Thirteen years ago, The Old Dairy, a beloved coffeehouse in the heart of McDonough County, was set to close its doors unless someone stepped in to pick up the mantle. That person ended up being one of its young employees, a then 21-year-old Emily Gajda (now Gammage).
The Macomb establishment, named after the dairy located there in the 1960s and ’70s, had been the dream of its previous owner, Peggy Mueller, who passed away after battling cancer. Her family had decided it was time to sell.
“Once we found out that they were going to close the doors for good, somebody said, ‘Well, someone’s got do something,’” says Gammage, who had worked there in different capacities since age 19. “I said, ‘Well, [I’m] somebody, and I’m trying.’”
The venture was not without its challenges, she adds. “Not many places are going to give a bank loan to a 21-year-old who has zero experience. … I probably had my first car loan, and that was about it.” Gammage, then a student at Spoon River College, was in a relationship with her now husband Marc at the time. He decided to take the plunge with her.
About a year later, we got engaged, and then we got married. We’ve got three little boys now, and we run a restaurant, and it’s wild and crazy,” she laughs. “Every day is different, and it keeps us on our toes.”
The couple, residential members of McDonough Power Cooperative, has kept The Old Dairy essentially the same, with good reason. “The menu was pretty solid. It was a popular place. So, we didn’t want to change anything drastically,” says Gammage. Small renovations have been made and a few dishes added, but that’s about all. The weekly specials, however, give her the opportunity to get creative. “That’s where I can have fun and throw in weird sandwiches. … And, lo and behold, people like something different once in a while. It’s kind of nice to have that niche.”
When asked what’s popular with its faithful patrons, she says it depends on if you’re coming for breakfast (which is served all day), lunch or dessert. The top contenders on the breakfast menu tend to be The Old Dairy Breakfast Sandwich, a two-egg omelet with American cheese and two toppings of your choice on a jumbo grilled croissant, and The Hot Mess. “That one literally is a hot mess … It’s a biscuit, egg and cheese [with ham, bacon or sausage patty] smothered in homemade sausage gravy,” she says.
A crowd favorite for lunch is their classic chicken sandwich, though Gammage thinks the slow-cooked barbecue pork and Italian beef are underrated. “They’re amazing,” she says. “You wouldn’t think of us for that kind of thing, but it’s just good home-cooked food.” Dessert options abound, though The Old Dairy is known for its cookie dough brownies and homemade pies. Of course, there is ice cream, in a fun selection of flavors, like strawberry rhubarb crumble, lemon bar and cotton candy.
The Gammages give back to the community when they can. “We try to support our Bombers (student athletes from the local high school) and our community schools as well. It’s important to have that after prom, and to have your band, and to have all the small programs that really make our schools go round,” she says. “I feel like you lose that a lot when you get to the bigger schools. Those small programs are gone.”
Their contributions go beyond monetary support, what she calls labor-intensive love. “We also have done dessert donations for after prom; we made cookie dough brownies,” she adds. “Just something that not the average person can do from their household.”
That same sense of community is palpable upon walking through the restaurant’s front doors. “[It’s] kind of why I came here and never really left,” Gammage says, who grew up in the Chicago suburbs. “It’s different. … You walk down the street here, everybody’s waving. There’s always a friendly face, and we say hello. … Honestly, if not for the community, we wouldn’t be here.”
