Beckley, WV – (WWNR) – The ribbon was cut Thursday on the new pizzeria and coffee shop located in the basement of the Fruits Of Labor on Neville Street in Beckley.
Customers can enjoy a variety of pizzas made in the wood-stone oven as well as specialty drinks, smoothies and ice cream.
Fruits Of Labor operates four restaurants in Rainelle, Alderson, Montgomery and Beckley.
“Beckley’s location is unique in the size,” said Fruits Of Labor President Tammy Jordan. “We’re able to do the full conference center. We have the main level cafe and now the pizzeria and the coffee shop. So because there is so much more space and so many more dynamic opportunities, we’re allowed to increase employment opportunities.”
Fruits Of Labor trains those recovering from substance abuse in the culinary arts. Sabrina Greaser and Casey Hicks have been with the Beckley location since it opened last year and were recently promoted to floor supervisors of the pizzeria and coffee shop.
It’s all been great. We’ve had, I mean, we’ve all have our days where we’re just like, I can’t go on,” said Greaser. “But it was like, wow, like when you get to that point, like, I don’t know if I can do it anymore. You got people that just pick you up and lift you up and not only staff here, customers too, like they can come in and not see a smile on one of our faces or, Hey, you okay? And it’s just those kind of things and gestures that not every day is gonna be great, but this place is like our getaway.”
“As recovering addicts we kind of, we kind of get stigmatized a lot. And to see our community embrace us so much has been really great,” said Hicks. “It’s empowering. It really is. When you lift people up, you give them the confidence. to do better again, you know, to keep doing better and to keep growing.”
The Fruits Of Labor Pizzeria and Coffee Shop will be open Tuesday thru Friday from 9am to 3pm.
