Tammy Jordan, CEO of the popular café, bakery, coffee shop and culinary arts training center for those in recovery, named Fruits of Labor, may be expanding her business to downtown Beckley.
Jordan spoke before members of the Beckley Common Council during a workshop on Monday, June 7, to express an interest in a building located along Neville Street.
She explained that her business model centers around providing those in recovery the ability to receive a certification through the American Culinary Federation training program, graduate from the Fruits of Labor program, and ultimately find employment in the culinary arts at restaurants of their choosing. She added that she works with local recovery programs, prisons and community leaders to locate those who would benefit from education and training in the culinary arts.
Jordan continued that she would like to move into a building that would house a conference center, the café and bakery, and an area for a coffee shop to give local residents and college students a safe and inviting place to spend time. The old Zen’s building on Neville Street fits that description.
“I have been begged to come to Beckley,” Jordan said. “We have been looking for many, many months now at different locations all across Raleigh County.”
Although Jordan was raised in Beckley, she opened her flagship Fruits of Labor location in the Greenbrier County town of Rainelle, where the café is a beloved part of the community. Since the founding of Fruits of Labor in 2001, Jordan has started expanding her enterprise into the communities of Alderson and Montgomery, WV, where it has been well-received.
If the move to Beckley is successful, the opening of Fruits of Labor would be part of a downtown economic revitalization that city officials have been working toward.
However, Jordan said that she can not do this alone. It takes a community effort to uplift those who are growing their careers through the culinary training center and working toward a better future.
“We hope that as a council you will consider this as a viable opportunity that would be not only helpful to our expansion, but nourishing to the community,” Jordan said.
Beckley Mayor Rob Rabbold stated that should Fruits of Labor expand into Beckley it would “do what we have talked about doing in downtown Beckley — that’s taking part in providing an anchor for the kind of development that we are striving to achieve.”
The city of Beckley has been asked to consider leasing the building on Neville Street and then leasing that building to those at Fruits of Labor, a for-profit company.
Councilmember Tom Sopher asked about financials and questioned if the city would be acting as a bank.
Rappold responded that the city is looking at a lease arrangement with the current owners of the building, but he added that hurdles need to be crossed before council can make a decision.
“I am just playing devil’s advocate here,” Sopher replied. “I know no one is buying me a building to put my business in. I know how the public will accept that and it might not go over as well as we think.”
As this was a workshop meeting, council could not make any decisions. However, they plan to address this matter in the upcoming months.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.