Don Guerra
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**While I was putting this episode together, the James Beard Awards semifinalists dropped, and Don, unsurprisingly, is a contender as one of the country's Best Bakers. Congrats, Don, and best of luck! You deserve it, friend!**
Today, I talk to baker Don Guerra, founder of the celebrated Barrio Bread in Tucson, AZ. Don’s bread is a truly post-colonial fusion of French sourdough technique using heritage grain lines that date back to their introduction in the Sonoran region by Catholic missionary, Father Kino in the 17th century. And it’s freakin’ delicious. He gave me a few samples after our conversation, and I sat in a parking lot and ate an entire loaf on its own, by myself, without shame.
For Don, his heritage is alive in the bread he bakes. He’s an Arizona native with Mexican indigenous roots on his father’s side, and European lineage on his mother’s. He’s made it his life’s work, not just to bake what Food & Wine magazine recently called the best bread in Arizona, but also to imbue his bread with the history and terroir of the region and his own life. Representation matters to him, and he’s proud to stand up as a baker of color and say, this life is for anyone who wants to work hard enough to have it.
Don, along with his longstanding farming partnerships, is responsible for bringing several wheat varietals back from the brink of extinction. He has an intimate relationship with his product at every stage. He’s involved in the growing, harvesting, and milling of the wheat with which he makes his signature flour blends. He also spends the better part of most days driving the Barrio Bread delivery truck, supplying restaurants and markets all over Tucson with the day’s spoils.
Don Guerra has the hands of an artist, the drive of a hustler, and the heart of a good teacher — which he was before he started his bakery. In fact, during my time in Tucson, I met, randomly, more than one person who was once a proud student of his. One night, Don and I had dinner together, and two of his now-grown students stopped at our seats to say hi. Connection to his community is more than a talking point for Don. It’s his deepest ethic, his way of life. I really enjoyed getting to know him, and I hope you will, too.