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.
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.
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.
Article written by:
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.
