion among locals to favor one over the others. My family is a Modern family. For as long as I can remember, we’ve ordered pizzas layered thickly with San Marzano tomato sauce and shredded mozzarella, plus fried eggplant or olives and onions. The cheese is aged, never fresh, and I’ve always been partial to the sauceless white pies that let it sing, topped with coarsely chopped garlic and broccoli or wheels of tomato. Every pie is finished with finely crumbled pecorino and sliced haphazardly, so that the wedges vary considerably in width. Most important, a New Haven pizza is always cooked well done: the crust, which is made from a cold-fermented dough and hand-stretched, is thin, chewy, and pleasingly gritty, exceptionally blistered and charred. In “Pizza: A Love Story,” a 2019 documentary, one enthusiast explains that “you need to actually thoroughly wash your hands after eating a New Haven pizza, because it looks like you’ve been gardening.”

I knew that apizza inspired passion and pilgrimages and celebrity endorsements—Frank Sinatra, a friend of Consiglio’s brother, was a vocal champion of Sally’s—but its profile has risen in the years since I left New Haven. In 2006, Pepe’s, which is still owned by the family that founded it, began to expand throughout Connecticut and as far as Florida. In 2017, Sally’s was sold to an investment consortium, which followed suit. Dave Portnoy, the knuckleheaded founder of Barstool Sports, who posts inane pizza reviews on YouTube, has also spread the gospel. “Let me settle this once and for all,” he tweeted in 2021. “The pizza capital of the United States is New Haven Ct. Anybody who says otherwise is wrong.” When he visited Modern, he deemed it “legitimately spectacular.” It’s hard to imagine myself agreeing with Portnoy on anything but this.

Colin Caplan, a native and historian of the city, who wrote the 2018 book “Pizza in New Haven,” has identified some eighty restaurants outside Connecticut that serve New Haven-style pizza. (Most are in the U.S., but he’s currently trying to nail down a place in South Korea.) It was with some territorial suspicion that I visited, in September, one of the newest: Lala’s, on the roof of Grimm Ales, a craft brewery in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, described by its owners (one of whom, a Georgia native, graduated from Yale) as a “fermentation-focused New Haven-inspired sourdough pizzeria.” The first item on the menu was promising: a “red pie,” made without mozzarella—only tomato sauce, plus olive oil and pecorino. This would be known as a tomato pie in New Haven, where it’s a protected specialty. Order one from the Pepe’s Web site and you’re prompted to click a box: “By selecting this, you are acknowledging that this pie has no mozzarella on it.” Lala’s list of toppings included clams (a white clam pie is a New Haven classic made especially famous by Pepe’s) and mashed potato (an homage to Bar, a pizzeria just off Yale’s campus). But they were outnumbered by ingredients that read like a parody of early-two-thousands Brooklyn: egg-yolk drizzle, fermented red onions, Gruyère, local mushrooms.

And though the pizzas were served on sheet pans covered in parchment paper, as they would be in New Haven, they otherwise didn’t look familiar. Apizza crust is decidedly thin, but it also has a pronounced and appealing droop to it, enhanced by the weight of a generous and rather sloppily arranged quantity of toppings. At Lala’s, the crust was flavorful but almost cracker-like, and the pies were topped more sparsely for a refined, daintier effect. I flipped a slice over and inspected its underside: nary a hint of char.

If there’s one person who knows what it would take to replicate New Haven pizza in another place, it’s Caplan. I called him to ask what accounts for what I think of as apizza’s X factor: a deeply rendered caramelization, a complex intensity drawn from sauce, crust, and cheese alike. Was it the oven temperature and cooking time? He explained that apizza is made with a hydrated dough that can stand up to eight minutes in an oven kept at around six hundred degrees, as opposed to a drier Neapolitan dough, which is flash-cooked at up to nine hundred degrees, so that the creamy fresh mozzarella barely melts. According to Caplan’s research, what we call Neapolitan pizza today is a relatively modern creation, resulting from improvements in flour quality. New Haven pizza, he argues, is actually closer to what was originally made in Naples. “It’s like we saved a piece of Old Napoli from the ancient days of the lazzaroni, the peasants,” he said, his voice growing romantic.

When I remarked that the same could be said of New York pizzerias, some of which are even older than New Haven’s big three and use similar recipes, he countered that New York’s offerings are more diverse than New Haven’s, and have perhaps been diluted by a wave of shops that don’t take the craft seriously—the dollar-slice phenomenon. Still, he allowed, “I realize that I could find a pizza out there that I might fall in love with, and it might not be in New Haven. It’s a really scary thought.”

On a recent visit to the Wooster Square Pepe’s, I saw at least fifty people standing in line for a table, undeterred by light rain. A friend and I ordered a white clam pie to go and carried it to a bench nearby, where we found a group of road trippers from Maine who had had the same idea. When I opened the box, I was disappointed to see that the clams had slid to one side of the pie in transit. But then I realized that the looseness with which they’d been applied partly accounted for the pizza’s transcendence. At Pepe’s, the sweet, meaty chopped littlenecks slosh like seawater, and taste like it, too, their bright brine married with fresh garlic, dried oregano, olive oil, and pecorino.

A connoisseur knows that asking which of New Haven’s pizzerias is the best is beside the point; the more pertinent question is which restaurant offers the best iteration of each pie. If a contrarian tries to tell you that, actually, the white clam pie at Zuppardi’s, in neighboring West Haven, is better than the one at Pepe’s, resist. (But, by all means, go out of your way to try Zuppardi’s “Special,” with mushrooms and a superlative house-made fennel sausage.) At Sally’s, order a red pie with mozzarella, bacon, and onions, or a white pie topped with fresh rosemary and silky, almost translucent slices of potato.

For anything else, you’ll find me at Modern. Not long ago, my husband and I and our two small children met my parents there for lunch. It was the first visit for my kids, and cramming together into a familiar, dimly lit booth felt like passing down a primal ritual. New Haven is not a slice town; you get a whole pie and savor it sitting down. My father pointed out a server who he guessed had been working there almost as long as he’d been a regular, at least thirty years. I burned the roof of my mouth on my first bite, then tried to soothe it with gulps from an icy pitcher of Foxon Park white birch beer, a sweet, slightly earthy local soda you’ll find at any New Haven pizzeria. After a few slices, my hands were covered in soot.

Ruth Reichl once wrote, “The best pizza in the world, as everybody knows, no longer exists. It is the pizza of your childhood.” The pizza of my childhood still exists. Can it be untethered from the place where I grew up? In Chicago, home of the deep dish, there’s a restaurant called Piece Pizzeria & Brewery that offers New Haven-style pies. (Rick Nielsen, of the band Cheap Trick, is a co-owner. It is my unscientific observation that a disproportionate number of New Haven pizza fans are touring musicians who come to town to perform at Toad’s Place, a tiny, legendary concert venue.) A few weeks ago, I ordered, to my home in Brooklyn, a two-pack of Piece pies—a classic cheese, with red sauce, and a white tomato basil—on Goldbelly, a Web site that ships restaurant food nationwide.

The second they arrived, I preheated my oven to five hundred degrees and slipped in the white tomato basil. Vacuum-sealed in plastic, the pies had looked fairly pathetic—you could argue that mail-ordering a frozen New Haven-style pizza from Chicago to New York is like translating the Odyssey back into Greek from the English Spark Notes—but after a minute or so I perked up. The scent of garlic taking over the kitchen was downright Proustian. After five minutes, the pie was mottled with char. The crust was a bit skimpy, but otherwise it looked pretty close to correct—and when I took a bite I was shocked to find that it tasted right, too. ♦

3 Nationally Known Eateries Proposed For East Haven: Report

Plans have been filed with the town that would redevelop a former wedding and event facility, according to Hearst Connecticut. |Updated Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 2:48 pm ETEAST HAVEN, CT — The owners of the former Seasons wedding and event facility at 990 Foxon Road are ...

Plans have been filed with the town that would redevelop a former wedding and event facility, according to Hearst Connecticut.

|Updated Fri, Nov 17, 2023 at 2:48 pm ET

EAST HAVEN, CT — The owners of the former Seasons wedding and event facility at 990 Foxon Road are proposing a redevelopment of the site, which would bring Starbucks, Five Guys and Chipotle to the site, Hearst Connecticut reported.

Other proposed uses include a self-storage facility and office space, Hearst CT reported. The application will be discussed at a land-use meeting next week. (Read more about the plans at Hearst CT).

According to the Seasons website, it states that it was a "wedding and event venue with more than five decades of service."

Its origins began in 1959 as a restaurant and then was transformed by James Esposito in 1980 into a wedding and events space, the website states. The former wedding venue used to employ bridal consultants, and the space included a cocktail lounge, and two fireplaces. You can read more about the history of Seasons by clicking here.

The Planning and Zoning Commission has scheduled a public hearing on Nov. 21 concerning the proposal. According to the meeting agenda, it states, "An Application for a Site Plan Review to redevelop a commercial property proposing the replacement of an existing banquet facility with a self-storage building and three commercial buildings."

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The meeting will be held 7 p.m. Tuesday at East Haven Senior Center, 91 Taylor Ave.

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