On a winding gravel road, off a country lane, not far from the parish line sits a pretty little house on top of a hill, surrounded by acres of farmland and groves of trees. And plenty of potential. Cattle fences? A gravel road? Gabriel and let their young sons out of the vehicle, the want list for potential new residences had quickly been checked off. But the gravel road sealed the deal. Gravel under their feet and wide open spaces to run in. We knew as soon as we drove up that we wanted this house to be ours.
While the story of finding this house on 14 acres might sound like a fairy tale, the decade since their purchase of this homestead reads more like a paperback thriller.
The first order of business was to acquire Texas Longhorn steer to fill the back pastures. Next came sheep and goats and chickens and bees and for a short time heritage pigs. Joanna started breeding English Cream golden retrievers and John moved his film company, Wish Picture Shows, to the barn. And both Joanna and John believe in the art of storytelling. This belief is exactly why no prefabricated house filled with designer-selected furniture and accessories would do for this duo.
Layers of history were already in place, even though the house itself was only 25 years old. It was time for Joanna and John to add layers of their own. He wanted to put vibrant colors in rooms filled with year-old furniture. I grew up with strict rules about antiques and decorating, but John has always had a vision. This keen vision gives John the ability to see potential in a blank canvas, in the hood of a car, in an old cypress stump, and in dusty film reels, where others see none.
So when John first floated the idea of a creating a restaurant and brewery in the barn, open to the public, it was surprising but not outside of the realm of ideas that this dreamer and creative has concocted before. Joanna knew he was serious. Which I guess is no longer a hobby! In addition to the craft beers, the Hayneses are also specializing in scratch lemonade, craft sodas and homemade ice cream and cheese made on the farm.
