The James Beard Foundation announced their 2019 Restaurants and Chef Awards semifinalists Wednesday morning.
This year, Tucson has two nominees to cheer on:
- Outstanding Restaurant – El Charro Cafe
- Outstanding Baker – Don Guerra, Barrio Bread
With El Guero Canelo and chef Janos Wilder having brought home the prestigious award in the past, Tucson has shown it can compete alongside larger cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.
According to the James Beard Foundation website, the awards ceremonies will be held in Chicago and New York:
The 2019 James Beard Awards Gala will take place on Monday, May 6, at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. The 2019 Leadership Awards will be held on Sunday, May 5 in Chicago, and the 2019 Media Awards will take place on Friday, April 26, at Pier Sixty at Chelsea Piers in New York City. Tickets to both the Awards Gala and the Media Awards will be on sale beginning March 27 at jamesbeard.org/awards.
For more information, visit jamesbeard.org.
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Article written by:

Jackie Tran
More about JackieJackie Tran is a Tucson-based food writer, photographer, culinary educator, and owner-chef of the now-closed food truck Tran’s Fats. Although he is best known locally for his work for Tucson Foodie, his work has also appeared in publications such as Bon Appétit, National Geographic, and the New York Times.
An adventurous foodie, he enjoys culinary experiences ranging from seasonal omakase to sloppily devouring green chili patty melts in his car afterhours. His favorite foods include aguachile, garlic noodles, and leftover fried chicken illuminated by the fridge light. His favorite drinks include morning micheladas, fireside imperial stouts, candle-lit negroni, and grassy mezcales.
Outside of food, he also loves playing musical instruments, karaoke, Tetris, Super Smash Bros. Melee, and petting Addie’s dog Spaghetti.
If you’d like to stalk him, visit his Instagram @jackie_tran_ or jackietran.com.















