ASU names Beard-winning baker

Arizona State University has named Don Guerra its first baker-in-residence, bringing the James Beard Award-winning bread maker onto its Tempe campus. (news.asu.edu) The university’s School of Transborder Studies announced Guerra for the upcoming year, and Arizona’s Family reported the appointment publicly on April 15. Guerra owns Barrio Bread in Tucson and a second Arizona bakery in Gilbert. (newsroom.asu.edu) (azfamily.com) ASU said Guerra will lead a “Bread Without Borders” lecture series and work with students on food systems, agriculture, entrepreneurship and health. Arizona’s Family said he will also teach students how to make bread and how bread can connect communities. (newsroom.asu.edu) (azfamily.com) The residency extends a model ASU already uses in the arts. The School of Transborder Studies said the new baker role builds on its earlier artist-in-residence program by putting food, culture and community at the center of academic work. (newsroom.asu.edu) That framing fits Guerra’s public work. ASU said his baking draws on Sonoran traditions and local grains, and the school described his approach as a way to connect borderlands culture, farming and everyday food. (news.asu.edu) (newsroom.asu.edu) Guerra’s credentials are part of the draw. The James Beard Foundation says its awards recognize achievement across the culinary arts and food system, and Guerra won the 2022 Outstanding Baker award. (jamesbeard.org) (news.asu.edu) At Barrio Bread, Guerra told ASU that he works with grains grown in Arizona and northern Mexico and treats bread as both food and a record of place. Arizona’s Family said he bakes about 1,000 loaves a day inside Hayden Flour Mills. (news.asu.edu) (azfamily.com) The appointment also gives ASU a new public-facing food program in Tempe at a time when universities are leaning harder on hands-on, community-based teaching. For Guerra, the next step is the fall 2026 semester, when his residency is set to begin. (nationaltoday.com) (newsroom.asu.edu)