We here at Somewhere in the City like food. Okay, I lied. We love food. Like, really really love food. There is one thing, though, that we love even more than food, and that is people. Sara Trembath is one of those people. She also has a delicious restaurant which serves our second favorite thing. (Food, remember?)
Here she is, so that you’ll know who I’m talking about as I continue to describe all the wonderful things about her and Trasca & Co.
My sister lives in Ponte Vedra and saw an ad for a restaurant called “Trasca.” Really, it’s because of my sister that this post exists. Anyway, I thought Trasca looked good, so off I set to Ponte Vedra, where I don’t venture much. Boy, was I glad I did.
When my sister and I walked in, I saw a lady who was hugging people goodbye and calling their names as they left. That lady turned out to be Sara, who knows almost everyone’s name. Sara was excited to see us, and told us to sit wherever we liked.
After giving us some background info on the design of the restaurant (her husband made some of the tables!), Sara went over the menu with us and took our orders personally. I started with a latte and ended with dessert, but there were a whole lot of things in between. For starters, the Panino sticks, which were so doughy, warm, and amazing. Next came a salad, four Paninos, and a giant mud pie. Hey, don’t judge. We wanted to try everything. 
Now that you’re hungry, here’s a little background info on the Trembaths: 4 years ago, Sara and her husband, Travis, moved here from Minneapolis after Travis got a job with the PGA Tour. They love the area, so, fortunately for us, it looks like they’re stuck here. But in a good way.
Sara’s family has been in the food business since the 1970’s. Before starting her own restaurant, Sara worked with General Mills, where she learned even more about food. Now that she is here, she is thorough about the things she does and why she does them. Sara is very particular about what comes into Trasca, which is why she knows where all her ingredients come from. My favorite ingredient may have been the all-natural Puck’s soda, which comes from Hoboken, New Jersey. I don’t normally drink or like sodas, but Puck’s root beer…oh man. Puck’s ingredients include all-natural extracts with no artificial colors or flavors. As for Trasca’s other ingredients: the shrimp on the specialty shrimp Panino came straight from Mayport here in Jacksonville, while the meats and cheeses come from places outside Florida that Sara is familiar with. The free-range chicken is never frozen and comes fresh every day–it’s about as fresh as the dough that is made daily in Trasca. The coffee in Trasca is from Zingerman’s in Michigan, and the beer is whatever the Trembath’s current favorite craft beer is!
One of the things Sara wasn’t expecting was the tastebud preferences in the south compared to where she and Travis came from. “Some things that people love up north weren’t doing well down here,” she told me, “so I had to refine the menu to fit southern tastebuds.” This meant including a shrimp Panino and getting rid of a Panino that had green chilies that aren’t too popular down here. Not only does Sara care about her ingredients; she also cares about making food that we Jacksonvillians enjoy.
The greatest thing about Sara is how evident her love of people is. She was happy to eat her lunch with us, and kept trying to feed us her pizza. Since we were too stuffed to eat (and wanted to save room for that mud pie), she offered her food to one of her employees. Speaking of employees, Sara and her husband believe in a fair wage, and pay their part-time employees a starting rate of $9.50/hour. Every worker is important to Sara, and employees are highlighted on Trasca’s Facebook. All the employees we spoke to couldn’t stop smiling, including Chef Trey, who also ate his lunch with us and gushed about how much he loves working at Trasca.
Overall, Trasca is a place for beach-goers, businesspersons, and babies. Yep, babies–check out the cute onesies for sale, along with regular-sized t-shirts! Because of Sara’s infectious warmth, the whole restaurant is cheerful and inviting, from the staff to the diners. Though the Trembaths aren’t local, they’ve settled here with a love for supporting the area, a love that will fill hearts as easily as Trasca fills bellies.Wondering what Sara’s favorite Panino is? The Spaghetti Pie. Swing by Trasca and give it a taste! The restaurant is open from 7am – 9pm Monday-Saturday, and recently started serving brunch on Sundays from 9am – 2pm. If you happen to stop by for breakfast, you can get scones and more through the walk-up window outside!
If you’re curious about all those pictures of food, check out the food review in Folio Weekly. In the meantime, give a shout out to Trasca on their Facebook!
Somewhere in the City 