Quinton McNair Found Solace in Baking After the Military. Now He Offers Others the Same

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On a chilly fall afternoon in Hyde Park, the doors of Strugglebeard Bakery at 5221 S. Harper Ct. open repeatedly, bringing in blasts of cool air and hungry customers looking for sweet treats. Owner Quinton McNair greets each one from behind the counter with a question: “How can I make you smile today?”

McNair is undoubtedly the face of his brand. In his store he wears a T-shirt or apron with a cartoon version of his chef hat-sporting image on it. The bakery’s back wall features one of artist Renisha James’ word portraits, with phrases like “Black-owned,” “quality ingredients,” and “creating smiles” making up McNair’s smiling face. The glass case at the front of the bakery is full of cute Halloween-themed cupcakes, muffins, and the signature “sweet 7” cookies typically available on the menu. There’s the James "Tod" Miles iced lemon cookie, thick, frosted, and made with limoncello. The Chief Bartley salted caramel oatmeal is enhanced with salted caramel whiskey and sea salt. The local favorite is the Strugglebeard lunchroom butter cookie, McNair’s take on the Chicago Public Schools classic with the finger marks on top. 

“My most popular cookie is the school lunchroom cookie and that frustrates me, just because I didn’t come up with the recipe,” he says with a little sigh. “It’s honestly the simplest of the recipes here, about three ingredients technically, but we add some secret stuff that adds to the buttery flavor. Customers love it. I got cookies that I personally crafted that are complex and unique, and they still go for that butter cookie.”

The nostalgic familiarity of the lunchroom cookie makes it a top seller, but other products McNair offers tell more personal stories. There’s the Tam loaf – flavored with plump blueberries and the bright zest of lemon – named in honor of the late aviation pioneer Dr. Tammera L. Holmes. The Trez V. Pugh is a dark chocolate cookie made with caramel turtle bourbon, rolled in fresh pecans, roasted in brown sugar, and wrapped around a soft, chewy caramel candy. It pays homage to a well-known local entrepreneur and owner of the Sip & Savor chain of coffee shops, a former Marine. 

“In the military, we honor people who are inspirational or who have significant meaning to us,” McNair explains.

McNair himself is a veteran who served in the U.S. Army for 24 years. When he returned to civilian life, he was diagnosed with PTSD and depression. Having to figure out a new path in life led him to discover baking as a form of therapy. The determination and discipline of military training lent itself to the hectic pace and early mornings required to maintain a successful bakery, and now Strugglebeard – named in part for his struggles after leaving the military – has been thriving for three years. 

McNair sees his baked goods as a way to celebrate his fellow veterans, as well as the community and relatives that have inspired him along the way. 

“To me, it only made sense that the first cookie that I ever made would be named after my older brother,” he says. That would be the Charles Anthony pecan chocolate chunk, made with browned butter and studded with chocolate chunks and bourbon-roasted pecans. “I always admired him even though he got on my nerves,” McNair continues. “He did what I wanted to do. I wanted to go to college and do the smart thing. I was a magnet school kid and that was the expected route for me to go, but because of the circumstances at home, I ended up in the military. I watched my brother go on this parallel life of getting masters and doctorates and doing everything that I wanted to do while I was in the military. I was a helicopter mechanic. And I was working on Apache helicopters at the same time as he was working for Boeing, developing systems for that same helicopter. We went these absolute different routes in life and still met in the middle.”

McNair was deployed to Kosovo and Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq, and retired as a sergeant first class. “The last thing I did before I retired, I was a sexual assault response coordinator,” he says. “I managed all of the cases of sexual harassment that came through my unit of about 4,000 people.” 

It was this experience and the fellow officers he encountered that led McNair to envision Strugglebeard as a community space for healing, with special offers and events to keep those doors swinging open with new customers. Every Tuesday, Strugglebeard offers student and educator discounts, while Friday evenings are for “cookies and karaoke.” Strugglebeard has hosted everything from book signings to art events, small business pop-ups to events focused on mental health, such as one that paired baked goods with mindfulness and PTSD care. 

McNair wants to offer his bakery as a third space to share sweetness with anyone in need, especially his fellow veterans. “You are not alone,” he wants them to know. “The family, brotherhood, sisterhood, team, squad, and friends that you made while serving are still here for you. We understand what you are going through. We are here with you and for you. You don't have to suffer alone.”

Towards the end of the afternoon, a customer enters, looking for a whole cake for a birthday party that evening. McNair only has cake slices left, but without hesitation tells them to head to another popular bakery nearby. “Have you heard of Brown Sugar Bakery? They’re not too far from here. Caramel cakes is their thing. Stephanie will have a whole cake for you, don’t worry,” he tells them. 

In a city full of competition, McNair’s unhesitating support of his fellow entrepreneurs is wholesome and genuine. “I always try to pay homage to the people who have made some kind of impact on me and the community,” he says.