Spencer Justiniano,
Creator of Hold The Wheat
Spencer Justiniano is the mind, body, and soul behind Hold The Wheat. The story starts in 2016— after years of suffering from stomach issues, Spencer finally tried eating a gluten free diet and never looked back. He felt a ton better but really missed the joys of eating his favorite baked goods. Spencer started experimenting with recipes and found a real calling between the challenge to make things without gluten and the artistry involved with presentation. His friends and family encouraged him to put his craft out there and soon he was selling his goodies at farmers markets across the Minneapolis metropolitan area. It didn’t take long for Spencer to realize this wasn’t just a side hustle, but a true calling. It was such a joy every time a gluten free eater realized they could have cake again and enjoy it!
His cravings and his loyal customer base put him up to new challenges and it wasn’t long before his menu expanded and he began dreaming of opening his own location. The flow of ideas were steady but so were his fears and the fatigue of working a full time corporate job while growing the business and experimenting with new ideas. Getting up to a demand of 400+ cakes a week meant long nights often without sleep at all, a fridge full of product and no room for real food, the panic of running out of ingredients, 2am kitchen fails, the works. Instead of discouraging him, he found his determination to make the bakery his creative future. Artists will always find a way to create and for Spencer, this was evident in the care he took to make sure that even at the break of dawn without sleep and a looming clock to punch at his day job, every edible piece of art was just right.
Growing up in St. Louis Park, he never imagined his dreams would bring him right back to where it started. Spencer left home to study textiles and surface design in NYC. After graduation, he spent years in Manhattan but it just wasn’t quite right. He returned to Minneapolis and started baking in 2016, reinvigorated with the purpose he was seeking all along. Life is funny sometimes— every Saturday morning of his childhood was spent walking to Palms Bakery with his mom and sister— and now his bakery has come to life in the same community just a three minute drive from the house he grew up in. Palms Bakery is long gone but the sweet memories remain— the sugary smells, beautiful delights encased in the glass, and the familiar smiles of neighbors. Hold The Wheat has been designed with some of the old school charm of your favorite neighborhood spot with an injection of fresh ideas. Every detail of your experience is meant to invoke a sense of fun with nods to the baking classics of the 50’s, the food ingenuity of the 60’s, and the freedom of the 70’s.
The branding was inspired by the typeface of classic cookbooks with artistic detail from the bakeware many of us grew up with and maybe even still use today. And yet the countertops in the shop are a non-traditional burst of color, a bright bursting shade of orange, with buzzy neon signs on the walls and a monochromatic pink lounge featuring products from local artisans. It’s not the bakery you grew up with, but it might remind you of it so here’s to inspiring the next generation of dreamers who may visit.
Most days you can find Spencer manning the ovens and by night, doodling ideas for cake piping or some other artistry. He and his partner Edwin Snyder co-own the bakery and have lovingly brought their dreams to life together. 4050 Brookside Ave is also home to Ed’s business, SalusNorth Wellness Collective, a community space connecting the neighborhood with high integrity wellness providers seeking an affordable, flexible space to practice in. Homemade treats and healing, a balanced match made in heaven!