Tammy Jordan
By Josephine E . Moore
At the age of five , Tammy Jordan took a school field trip to the Pinecrest Dairy Farm in Beckley .
Jordan , a Beckley native , said she was so struck by the farm ’ s “ pristine beautiful hayfields ” and how well the cows were cared for that she went home that day and told her mom that she wanted to own a farm of her own . “ It captivated me as a child ,” she said .
This love for agriculture would eventually lead Jordan to achieving her childhood dreams as well as goals she never imagined .
That all started with the creation of Fruits of Labor in 2001 , which was initially a catering business which also incorporated agricultural production in Greenbrier County .
Ten years later , Jordan ’ s life goals would change again also as a result of yet another field trip . This time it wasn ’ t to a farm , it was to a minimum-security federal prison camp in Alderson , West Virginia .
“ I visited a lady in Alderson prison , and I could see how there was a sense of hopelessness ,” Jordan said . “ And so that started the journey of the mission portion of Fruits of Labor .”
It is through this mission that Jordan used Fruits of Labor as a way to help people in recovery by providing them with a stable job , connecting them with a place to live and training them in the culinary arts . As a way to better serve those in recovery , Jordan opened the first Fruits of Labor café and bakery at a small storefront in Rainelle in 2014 . Years later , as her recovery program grew , she opened additional cafés in Alderson , Montgomery and her hometown in Beckley .
• Favorite thing to cook ?
Any kind of bread but our rustic sourdough bread is my favorite .
• Favorite thing to grow ?
Tomatoes , cucumbers and peonies
• Favorite dish produced at Fruits of Labor ?
The berry mandarin salad , also known as our Signature House Salad . That salad has been passed down through my family and is it ’ s like sharing a little bit of nourishment with past generations when I eat it .
Photo by Rick Barbero
JULY-AUGUST ’ 23 � SOUTH � 21