Don Guerra of Barrio Bread (Photo by Jackie Tran)

Don Guerra of Barrio Bread is an official 2022 James Beard Award Finalist


March 16, 2022
By Matt Sterner

Don Guerra rises to the final round

On Wednesday, March 16, the James Beard Foundation announced its official list of 2022 Restaurant and Chef Award finalists and local baker Don Guerra of Barrio Bread made the cut.

The nominees were announced during a live ceremony at Casa Paloma at El Chorro in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Winners will be celebrated at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 13, 2022, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Barrio Bread's Don Guerra in his home bakery (Credit: Jackie Tran)
Barrio Bread’s Don Guerra in his home bakery (Credit: Jackie Tran)

This is the third nomination for Don Guerra and this year he was accompanied by other local semifinalists John Martinez of Tito & Pep and Maria Mazon of BOCA Tacos y Tequila.

If you’re in the mood to skip town and help Don celebrate it all in person, tickets for the 31st annual James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards in Chicago go on sale Monday, March 20. Also, the awards can be enjoyed from the comfort of anywhere because they’ll be broadcast live via the James Beard Foundation’s Twitter feed.

Barrio Bread's Don Guerra in his home bakery (Credit: Jackie Tran)
Barrio Bread’s Don Guerra in his home bakery (Credit: Jackie Tran)

For years, it’s been an exciting time in the culinary scene, but now the city has something new to brag about — three consecutive years now that a Tucsonan was nominated. The Awards kicked off in 1991 and are considered to be the highest honors for a chef, restaurant, baker, or bar to receive in the U.S.

For more information on this year’s nominations, visit jamesbeard.org.

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