‘This is Columbia’: Beloved restaurant Villa Tronco honored with historic marker
For more than 85 years, Villa Tronco has been an intrinsic part of the mosaic of downtown Columbia.
Now the beloved Italian restaurant has been etched into South Carolina history.
An historic marker for the restaurant was formally unveiled Tuesday on the sidewalk in front of Villa Tronco at 1213 Blanding St. Originally opened in the early 1940s by family matriarch Sadie Tronco, it is the oldest continuously running restaurant in Columbia. The building where the restaurant is housed was built in the 1860s and was home to one of the city’s first fire stations.
The marker erected in front of the Italian restaurant was awarded by the SC Department of Archives and History and sponsored by the Richland County Conservation Commission and Historic Columbia.
A host of local luminaries — including Mayor Daniel Rickenmann and members of Columbia City Council, members of Richland County Council, Richland School District 1 board members, state representatives and senators, and others — were on-hand for Tuesday evening’s unveiling.
Sadie Tronco first opened the Iodine Grill at 1213 Blanding in 1941, as noted on the new marker, and the business was eventually renamed Villa Tronco in 1949. Even as downtown Columbia has seen waves of change through the decades, the little Italian restaurant has been steadfast in its Blanding Street location. The 1200 block of Blanding Street was even honorarily renamed “Villa Tronco Way” by Columbia City Council in Sept. 2024.
Ownership of Villa Tronco also has remained in the same family across nearly nine decades. Current owners Joe and Carmella Roche (Carmella is Sadie Tronco’s granddaughter) have been key parts of the business for a half-century, and now their grandsons, Tripp and Donovan Roche — fifth-generation members of the family business — are heavily involved.
Carmella Roche said on Tuesday that she was overwhelmed by the support the restaurant has received through the years, and by the gathering to unveil the new historic marker.
“I’m so honored, I really am,” Carmella told The State. “It’s my grandmother’s and my parents’ hard work. Joe and I, we’ve put in our time. Now Tripp and Donovan are coming along. It makes my heart full. The restaurant business is a fulfilling job and career, but it’s a hard one. We’ve been able to go through the good and the bad, and I’m just happy and thankful we’ve been able to survive the good and the bad.”
Tripp Roche noted on Tuesday that Villa Tronco’s legacy is rooted in the past and present of the capital city.
“I’ve learned that there are two ways to see the world,” the fifth-generation member of the Villa Tronco family said. “You can see the obstacles, or you can see the possibilities. Villa Tronco exists today because generations before us chose those possibilities. They chose to build something lasting, instead of focusing on what stood in the way.”
Villa Tronco’s menu is highlighted by a number of long-running crowd pleasers, from lasagna to homemade cheese ravioli to the restaurant’s signature dish, the Chicken Villa Tronco. Matt Kennell, CEO of the Main Street District that advocates for business and property owners in downtown’s core, told The State his favorite dish on the menu is eggplant parmigiana.
Kennell also said Villa Tronco is an indelible asset for the city center.
“This is Columbia,” Kennell said. “Villa Tronco is what Columbia is. It’s family, it’s fellowship, it’s food, it’s culture. It’s such a good example of what Columbia was and is, and the future.”
Rickenmann, a former restaurateur who is in his second term as Columbia’s mayor after a lengthy run on city council, marveled Tuesday at the longevity of Villa Tronco.
“We want to memorialize these types of operations, especially when you talk about five generations having operated it, and it is a staple,” Rickenmann said. “I think the historic marker puts a stamp on it, but I think it also energizes the younger generation to keep going.”
