It seems like it was just yesterday when we were congratulating Don Guerra for his James Beard Award. Early today, the James Beard Foundation unveiled the semifinalist nominees for the 2022 James Beard Awards.
The city of Tucson’s lone semifinalist is the beloved Wendy Garcia of Tumerico and La Chaiteria.
Garcia, whose restaurants have been recognized as “Best Vegan Mexican Food in the U.S.” and on Yelp’s list of “Top 100 Vegan Restaurants,” is a semifinalist for “Best Chef: Southwest.” She’s on the list with other chefs in the category that covers all of Arizona, New Mexico, Nevada, and Oklahoma.
Finalists will be announced on Wednesday, March 29, and the winner’s gala will be Monday, June 5 in Chicago. Check out the full list of semifinalists below.
Tumerico is located at 2526 E. Sixth St. and 402 E. Fourth Ave., La Chaiteria is located at 1002 W. Congress St. For more information, visit tumerico.com and lachaiteria.com.
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Matt Sterner
More about MattAt a very young age, Matt Sterner was gifted with the artistic ability to masterfully roll a burrito to the highest of standards, but the wrapped medley of delicious innards wasn’t his first love. Matt’s first true love was a combination of reading, writing, and creating. He grew up reading comics, the ingredients list of his shampoo and conditioner bottles, choose-your-own-adventure books, and the Scrabble dictionary — something he found useful when challenging his grandmother to a game.
He attended college at New Mexico State University and graduated with a degree in Digital Filmmaking. One of his favorite classes was screenwriting because he became responsible for the story’s birth before it came to life on-screen. After school, Matt took on numerous positions at a local television station in Tucson. From dealing out stories about heartbreak to producing “fluffier” content for a lifestyle broadcast, he learned what it takes to adapt to the many emotions the world of media can stir. Since 2017, Matt has dabbled in the culinary world of Tucson as well as San Diego, California from time to time.
If you’re in the mood for strange stories, head over to his pride and joy, wonkytimes.com. And in case you’re curious — yes, after all of this time, he still manages to roll a killer burrito.
