Are you hungry? –                

February 14, 2020 – Employees, or students as they call them, will go through a 12-week course to get their first level of certification with the National American Culinary Federation Quality Program. If the students want to stay longer to get more certifications, they can stay for years all while being an employee of the restaurant and learning from staff. 

“Valentine’s Day is wonderful because we get to do a little different than we do during lunch. They get to do a full dinner service with us,” Executive Chef and Lead Culinary Instructor Roy Lynch said. “They get to see how that is in an industry environment, and it’s also nice for the staff too. We get to do a little something different and really get to kind of pamper those people that are so wonderful to us in the community here.” 

Fruits of Labor started 18 years ago as an agricultural company that expanded into a catering business and now a restaurant and educational center that is a staple in the Rainelle community and has been for the past 6 years. The relationship between the community and the cafe is what helps it continue to be a place to gather and for the students, a place to heal as the program has an 85% graduation rate. 

“It’s so much deeper,” Jordan said. “It’s just a wonderful integration of the organization that’s reaching out into the community and the community’s reaching right back to us.” On the menu for Valentine’s Day, Fruits of Labor will serve menu items like prime rib, crusted chicken and pork chops and although they are fully booked, there are still takeout spots still available.

@WOAY