Sandy’s connection to the airpark runs deep. Her grandfather and father, Bill and Jim Richardson, built and operated the facility in 1960. “I used to come to the airpark with my dad on weekends. It was always fun to be in the air with my father flying,” she shares. Sandy, a pilot herself, later met Tom, a professional pilot from Bergen, Norway, who flew private charters throughout the United States and Europe. Tom eventually landed at the Airpark and, as he puts it, “never took off.”
The café will also be featured on an upcoming episode of the WETA PBS television program “Signature Dish,” which highlights standout menu items and the stories behind restaurants across the DMV region.
Café Sophie’s Chef Asael creates a menu centered on locally sourced ingredients. The café partners with Wagner’s Butcher for meats, South Mountain Creamery for milk, eggs, and ice cream, Binkert’s for German sausages, and Fresh Baguette for croissants and baguettes. Guests can enjoy freshly baked muffins, cinnamon rolls, cookies, European treats, specialty coffees, and a selection of international beers, wines, and mimosas, including the popular Lingonberry Mimosa. The café’s location overlooking the airfield makes it a popular spot to enjoy a meal while watching planes arrive and depart.
