Check Out Lexie Justice’s Story

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lexie Justice. They and their team shared their story with us below:

Two great friends, one shared diagnosis, one rainy rock concert where inspiration, not lightning struck. We were both dissatisfied with the gluten-free options available to us and we refused to eat boring, bland, and even downright bad food just because we were following a particular diet. Voila! Cheatin’ Wheat, a women-owned, Colorado-based business was born.

Although Cheatin’ Wheat began as a gluten-free dry mix company, it has morphed into a purveyor of products from pie crust to pizza. As a gluten-free baking company, we quickly learned that our creativity and flexibility had to extend beyond gluten-containing ingredients. It was important for us to offer items that are gluten-free AND dairy-free, egg-free, nut-free, or vegan…

Lexie is a former pastry chef and culinary instructor. Kathy is a businesswoman and an unstoppably cheerful home baker. Anyone that knows us can attest to the fact that we tend to be busy people who think that we can do anything. The other thing people will tell you about us is that we love food, love to talk about food, love to cook food, and love to share our food with others. This has been key to our success.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
We don’t think starting a business is ever a smooth road. Here is a quick list of challenges that we think all business owners can identify with:

1. Money! How much do you need in the beginning? How do you grow? Cash flow considerations along the way.
2. Balancing the time commitment of the business against time with loved ones and other pursuits.
3. Learning to do all the other tasks needed to make your business successful that you have no idea how to do or have any experience with.
4. Pandemic
5. Finding a way to be brave and tackle obstacles that make you uncomfortable.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I am a pastry chef and business owner. I have also been a teacher, a baker, a bean-to-bar chocolate maker; a bartender, a caterer, and an award-winning product creator. I took a bit of a circuitous route to culinary, first getting a degree in Philosophy from Regis University.

Upon graduation, in what my parents called “the real world,” I got a job in telecom. Then I got a job with a dotcom, which was the NEW THING before it became the ONLY THING. However, I quickly realized it was not MY THING. So I decided to go back to school, culinary school this time. Magic! Truly. There is something that happens when you find the thing you love to do and also have an aptitude for it.

As part of my education, I spent about a month in Europe with a completion of a course of study in the food of Provence with Monsieur René Berard, and a Completion of Corso di Enogastronomia Italiana at the Italian Culinary Institute for Foreigners.

After culinary school, I was privileged enough to work for several great Denver-based chefs and got to do remarkable things like cooking at the James Beard House for guest Jacques Pepin. Pastry cheffin’ turned into teaching professional culinary students. It was during this time that I discovered I needed to be gluten-free, a bit of a bummer.

And yet…. Cheatin’ Wheat has now been in business for almost 15 years and we have won two Food and Beverage Industry (FABI) awards for our products.

What sort of changes are you expecting over the next 5-10 years?
Since the inception of Cheatin’ Wheat, we have seen the gluten-free industry change and grow.

The increased awareness of celiac disease, gluten sensitivity, food allergies, and other dietary preferences all point to the trend continuing. As more customers demand more choices, we expect the following:

1. Increased product variety
2. Improved quality
3. Mainstream availability
4. Technological advancements and advancements in food science may lead to the development of new gluten-free ingredients, production methods, and manufacturing processes.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.cheatinwheat.com 

Image Credits
Eric Boelts, Randall Erkelens, and Kevin Moloney