Eleven years to the day that Trasca & Co. Eatery opened in Sawgrass Village, the iconic local restaurant, and its adjacent Ponte Vedra Tap Room, will close. The final day of operations will be Monday, April 13.
Trasca has been popular with locals, particularly for its Panino sandwich, which was invented by owner Sara Frasca’s grandmother in 1974. The Panino starts with a secret family dough recipe made fresh each morning; to that is added high-quality meats, cheeses and vegetables. After baking, it is served with homemade sauces and sides.
The result is a sandwich that cannot be had anywhere else in this area. In fact, the restaurant has sold more than 320,000 of them.
And it’s maintaining the integrity of that quality that prompted the decision to close now rather than sometime later. Frasca said she has seen restaurants compromise on quality and service as their fortunes decline.
Out of respect for her family’s legacy and the community that has supported her restaurant throughout the years, Frasca doesn’t want to follow that pattern.
“I would rather quit while we’re ahead,” she said.
Still, she is grateful for the community’s long support — some patrons have been eating at the restaurant since day one. Frasca said she doesn’t want to miss an opportunity to say thank you and hopes people will visit in the coming days. In fact, Trasca plans to throw a kind of “block party” from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday, April 11, for the community. A popular local band, To The Bird, will perform.
“Come party with us,” Frasca said.
Looking back, she recalls clearly the days when family members and others joined her in building the restaurant, even writing their names on the wall before covering it. Some elements of the décor have a special heritage in the Jacksonville community; one white, wooden wall actually came from the Cabana Club after a renovation there, and some of the benches were once pews in a local church.
Going forward, Frasca wants to focus more on her consulting business, Point Northeast, which helps a variety of professionals with the business side of their businesses — lawyers, architects, dentists, veterinarians and more.
“We help people who help people,” Frasca said.
And while Trasca has earned tremendous praise from its customers — it was voted Best of the Best of Ponte Vedra every year from 2020 through 2025 — Point Northeast is how its owner primarily makes her living.
“The consulting part of my business is how I support my family,” Frasca said. “The restaurant was in order to support the community.”
Trasca is located at 155 Tourside Drive, Unit 1500, Ponte Vedra Beach. Learn more at trascaandco.com.
