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Top Chef alum Spike Mendelsohn has signed on to create a new all-day dining destination inside a massive 450,000-square-foot wellness complex projected to debut next fall in Northern Virginia.
The forthcoming restaurant inside the sports-friendly St. James complex (6805 Industrial Road, Springfield, Va.), which remains unnamed for now, will feature a spacious indoor-outdoor layout with a seated dining area, market cafe, bar and lounge, as well as large communal tables throughout. Menu details are scarce for now, but expect a mix of options for refueling after workouts including salads, gourmet pizzas, specialty pastas, smoothies, juices, coffee and more. Catering is also part of the equation.
The Good Stuff Eatery founder has had a busy year; Mendelsohn is a partner in Morris, a long-awaited speakeasy still taking shape inside the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. He also converted his Capitol Hill steak frites spot into Santa Rosa Taqueria this spring, redesigned the menu for Canadian-based chain the Chickery, and mixed it up with charity supporters last month at the annual Capital Food Fight.
Mendelsohn, who serves as chair of Washington, D.C.’s Food Policy Council, plans to work with local purveyors so that St. James members will be able to pick up regionally grown produce on site.
“As a busy entrepreneur with a young family, Spike is one of our target consumers,” says St. James co-founder Craig Dixon. “He understands that we all need good, healthy food to fuel our busy days — from our wake ups to our workouts.”
The giant facility will cater to sports enthusiasts of all kinds, fielding venues for ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball as well as squash, golf, basketball, volleyball, swimming and more.
