After buying the building formally known as Vel’s Bakery, HIS Baking Co. now offers baked goods, catering events and hot breakfasts to Wayne while spreading faith.
“My favorite part of this business is getting to be a part of everybody’s special events and their lives,” owner Chris Beach said. “I’m most excited for the future of just building that relationship with the community itself.”
In 2021, Beach and his wife Jaclyn Beach opened HIS Baking Co. in Allen from the basement in their home. At that time, they were both working other jobs and became overwhelmed. Both decided they didn’t want to work for corporate America any longer.
“It was licensed and then it became a cottage with our other jobs,” Jaclyn Beach said. “We decided we didn’t want to work for corporate America anymore and started a mission.”
The Beaches made it their mission to make people feel heard and pride themselves on being a shoulder for the community to lean on, including college students. With every take-out meal, a Bible verse is added to the top of the to-go containers and numerous bible verses are written across the walls and by the cash register.
“Wayne State students get 10% off,” Jaclyn Beach said. “A lot of times on the weekends, you can tell which kids are from afar because a lot of them come to get a home-cooked meal.”
Anyone interested in trying HIS Baking Co. is recommended by Beach to try the cinnamon rolls since they are his specialty item and he enjoys making them, while his wife would recommend the different kinds of sourdough. They said their daughter deemed the blueberry streusel muffin a Wayne staple.
One of the biggest challenges for HIS Baking Co. has been redefining HIS Bakery. The building the couple moved their business into has been three different bakeries in its lifetime, starting as Johnson’s Bakery then Vel’s Bakery, and now HIS Baking.
This led customers to ask if the Beach’s had Vel’s donuts and baked goods, which they do not because the owner of Vel’s retired his recipes in addition to the establishment.
Though HIS Baking has gluten-friendly items, Jaclyn Beach, a former doctor, recommends staying clear of their baked goods since they are surrounded by flour in the kitchen. HIS Baking makes macrons using almond flour, however.
“I make macrons which are technically made with almond flour, so they are technically gluten-friendly,” Jaclyn Beach said. “There are substitutions for frosting that don’t have dairy as well as things we make that [can be made without] nuts.”
When looking into the future of HIS Baking Co., the couple sees their company going mobile as a food truck and touching more people’s hearts on the go. HIS bakery is made to be a warm place for the people of Wayne to enjoy food and grow deeper in their faith.
“We each picked a Bible verse to put on the walls,” Jaclyn Beach said. “We’ve had women walk in and ask us to add a verse, so we add them. We’d love to add more.”
