Patrick Koplin decided it was time to spread his wings. So he and his wife, Darya, left the family business, Brother Juniper’s, and opened Altitude Cafe & Catering in the executive terminal at Signature Aviation across from Memphis International Airport.
Their 45-seat restaurant, housed in the old Memphis Municipal Airport, is open to the public, but its primary purpose is “serving breakfast and lunch for people who work at the airport and crew and passengers of Signature and surrounding airports,” Patrick says.
And, he says, they are doing in-flight, mostly private catering, for Signature and Wilson Air, which includes AB Jets. “We’ll pretty much do anything for the catering as long as we have enough notice.”
Also, Darya says, “We do in-home catering, flower arrangements, and pantry restock. It’s the VIP experience from beginning to end.”
But everyone is welcome to come by and eat. Another attraction is getting to go inside the circa 1929 Memphis Municipal Airport. If you’re of a certain age, you can relive memories of getting dressed up and going to that airport before the new airport opened in 1963. The art deco interior matches the classic 1920s deco exterior.
Altitude Cafe will have its grand opening on October 24th, but it’s now open 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday. Catering is available “24-7.”
Their breakfasts and lunches are reminiscent of the meals served at Brother Juniper’s, Patrick says. “It’s the same quality of ingredients,” he says, adding, “Staple breakfast and lunch items.”
Everything at Altitude Cafe is “geared for on-the-go” people who don’t have time to sit down and eat. They can grab a sandwich or a wrap “anytime through the day.
“You can walk in, grab a drink, order a sandwich at the register. If you’re getting on a flight, we can have it sent to your flight when you get on board.”
Their decor includes “diner-, cafe-style” furniture, Patrick says.
Artwork includes works by local artists, including David Simmons and the late George Hunt. They also will include historical photographs from the late Ernest Withers. “We’re going to just try to keep it classic,” Darya says.
They’ve been serving Flight Support Solutions, which is housed in the same building, but they’re planning on feeding sports teams later. They plan to feed Thanksgiving sandwiches when the Navy Midshipmen football team from the United States Naval Academy plays the Memphis Tigers football team on November 27th at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.
The idea of the restaurant was “just a vast need for consistent quality food, having a wide range, and being able to do it out of the airport directly,” Patrick says. Doing that “keeps the quality and freshness alive.”
About six months ago, Erly Alonso, who owns Flight Support Solutions, approached Patrick at Brother Juniper’s about opening a restaurant in the old airport. “They’ve been my customers for a number of years,” he says. “I do their employee parties, Christmas parties for them. They’ve been asking me to do it for a while. I didn’t feel it was right until this year. Now seems like the right time.”
Patrick and Darya left Brother Juniper’s last February. “I think it was time for me to step out and try something new. Take our brand and our quality to reach more people.”
And, he says, “I was ready to do my own thing. Broaden my horizons.”
Patrick does most of the cooking and Darya, who created the menu, is the sous-chef and does salads and other cold items. They both do quality control. “We kind of divide and conquer.”
“We love working together,” Darya says. “We make a good team. I know what he needs before he even asks.”
Brother Juniper’s is going strong. “My family still owns it,” Patrick says. “I’m doing this full-time now. This is my new endeavor.”
And, he says, “It was just time to do something new. I feel like I’ve done all I could in the breakfast world. I really wanted to bring something fresh down to the airport.”
Altitude Cafe is “our next chapter,” Patrick says.
Mason Whitman, who runs Brother Juniper’s, is a partner in Altitude Cafe. “He is in charge of all the specialized catering and procurement for our high-end catering clients.”
The Koplins plan to do dinner at Altitude Cafe in the future. “We started off slow because we wanted to make sure we had all the right things in order, on the right note, serving consistent food. We wanted to start out strong and put our best foot forward.”
The space was being used as a catering kitchen when the Koplins moved in, but it had previously housed restaurants. “The person here for about seven years doing this very successfully was Front Street Deli.”
That restaurant was doing more sandwiches, Patrick says. “Just on the lunch side. We added a whole breakfast component to it. Homemade pancakes. Eggs and biscuits. Everything we make is in house. Fresh daily from scratch. The same way I’ve always done it.
“Even though it takes a little more time and costs a little more money to get better ingredients, when somebody tells me, ‘That’s the best sandwich I’ve had or the best chicken I’ve had,’ it makes it all worth it.”
So what is the most popular item at Altitude Cafe?
“Everybody wants wings,” Darya says.
Lafayette Williams at Ching’s Wings was his hot wing mentor, Patrick says.
