Johnny Cace's Seafood and Steak House

Duane's take

The official marker tells it this way, and I'm just gonna do my best to honor it. Now, every great Texas landmark has a story that starts somewhere far away, and this one starts about as far away as you can get — a little island village called Prvic Luka, sitting right there on the Adriatic Sea. That's where a Yugoslav boy grew up fishing and boating, learning the water the way some kids learn the schoolyard.

That boy was John Cace, Sr., and he had bigger horizons in mind. In 1915, John Cace, Sr. arrived in Buras, Louisiana — and not by accident. There was a community of Yugoslav fishermen and oystermen there, the kind of place where a man who knew the sea could find his footing.

He found more than footing. In 1916, he married into a family who owned oyster beds and fishing boats. The sea had followed him all the way to the bayou.

Then in 1917, a son was born. John Cace, Jr. — though everybody called him Johnny. And Johnny, growing up in those Louisiana bayous, learned the way of the sea and the water at an early age, just like his father before him on the Adriatic.

Some things travel across oceans without losing a thing. Now, Johnny wasn't just a fisherman's son with salt water in his veins. He graduated second in his high school class.

Second. He went on to attend Louisiana State University for two years. The boy had a mind to match his upbringing.

Then in 1936, he moved with his parents to Shreveport, and the family did what they knew — they sold fresh seafood and oysters right out of their home. Before long, that turned into a restaurant. You might say the Caces couldn't help themselves.

In 1939, Johnny married Valerie Savony, and then he joined the U.S. Air Force. Life was pulling him in more directions than the tide.

But here's where East Texas enters the picture. In 1949, Johnny and his family moved to Longview, and they opened Johnny Cace's Seafood and Steak House. They lived above the restaurant.

Right above it. The family and the business were one and the same thing, and that restaurant became noted for quality seafood, fresh shucked oysters, and creole recipes. You can imagine what that smelled like on a Friday night in East Texas.

The place grew. The original location was expanded three times. And then in 1964, a New Orleans style building was erected at this very location — the one you might be standing near right now.

They weren't just running a restaurant anymore. They were building a landmark. And Longview took notice.

In 1966, Johnny Cace was elected president of both the Texas Restaurant Association and the Longview Chamber of Commerce — both, in the same year. Then in 1992, the Longview Federated Clubs named him their Man of the Year. A Yugoslav fisherman's son, born in Louisiana, had become one of East Texas's own.

Johnny Cace died in November of 2000. But the restaurant he opened in 1949 is still there. Still serving.

Three generations deep now, known throughout the state, the region, and the nation. A little village on the Adriatic Sea sent a family westward, and East Texas got one of its finest landmarks out of the deal.

What the marker says

This east Texas landmark established by John ”Johnny” Cace, Jr. has served the area since 1949. Johnny was the son of a Yugoslav immigrant who grew up on the island village of Prvic Luka and spent his childhood fishing and boating in the Adriatic Sea. John Cace, Sr. arrived in Buras, Louisiana in 1915 where there was a community of Yugoslav fishermen and oystermen. In 1916, Cace married into a family who owned oyster beds and fishing boats. John, Jr., or Johnny, was born in 1917 and learned the way of the sea and bayous at an early age. Johnny graduated second in his high school class and attended Louisiana State University for two years before moving with his parents to Shreveport in 1936. The family sold fresh seafood and oysters from their home and soon opened a restaurant. In 1939, Johnny married Valerie Savony and then joined the U.S. Air Force. Johnny and his family moved to Longview in 1949 and opened Johnny Cace’s Seafood and Steak House. They lived above the restaurant which became noted for quality seafood, fresh shucked oysters and creole recipes. The original location was expanded three times before a New Orleans style building was erected in 1964 at this location. In 1966, Johnny was elected president of both the Texas Restaurant Association and the Longview Chamber of Commerce. Cace was named “Man of the Year” by the Longview Federated Clubs in 1992. He died in November 2000. Johnny Cace established a landmark family business that spans three generations and is known throughout the state, region and nation.