2 Tucson Chefs are 2024 James Beard Award Semifinalists

January 24, 2024

By Matt Sterner

This morning, the James Beard Foundation unveiled the semifinalist nominees for this year’s James Beard Awards, and two local chefs are shining bright on the list.

Wendy Garcia of Tumerico and La Chaiteria, which was the city’s lone semifinalist last year, and Flavia Briones of Barista Del Barrio are semifinalists in the Best Chef: Southwest (AZ, NM, NV, OK) category.

Garcia is no stranger to recognition and awards and just yesterday, the Yelpers have spoken and Tumerico took the #1 spot on Yelp’s “Top 100 Places to Eat in 2024.” And, we’re not talking about just locally — this list includes 100 restaurants from all over the U.S.

Briones and her family opened Barista Del Barrio in 2017. which was operated out of a food cart. From there, they served coffee and breakfast items and eventually moved into the building next door. Everything on the menu has been chosen because it meets the Briones’ high standards and it truly shows — there’s usually a long line of eager eaters in the mornings.

a person standing in front of a building — Flavia Briones and her kids Sergio and Ariana (Photo by Jackie Tran)

Nominees will be announced on Wednesday, April 3, and winners will be announced at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards Ceremony on Monday, June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

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. Barista Del Barrio is located at 1002 N. Grande Ave. For more information, visti baristadelbarrio.com. To see all of the semifinalists, visit jamesbeard.org.

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Article By

Matt Sterner

At 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.

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