Chef Anthony Petralia is bringing a bigger, more upscale version of his Michelin-recommended pizzeria to downtown Sarasota, with plans to open a second Tralia at 1420 Boulevard of the Arts in the Rosemary Art & Design District by December.

The 39-year-old chef told Sarasota Magazine the new location will take over the former Original Wolfie's & Rascal House space, which closed permanently on July 5. Petralia expects to seat roughly 150 diners, add a full bar and hire 20 to 30 employees.

Neighborhood's Condo and Hotel Boom Drives the Upscale Pivot

"There's a lot of really, really nice condos going up, a lot of nice hotels right down the road," Petralia said. "I think it calls for a more upscale vibe."

The neighborhood is already seeing that growth. Allen Morris Company's $250 million Bayside project is under construction in the district, including a 254-unit luxury rental community expected to finish in April 2027.

The Rosemary District concept will lean heavier on handmade stuffed pastas and entrees than the pizza-first Gulf Gate original at 6566 Gateway Ave. Round pizzas will start at $16 to $17, pasta dishes in the $20s and entrees above $30. The Gulf Gate location will remain open and unchanged. It currently employs about 20 people.

Petralia said the former Wolfie's space already has most of the restaurant infrastructure he needs, so the renovation will be mostly cosmetic. The property includes substantial outdoor seating, and he is considering adding banquettes or booths inside. A mural or original wall art will give the space its own identity, though it will share the colorful, contemporary Italian character of the Gateway Avenue restaurant, which features a pop-art Venus.

The expansion comes after a breakout year. In May 2026, Tralia earned a "Recommended" designation in the Michelin Guide's first coverage of the Sarasota area. Inspectors singled out the MVP pizza, striped with marinara, vodka sauce and pesto. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that Tralia also won a reader poll for best pizza in Sarasota in April.

Petralia said the Michelin nod produced a noticeable bump in business even during the slower summer months of July and August.

From a One-Day-a-Week Pop-Up to a Family-Run Pizzeria

Tralia started in July 2020 as a one-day-a-week virtual restaurant operating from a Gulf Gate commissary kitchen, with customers picking up sourdough pizzas on Saturdays. Petralia's parents and siblings helped during the early days. The restaurant's name borrows the final syllables of his surname; his paternal grandfather's family came from Sicily, near the mountain town of Petralia Soprana southeast of Palermo.

After a first brick-and-mortar on Superior Avenue in Gulf Gate closed, Petralia spent about four months helping open Riva at The St. Regis Longboat Key Resort before finding Tralia's current Gateway Avenue home, which opened in December 2024. He had previously served as executive chef at Seabar in Sarasota. He said he considered Lakewood Ranch, West Bradenton and locations farther south before the Wolfie's space became available.

Longer Hours and a Bigger Restaurant Group Are Part of the Plan

The Rosemary District location will serve lunch and stay open as late as 11 p.m. or midnight. Petralia envisions building a larger restaurant group long-term, with the Rosemary spot as a one-of-a-kind elevated concept and the pizza-focused Tralia model as the one most suited to replication.