Logan, Luke, Linda, Clay and Tyler Trainum of Autumn Olive Farms (Photo by Kieran Wagner Photography)
On Sunday, March 24, Virginia pork purveyor Autumn Olive Farms will throw the first annual On the Fly Dodgeball Tournament for restaurant industry workers, encouraging them to ditch their culinary duties for an evening of competition, camaraderie and charity.
“I thought, everyone can let their hair down, have some fun and raise money,” says Linda Trainum, co-owner with husband Clay of Autumn Olive Farms in Waynesboro.
Held at River City Sports & Social Club at 7505 Ranco Road, the tournament aims to give the dining community an opportunity to unite, let loose and raise proceeds for The Holli Fund, a nonprofit named for longtime Richmond food critic and restaurant supporter Hollister Lindley, who died in November 2017 after battling ALS for almost 10 years.
The Holli Fund works to provide financial assistance and resources for restaurant industry workers in the Richmond area without health insurance following a work-related accident, illness or injury.
Currently, if a restaurant has fewer than 50 full-time employees, they are not required to offer health benefits.
"Hollister did a lot of [financial assistance], and it was behind the scenes — apparently she was very generous in that way," says Trainum. "Her heart['s desire] was to have that continue on."
Autumn Olive Farms has been working with Richmond-area restaurants since 2011, including Heritage, Commercial Taphouse, Lemaire, Southbound, Saison and Little Saint, as well as Michelin-starred restaurants throughout Virginia and Washington, D.C., and The James Beard House in New York City — the farm has become synonymous with transparency and a dedication to premium, sustainable pork, particularly their Berkabaw Hog, a hybrid breed directly resulting from chef input.
When Trainum stumbled across an article exploring the difficulties of being married to a chef and the stress resulting from professions in the restaurant industry, she was hit with the realization that the individuals in the story were a reflection of those Autumn Olive Farms works with every day.
Diners seek out restaurants to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries and other special moments, but industry workers often miss such moments with their own families, says Trainum.
“It really touched me,” she says. “Getting to know these chefs [and industry workers], it really hit home, and I started thinking of the stress they live under. We don’t realize all that is behind the plate of food when it arrives to our table.”
Trainum’s suggested antidote: dodgeball, an idea inspired by a tournament her son Luke participated in years ago, which she says resulted in lots of laughter and stress relief.
Restaurants, breweries and butcher shops throughout the region may register one team per business for the On the Fly tournament, with a registration fee of $28 per player. Although each game consists of six players per team, teams may register with as many members as they like to allow for substitutions. Teams will also participate in a costume contest and be judged on most creative threads.
The tournament will feature brews from The Veil Brewing Co. and bites from Cobra Burger, Intergalactic Tacos and Nightingale Ice Cream Sandwiches.
Apart from bragging rights, the winners will be awarded a Stanley Cup-esque trophy, "but just a little smaller,” Trainum says, to keep in their possession until next year’s tournament.
To register for the event, contact AOFdodgeball@gmail.com. There are a limited number of spectator tickets ($7) that will be available for purchase from March 10-17. Admission for children 12 and under is free.
