I picked up my jar of Cedar Villa Pasta Sauce earlier this year at the Vermilion Farm Market.
I had recognized the Cedar Villa name and cartoon mascot on the label from various billboards out by Sandusky through the years. I'd never been to the restaurant (which was located on Route 6 across from the entrance to Cedar Point) and assumed it was still in business; I was disappointed to find out it was closed.
Here's a vintage postcard of the restaurant, courtesy of CardCow.com.
CEDAR VILLA
Italian Restaurant
1918 Cleveland Rd.
off Cedar Point Causeway
Sandusky, Ohio 44870
The Best in Italian and American Food, Closed Monday.
Tues, thru Sat. – 11 A.M. to 4 A. M.
Sun. 11 A.M. to Midnight
Your Hosts – The Spadaro Bros.
Here's another vintage postcard. It appears to be older than the one above.
The Spadaro Brothers ran the restaurant until it closed in 2005.
Here is the link to the 2012 obituary of Concetta Spadaro (sister of Maria Barone), who worked with her sons at the Cedar Villa Restaurant from 1973 until 2005.
A Google Maps view (below) of the property shows that the Cedar Villa building is gone.
And here's an aerial view showing where it was located relative to the entrance to the Cedar Point Causeway (which is seen at the top right of the photo).
Although the restaurant is gone, their signature pasta sauce lives on. Here is the link to the official website.
9 comments:
Hi Dan,
I’m loving the Vacationland series. It brings back memories of life along the lake shore. Our family took frequent Sunday drives (remember those) east or west along Lake Erie stopping at parks like East Harbor and Lakeview for picnics. When I was young, I thought it was pretty cool that people would come to our area for their vacation.
Chuck
Jackson, MI
Dig deeper!
They have a facebook page, not much on it.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Spadaro-Inc/678125728876642
And it is also the same address and the old restaurant.
Founded in 1977, Spadaro Bros Inc. is a small organization in the hotels and motels industry located in Sandusky, OH. It has approximately 4 full time employees and generates $105,357 in annual revenue.
http://listings.findthecompany.com/l/21555619/Spadaro-Bros-Inc-in-Sandusky-OH
Hi Phil,
Thanks for the comment. I did see that they operate the motel adjacent to their old restaurant, but wasn’t sure there was a good reason to mention it from a nostalgia viewpoint.
How old is that pasta sauce????
Oh, it’s fresh! I bought it out at the Vermilion Farm Market a few months ago. I’ve just been too lazy to cook up spaghetti!
I see all of these posts about cicco's sauce. My father was Richard Cicco. His father owned a restaurant in vermilion back in the 50's I think. Any info would be appreciated. My e-mail is ciccokid2000@yahoo.com
I waitressed there from 1998-2001. All I can say is that this family is the very best you will ever want to know. (and the sauce is to DIE for!)
Hi Dan.
I moved away almost 40 yrs ago from Sandusky Ohio. My mother Carol Romes was a waitress there for many years. I am planning a trip there and was searching the web to try and
find the restaurant to visit. Thank ks for the postings and the pics I could connect with. Kim Bonilla (Kuhlman)
Hi Kim! Thanks for the comment! I'm sorry that the restaurant is gone but at least you can pick up a jar of its trademark spaghetti sauce during your visit as a souvenir! I'm sure you will be amazed how much the area has changed over the last 40 years but I hope you enjoy your visit!
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