We had the good fortune of connecting with Cynthia Hendricks and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Cynthia, we’d love to hear more about how you thought about starting your own business?
We needed to provide a living for our youngest son. He has Asperger’s and he was having difficulty finding and keeping a job. I have friends that had a soft serve shop in Virginia who encouraged me to try the ice cream business. And I love to make ice cream so it was a natural progression.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
As a retired air traffic controller, I had no experience in the food business when I started Rock Salt, but I knew that I wanted to make something/someplace that I wanted to go! I absolutely love ice cream but I am sensitive to artificial flavors and colors. And I can taste the fillers in a lot of ice cream. So my goal was to make something I would love and hope everyone else would love it too. And we have done that. Our ice cream is made from grass fed milk (check out Working Cows Dairy in Slocumb, AL) and the very best ingredients we can source. If it’s in there it’s real. And our baker Brandi rocks! She makes all of our baked goods and mix ins for the ice cream in house from scratch! The first two years were 12-14 hour days 6-7 days a week and that was not sustainable. But I had so much to learn about making great ice cream, about running a shop, about managing a team of 20 teenagers! And to be honest I had so much fun too!! The first year i did almost everything myself. But I slowly learned to let others help and now I have assembled an amazing team with an ice cream manager (Mady) our baking manager (Brandi) and managers at all three stores.
I think the best thing about us is that we don’t settle. We are constantly working to improve everything from the ice cream to our work environment.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Come to Downtown Newnan and check out the square! Look for events at Main Street Newnan. Come to Market Day (first Saturday of the month). Eat at one of our amazing restaurants. The Oink Joint for great barbecue, Meat n Greet for delicious burgers and craft cocktails, Knife and Stone for an intimate upscale dinner in a comfortable atmosphere. The Bays for live music and craft cocktails. I could go on but suffice it to say you can’t go wrong eating downtown. Plus we have wonderful shops with everything from one of a kind finds for your home to that little black dress you’ve been looking for. And of course when you are done with all that finish with some of our amazing ice cream!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My husband is definitely the person I owe my success to. No matter how crazy my ideas are or what cliff (figuratively, of course) I want to jump off of, he goes with me!

Website: Rocksaltmilkbar.com

Instagram: @rocksaltmilkbarofnewnan @rocksaltmilkbarofptc @rocksaltmilkbaroflagrange

Facebook: Rock Salt Milk Bar

Yelp: Rock Salt Milk Bar

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