DC Chef Plans Eatery At Springfield Sports Complex

SPRINGFIELD, VA—A sports complex slated to open in 2018 has announced plans for a restaurant concept.

The St. James, a sports complex under construction in Springfield, will partner with DC chef Spike Mendelsohn to introduce the multi-concept eatery. Both are expected to open in September 2018.

Mendelsohn, known for restaurants such as Good Stuff Eatery and We, The Pizza will offer a venue with indoor and outdoor seated dining, a cafe, lounge and catering. The menu will have a wide range of items from burgers and salads to gourmet pizzas and specialty pastas.

The restaurant will come about 10 years since Mendelsohn opened his first restaurant. He also serves as chair of Washington, D.C.’s Food Policy Council, which emphasizes expanding food access and growing the local food economy. The new project at the St. James expands on his work to locally source menu ingredients and offer healthy foods.

“I’m passionate about creating healthy foods that not only taste good, but also will meet the needs of people of all ages leading very active lives. Our new concept at The St. James gives me the opportunity to fulfill my passion to help active people meet their high demand needs," said Mendelsohn in a statement.

Members of The St. James and the public will be able to visit the eatery, while catering will be available to the different parts of the complex. In addition, The St. James will serve as a location for members to pick up local produce.

"Spike has an incredibly sophisticated understanding of the complex and varied palates of the Washington food scene as well as the needs of the highly active and sports enthusiasts we are hyper-focused on serving at The St. James," said The St. James co-founder Kendrick Ashton. "His vision for this concept shows his appreciation for what we will accomplish here at The St. James."

The massive 450,000-square-foot sports complex at The St. James will provide numerous sports, training and entertaining venues. The complex will accommodate various sports from ice hockey, soccer, lacrosse, and baseball to squash, golf, basketball, volleyball, swimming. Other features are an entertainment center for parties, an indoor water park, spa and more. Athletes and sports enthusiasts of all ages will have the options of joining different leagues, training programs, camps, tournaments and individual instruction.

The complex will be located on a 20-acre campus at 6805 Industrial Road, Springfield. For more information, visit www.thestjames.co.

Renderings via HKS Architects