Serving Up Loaves and Community Education: Don Guerra’s Barrio Bread Journey

By Elena Makansi with video by Cheri Gyuro, Marketing, Communications and Strategic Outreach

When customers line up outside Barrio Bread, they’re not just waiting for a delicious loaf. They’re contributing to the larger vision of a community-supported local food economy.

At the heart of this operation is Don Guerra, a proud former Pima Community College student. Long before Don was nationally recognized with the prestigious James Beard Award for Outstanding Baker in 2022, he was a student trying to find his place in higher education.

A proud and eager first-generation college student, Guerra had the opportunity to attend the University of Arizona through an outstanding minority scholarship award.

PCC Bridged the Transition to University 

Transitioning to the University of Arizona proved daunting at first, but Pima offered him a bridge.

“I was going to the University of Arizona, and I used Pima to help bridge some of the gaps, to really gain more confidence in that college environment,” Guerra explained. “It really helped me understand my own learning style and how to support other people. And that’s exactly what I apply today at Barrio Bread. It’s a learning lab, a place where I can be a better educator for my team and my community.”

Smaller class sizes and personal connections with faculty were transformative for Guerra. Pima provided him with the space to explore and build skills while developing relationships and engaging in open dialogue with faculty that fostered growth. With additional help from Pima’s free tutoring resources, Guerra was able to return to his classes at the University of Arizona feeling confident and prepared to complete his degree.

“It was really everything,” he says, of being the first in his family to get a University degree.

From Pima Classroom to World-Class Bakery

Don spent nearly a decade perfecting his recipes out of his garage, bootstrapping his business with few resources but a strong vision. Inspired by the community-supported agriculture model, the bakery sources heritage grains from Arizona farmers, strengthening ties between growers, millers, and consumers.

Now, the loaves are instantly recognizable, often stenciled with local designs, such as the Tucson saguaro and Arizona state outline. This edible art tells a story about place and heritage while bringing the community together.

Baking bread is “art, it's science, it's community work, it's physicality. It’s all the things that I really love in life,” Guerra shares.

For Guerra success has never been about chasing profit or personal accolades.

“My idea of success is to create meaning over money,” he says. “The money follows the meaning. And meaning comes from connecting with community, being transparent, and giving back. True success is just being open to everyone while giving back at the same time.”

Looking back, Guerra credits his time at Pima with helping him develop the confidence that took Barrio Bread from his garage to the national food stage. 

“Pima helped me learn that anything is possible,” Guerra explains. “You don’t always need the fanciest tools or to belong to a certain group. If you have a vision, grit, and support, you can push forward.”

Those principles now guide his bakery.

Guerra sees Barrio Bread as an educational hub, where he shares knowledge about bread, grains, and food systems with staff and the wider community, including at Pima Community College’s Center of Excellence for Hospitality Leadership. He partners with schools, teaches workshops, and makes bread an entry point into deeper conversations about sustainability and culture.

“[Pima] has given me the confidence to work in a lot of different realms of the community,” he explains. “I've been a teacher in this community, I've taught for TUSD, but I learned those skills through Pima.”

Advice to Apsiring Entreprenuers: Get Distracted, Learn Things

Guerra offers this advice for new students and aspiring entrepreneurs: “Get distracted. Learn things you think might not apply — because you’ll be surprised at how much they matter later. Pima allowed me to gather knowledge in a lot of different contexts, and now my bakery is the sum of all those experiences. That’s what makes entrepreneurs successful: the sum of all the learning experiences they’ve had.”

Baking Bread & Buildng Community 

So the next time you break open a warm, stenciled loaf from Barrio Bread, tear off a slice for your neighbors and friends. Share the special experience of tasting not just the alchemy of flour and water, but also the satisfaction of creating meaningful community connections through learning and education.