Barrio Bread owner/baker Don Guerra is heading to Chicago in June to possibly pick up the highest honor in the foodiverse — the coveted James Beard Award.
Guerra was named during a ceremony Wednesday in Scottsdale as a finalist for outstanding baker, one of 11 major categories that honor chefs, restaurants, bakers and pastry chefs.
“It hasn’t hit me yet, but I’m kinda freaking out," Guerra said Wednesday morning, not long after hearing the news from Visit Tucson. “It’s tripping me out.”
Guerra
Guerra is the first James Beard nominee to make the final cut since Daniel Contreras won a James Beard America's Classics Award in 2018 with his popular El Guero Canelo Sonoran hot dog restaurant.
The awards will be presented in Chicago on June 13.
Guerra was one of three 2022 James Beard Tucson semifinalists alongside Tito & Pep chef-owner John Martinez and Boca Tacos y Tequila chef-owner Maria Mazon. And given his recent national publicity including a profile last October in the New York Times and topping Food & Wine's just released state-by-state best bread list for Arizona, it's not entirely inconceivable to think Guerra could hear his name follow those four little words — "and the winner is ... ."
"It looks pretty good, but I just don't know," he said when pressed on what he thought his chances were to edge out his fellow outstanding baker finalists who hail from Chicago, Montana, Florida and Maine.
Just baked loaves of Pan de Kino are ready to be stacked on a rack to cool at Don Guerra's Barrio Bread.
"I did a little research on the other people and they are doing good things, but they’re not doing the green stuff," Guerra said, referring to his work with sustainable and heritage grains that has garnered him attention from food writers and makers nationwide and landed him a spot as a panelist for the 2022 Philly Chef Conference in Philadelphia next month. Guerra will discuss "The Grain Movement," which he has been leading and championing since he started Barrio Bread out of his Tucson garage in 2009.
Other Arizona James Beard finalists are previous winner Chris Bianco, owner of Pizzeria Bianco and Tratto, who is up for outstanding restaurateur; Phoenix Mexican restaurant Bacanora for best new restaurant; and Giovanni Scorzo of Scottsdale's Andreoli Italian Grocer, Best Chef: Southwest — the category that Tucson's Martinez and Mazon were knocked out of the running for.
In addition to Barrio Bread, Guerra is a partner with the Flores family (founders of Tucson's El Charro) in Barrio Charro and The Monica downtown.
