Teresa Andreoli, Stafford's Culinary Matriarch, Passes Away

STAFFORD, CT — Teresa Andreoli, an Italian immigrant who became the iconic matriarch of the Stafford dining scene as the chef and operator of the Arizona restaurant on Main Street, passed away this week. She was 92.

She was born on Dec. 1, 1926, in Pergola, Italy. She began to learn about food while helping her parents in their butcher shop.

She endured World War II and moved to the United States in 1948 as a newlywed with her husband, Marino Andreoli. They moved into an apartment above the Arizona and called it home for the next 58 years.

She started out as a dishwasher, but a decade later she and Marino bought a 50-percent share in the place and eventually took it over in full. Teresa became not only the figurehead of the restaurant, but the chef and operator. It became known simply as the "Zona" in local circles and at one point, the lights of the A, R and I on the marquis seemed to go out in a touch of divine coincidence.

Her pasta dishes, namely the ravioli and lasagna, were legendary in town. One suggestion this week was to put some sort of memorial to her in Downtown Stafford, like a bench.

See her full obituary here.

The news of her passing quickly spread throughout the community and memories of her and her tasty dishes were the subject of reflection, particularly on social media and the Introvigne Funeral Home web page.

Here are some samples:

• "We have many happy memories of Mama down in her kitchen . We will always miss her great food and her loving personality." - Jim and Lynn Rose
• "I will always remember the great food and bringing my Dad in the mornings to the Zona and he would have a coffee with her, I would find him peeling a pot of potatoes for her, she was a good friend to him. I will always cherish the time she came to my home and she taught me how to make her sauce and meatballs." - Debbie Wilson
• "Teresa’s sauce was unbeatable." - Jeanneen Griffin
• "The Zona ... God I miss her and her cheese ravioli and veal parmesan. The absolute best there ever was or will be. May I suggest, like on Broadway when a famous Actor passes, we dim the lights on Main in honor of Teresa. Mary Mitta can you help us, if not dimming the lights, with some sort of a salute to this beautiful person." - Walter Smith
• "Teresa was one of the most beautiful, honest and hard-working women I have ever met. I worked for her at the Arizona in 1981 through 1982 in the kitchen as a dishwasher and grinder maker. Everyone adored her, and she made the best ravioli." - Joyce Rioux Fenhaus
• "Maybe one of our residents could make a bench for downtown with her name on it." - Cathy Gleason
• "Teresa was an icon in Stafford. She was proud of her Italian heritage. She was one of the many Italians that made Stafford their home. The Zona was more than a restaurant, it was the heart and soul of Stafford. A place to see friends and family." - Fern Greene

Services are private.

Photo Credit: Barry Keleher; Introvigne Funeral Home

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