LIVING
by NAT HARWELL
THE CREAM RISES TO THE TOP The Rock House Creamery in Newborn turns out a variety of milks and cheeses, and it stands as a throwback to mom-and-pop operations of yesteryear. Seeing an example of Americana at work never fails to refresh the spirit. The inspirational Horatio Alger-type story of pulling one’s self up by one’s own bootstraps or small-town-boy-makes-good sort of tale almost always illustrates what remains great about this nation. Dreams can still come true if one has a vision, a little luck with good timing and a desire to work hard. Such a dream is taking shape out in some of the most beautiful country found in this neck of woods, southeastern Newton County, where a visionary named Keith Kelly has purchased the former Johnston family dairy farm and established the Rock House Creamery. With a passion for the small mom-and-pop dairy operations that once populated our area but have been squeezed nearly out of existence in the 21st Century, Kelly decided to put together a complete creamery operation in one spot, producing products from start to finish under one roof. “We want to follow a course of keeping sales close to the customer so our story doesn’t get lost in translation,” said Haley Gilleland, who manages wholesale distribution and coordinates tours of the creamery. Hailing from Fitzgerald, she earned her
48 THE NEWTON
