Rochelle Reed Jordan has been a baker all her adult life, but she had no idea that a chance meeting would change her life so dramatically.
Jordan was born and raised in Louisville, in the Murphy Creek Community. Her father, Fred Reed, was an avid outdoorsman and loved horseback riding. Her grandparents owned property on Murphy Creek Road, the place Rochelle and her sisters would eventually be born and raised on. Jordan completed high school, went to college, married and moved away, but life has a way of making us come full circle sometimes. This is exactly what happened for Rochelle.
In 2011, Ms. Jordan returned to Louisville to build a log cabin on family land. That land was owned by Mr. and Mrs. William Andrew Reynolds, her maternal grandparents. Jordan noted that multiple generations of the same family had lived on and enjoyed this homestead, which originally adjoined the Strait land in the community. Rochelle’s grandmother, Mary Alma Strait Reynolds, brought the property with her when she married. Rochelle’s mother, Ruth Reynolds Reed, inherited the property, and it was passed down to the Reed children. Ruth was the only child of William Andrew and Mary Alma Strait Reynolds.
Rochelle had always felt a deep tie to the land that had belonged to her mother’s family. Jordan was inspired to build the log cabin by the time she spent living in North Georgia. The cabin features a sprawling front porch complete with a swing and rocking chairs, offering the quaint charm of a Southern home. The interior of the cabin is all modern, and this is currently where Jordan and her son Reed do all their baking.
Speaking of baking, Rochelle had made sourdough bread and cinnamon bread for years – and she gave it away. She never considered selling the product; it was always a gesture of love and friendship. However, her son Reed would eventually introduce her to the owners of L & M Meat Company, who would try her delicious baked goods and ask to sell it in their store.
Reed and Rochelle both had a vision for the Reynolds homeplace that didn’t – at first - include a farmhouse bakery. Rochelle taught both her sons how to make her from-scratch treats, but she never thought this family tradition would ever be anything profitable. Reed has lived all over the United States working with wildlife and animals of all kinds. He was out West working with wild horses just before the pandemic hit in 2020 – he’s also worked at Camp Lake Stephens in Oxford and at the Great Basin Institute in Nevada. His background in Wildlife and Fisheries make his goal for Murphy Creek Farms a natural choice. Reed is currently working on getting his land appraisal certification, which builds off his Wildlife and Fisheries background as well.
Reed might not have grown up in Louisville, but he has fond memories of riding horses with his maternal grandfather, Fred Reed, in the Murphy Creek community. Both Rochelle and Reed recall that Grandfather Fred had all his grandchildren riding horses at a very young age. Naturally, when Reed decided to move home in 2020, he returned with his love of training horses as well as a desire to raise “heritage” cattle. The old homestead provided the perfect place to do both, and Reed set about restoring the old homestead slowly but surely.
Reed’s desire to raise heritage cattle – cattle that were native to the United States, lived longer, and are grass-fed – brought him to a Winston Cattleman’s Association meeting. It was here that he met Max Maxey, who owns the L & M Meat Company with his wife Leigh. In talking, Reed mentioned his mother’s breadmaking skills, and Max was interested! Soon, Reed would bring a sample and the Maxeys immediately wanted to get some of her baked goods in the store.
The dream that Rochelle and Reed envisioned in 2020 came to fruition quickly. Rochelle would create a sole proprietorship with Murphy Creek Farms Bake House, and Reed had already gotten an LLC for Murphy Creek Heritage Farms. He even purchased a pair of Pineywood Cattle. Mother and Son would eventually purchase Appleyard ducks, chickens, and they plan to purchase Florida Pam and Chocolate Turkeys (both considered heritage breeds). They have also tried beekeeping, but last year they lost most of the hive to pests. They are currently working with a local beekeeper to replenish the stock of pollinators.
Reed currently has one horse onsite, a beautiful Mustang named Rook, who originally belonged to members of the Lakota tribe. Reed began working with Rook years ago, and he was able to bring him home to Louisville once he left the Western U.S. Today, Rook is a favorite of the young children – Rochelle’s granddaughter and her great-nieces and nephews – who visit Murphy Creek Farms regularly.
Reed also assists his mother with baking, which is only right because Rochelle began her breadmaking and baking while she was carrying Reed. Reed’s specialty is cinnamon rolls made completely from scratch. The rolls are unique in that Reed braids two rolls of dough together, then adds a homemade icing to them after baking. These huge cinnamon rolls are bursting with flavor and are almost too pretty to eat. However, once an individual tries the rolls or Rochelle’s bread, the product flies off the shelf at L & M.
While Rochelle and Reed live on the property and work on it regularly, Reed’s brother, Will, is a co-owner and has an interest in the property. Will Jordan lives in Nashville where he works at Vanderbilt. His wife, Audrey, is the program director of Cedar Crest Camp, and she also enjoys visiting the homestead. As family and co-owners of the property, the input of Will and his family on the restoration of the old homestead is important to Reed and Rochelle. Their daughter, Rosemary, will be the fifth generation to own the Reynolds homeplace. As she grows older, Rochelle is certain that Rosemary will cultivate her own beloved memories of the property while also having greatly valued input on the use of the land. “Grandma Chelle” is currently looking for a pony for her young granddaughter.
In addition to the heritage livestock already on the property, Rochelle and her family have planted a blueberry patch, which she envisions as a “U-pick” opportunity for customers in the future. They have also planted fig, peach, and black walnut trees (some trees were already there). The Jordans really like the whole farm-to-table concept, and they want to provide tasty, nutritional options for Winston Countians through their farm.
While Rochelle currently bakes out of her cabin on the property, she and her sons envision the ability to use the farmhouse (her grandparents’ house) as the bake house. Somehow, Rochelle manages to make her goodies while still working full-time as a pharmacist in Macon. Reed spends the bulk of his time working with animals or working on the restoration of the old farmhouse. It is their love of this site that prompts them to work toward making it a place where future generations of the family can come and make their own memories with loved ones, while enjoying the best of the Mississippi outdoors right here in Winston County.
