Pick of the Crop – Mufflers to Meat

Image from the Faith's Food Blog

This is the third in our series profiling vendors of the Wednesday Souther of the James Farmers’ Market. The market runs from 3-8 p.m. at 4910 Forest Hill. The market goes on rain or shine and the musical guest this week is: The Five and Dimers who bring the Merle Haggard and Waylon Jennings style of country music. This week we on Pick of the Market we are taking a look at Faith Farms.

Brenda and Paul Lawler are not only fixtures at the Richmond Farmers’ Markets, but they are my Green Bay, Virginia neighbors. I actually met them years ago down at 17th Street Market and through conversation at their booth, got intrigued with a little hunk of land. It wasn’t long before I had scooped up my place on Nutbush Road and discovered that Faith Farm was just up the road. How fun is that! I can attest to the buzz of activity going on over there.

Again, a family business, I like to tell each vendor’s story of their road travelled. Brenda and Paul, originally from New Jersey, had a muffler franchise for many years. Seeking change, they sold it and moved to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Brenda then became a personal chef for the well-off vacationers in the region and she and sous-chef husband Paul grew their business for 6 years. While living on the Outer Banks water was wonderful, circumstances in life pulled them away and seeking land in Central Virginia. The land was to be for their youth ministry.

The 95 acre piece of heaven that is now Faith Farm, showed up as a viable selection for what they wanted to do. But, like a lot of entrepreneurs, once the idea has to go from mind to matter, things can get scary. But faith prevailed and the path to existing on the property while the ministry was still in formation came in the form of a gentleman farmer’s livestock. He was ready to retire and the Lawlers bought it up: cows, feed, lambs, ducks, goats and a turkey or two. That was in 2005.

That first year was spent in learning. They took classes, read, visited successful farms, sought mentorship from those willing to share and were able to sell at their first market in 2006. Many times during our conversation, Brenda noted how much work it is. Even at the beginning, you need so much infrastructure in the way of fences, watering, shelter, feed stations, chicken tractors. But they persisted, working together with Brenda more of the retail face.

Favorite items here are the pastured chicken, beef, pork and eggs. As a matter of fact, eggs sold out during our interview. A very lean yummy looking London Broil whizzed past me while I sat on the cooler chatting. Customers who know Faith Farms for their herd shares (the way one must legally buy raw milk in Virginia) also approached the table and scooped up other items. Stop by and ask Brenda about the raw milk. Amazing what you learn about Virginia laws while at the Farmer’s Market.

Other favorites are the bratwurst and the honey. You can get her product/price list at her booth. Brenda also mentioned that working as a personal chef for folks who demanded clean meat is what got them thinking about actually becoming the source of that clean meat. You just never know how one small event triggers the path to destiny. As for the ministry? The Lawlers permit a youth camp led by Substance Abuse counselors to occur in the summer on their land. Twenty kids get to come to the farm and learn how to train peer to peer on the topics of drugs and alcohol. One of the counselors is the daughter of the Lawlers so it becomes old home week.

From Mufflers to Meat to Ministry. Come meet Brenda and get your eggs for the Saturday brunch omelettes.

Pick of the Crop is written by Trish Morrison.
Originally from Illinois where she was pioneering with Food Co-ops and Farmer’s Markets in the Chicago suburbs, Trish now lives in the neighborhood near Westover Hills Elementary School. A city dweller by week, weekends she travels to Lunenburg County working on an agricultural venture with her son. She enjoys the blend of art, agriculture, music and muse, you can find at a Farmers’ Market and hopes it comes through in her interview style of writing.