About
Don Guerra
Don is the James Beard Award winning baker and founder of Barrio Bread. First an anthropologist then an educator, then a baker, Don started his community supported bakery in his garage in Tucson in 2009 and sold his naturally fermented artisan loaves from the back of his car at a local elementary school and farmer’s market, and via word of mouth. As the popularity of his breads outgrew his home bakery, he opened his first store. By sharing his community supported approach, Don demonstrates a model that other bakers can carry forward. To Don, Barrio Bread isn’t just a business, it’s the bakery of the future.
Community Supported Bakery
Like Community Supported Agriculture ( CSAs) a community supported bakery brings together a network of farmers, millers, wholesale buyers, and consumers in order to support each other and provide a loose but steady structure for ongoing business. Instead of thinking of itself as a standalone entity that uses suppliers and attracts customers, Barrio Bread considers itself a nexus of a cluster of people and businesses who can help and benefit from each other. As a community supported bakery, Barrio takes on a responsibility that extends beyond the doors of the bakery. Part of that responsibility is to build a resilient and diverse local grain chain.
Regional Grain Chain
From the beginning it was Don’s goal to bring back the heritage grains of the Southwest that were wiped out by the commercial production of flour and bread in America. At the outset, the regional flour grains he sought did not exist. He worked in partnership with farmers and millers to build a grain chain focused on drought tolerant and low water use grain varieties and together they revived heirloom grains from the Sonoran Desert that had fallen out of use. Planting desert-adapted seeds makes the food supply more diverse. Using local organic grains builds a bio-diverse agriculture.
Artisanal Bread
Using only grains grown in the Sonoran Desert, Barrio Bread bakes naturally-fermented, naturally-leavened (sourdough) loaves that have a taste that is of the place. Each day, the Barrio Bread team bakes a variety of traditional Old World breads and rolls and innovative specialty loaves that range from an airy white baguette to a dense 100% whole grain round. Every loaf uses freshly milled grain and a method of slow fermentation. The signature oblong Heritage loaf features a stenciled Saguaro cactus and is baked with a proprietary blend of locally grown, heirloom flours.
Buy Bread
Tucson | Home Delivery |
Locations
The original bakery was a home garage, and the retail space was the back of the family minivan. The first bricks and mortar location is in an historic shopping plaza in a Tucson midtown neighborhood where lines form out the door every day. The Gilbert, Arizona bakery with Hayden Mills bakes off loaves to serve the greater Phoenix area. Across the Southwest, fine restaurants serve Barrio breads on their tables and fresh food markets stock them on their shelves. In Arizona and California, fresh loaves arrive via UPS on customers’ doorsteps.
James Beard Award
The James Beard Foundation confers awards each year in a range of categories to celebrate and support the people behind America’s food culture. The Foundation pushes for new standards in the restaurant industry to create a future where all have the opportunity to thrive. Established over 30 years ago, the Foundation highlights the centrality of food culture in our daily lives and supports a resilient and flourishing industry. The James Beard Award was first conferred in 1991 and is among the nation’s most prestigious honor, recognizing exceptional talent and achievement.
In 2022, Don Guerra won the James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker, beating out five other finalists. At the announcement Don said the award and recognition “solidifies that I am on the right path. The award encourages my commitment to the community and acknowledges my passion for producing superior baked goods that tell the story of the Southwest.”
Upon receiving the award, Don said to the luminaries gathered in Chicago, “What is important to me is that Barrio Bread is a steward of ancient grains. By reviving desert-adapted seeds, we make the food supply more diverse. With local organic grains we build a bio-diverse agriculture. By sharing my community supported approach, I demonstrate a model that other bakers can carry forward. It’s not just a business, it is a bakery of the future. I invite you to build the grain chain in your home town. And if you aren’t sure where to start, I’ll help you.”
