Remember Your School Cafeteria's Rectangular Pizza? This Alabama ...

By Haley Laurence

Close your eyes and think back to lunchtime during elementary and high school. What's one of the first things you remember?

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Bob Gathany/[email protected]

If you're thinking of that rectangular pizza, you're right.

There was just something special about that pizza, usually paired with corn and chocolate milk (and sometimes dipped in ranch dressing). Anytime you saw that pizza was on the day's menu, you'd get super, super excited.

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Bob Gathany/[email protected]

And whenever the sweet lunch lady brought out a fresh pan before your turn ...

...  you'd be psyched, because you knew your slice of heaven would be fresh and warm.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

You're not alone.

Patrick Woosley, owner of Patrick's Meat Market in Scottsboro, feels the same way-- "(That pizza's) the only thing I miss about school," he jokes -- and so he has it for sale at his shop, right across from fresh-cut meats.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

It's a pretty big seller.

He gets two shipments of the pizza a week, and says the summer months are especially popular because people aren't getting their pizza fix in school. "We have teachers, principals and lunch ladies come in for them," Patrick said.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

But warning: It may not taste EXACTLY the same as you remember.

Patrick says that when he cooks them at home, the pizzas don't taste exactly how he remembers. So, he asked a lunch lady about it. "I had a heart-to-heart, come-to-Jesus talk with her," he said. "And she said, 'We're cooking for 1,000  people, we start at 8 a.m. so (after we cook them) we put them in a holding cabinet, so they've been sitting under steam a while after you get them." That's why the crust is a little crispier when you get it in the lunchroom.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

Warning, though: You may want to call ahead.

Because sometimes people come in and want an entire case of the pizzas. And why not?

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

Seriously: Call ahead.

Because Patrick and company will get you fixed up.

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View this post on Instagram

#tbt amirite #bartletthighschool? #crispitothursdays #crispito #classof2008

A post shared by amanda sprague (@ajeansprague) on Jul 23, 2015 at 8:56am PDT

Of course, that's not all they sell.

There's another old cafeteria menu item in their freezers: Crispitos. (Remember those?) They're also a high seller -- they were sold out when I was there -- so again, call ahead.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

Of course, it's not all lunchroom food.

Patrick's Meat Market naturally has a wide selection of hand-cut meats to choose from.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

And there's fresh seafood every Friday and Saturday.

It usually includes Royal Red shrimp, salmon and more.

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Photo courtesy of Matt Crowell

And if you want to know the weekly specials ...

They're posted on Facebook each week. Patrick finds a location in Scottsboro and Matt Crowell, a photographer who also works at the meat market, takes a photo of Patrick displaying the specials.

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

Want to know more about Patrick's?

Address: 410 Parks Ave., Scottsboro

Phone: 256-912-0912

Find the meat market's Facebook page here.

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Photo by Tamika Moore/[email protected]

Read more about Alabama food:

50 must-try Alabama dishes under $10

15 dishes to eat after 10 p.m.

21 must-try buffets

Alabama's Best Doughnut is ...

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Haley Laurence | [email protected]

And more Alabama food ...

17 places in Alabama to get tasty fried chicken

Alabama's Best Pizza is ...

Alabama taco trail: Go on a food-fueled road trip

Must-try fries in Alabama

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