In today’s hospitality industry, convenience is a must, but sacrificing quality need not be. This spring, Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel & Slice is set to open in Gilbert, Arizona, introducing the Southwest to a quick-casual concept featuring a menu based upon the already-popular artisan Barrio breads and bagels as well as pizza by the slice, all baked onsite with heritage grains grown and milled just a stone’s throw away.
A partnership between James Beard Award-winner, baker, educator and entrepreneur Don Guerra, who is dedicated to developing and supporting the grain chain throughout Arizona, and Oren Molovinsky, a nationally renowned restauranteur, farmer, developer and contractor, Don Guerra’s Barrio Bagel & Slice begins at the very root — or rather, the grain.
Guerra has been deeply engrained in the growing and harvesting of heritage grains for well over a decade. As market interest began rapidly increasing in 2012, Guerra and others — craft brewers, pasta makers, bakers and distillers — quickly supported the movement.
“We all work together to support the growing of heritage grain varietals that grow well in our climate,” Guerra explains. “We’ve found that more and more customers are looking for craft and artisan food options. Consumers are also seeking products with a shorter ingredient list, and our breads achieve that — as most do not contain oils or sugars.”
The grains Guerra selects are sourced from a variety of Arizona farmers, including Hiscox Farms in Coolidge and BKW Farms in Marana, and Hayden Flour Mills, with whom he has worked to create custom blends and very unique heritage grains. This would be nearly impossible to accomplish working with a large mill.
In fact, the relationship between Barrio Bread and Hayden Flour Mills initiated from a 2011 USDA Grant and has resulted in Guerra locating his commissary bakery at the mill itself. “This ensures an ultra-fresh product that makes its way directly from the field to the mill and, finally, to the bakery — all within days,” he adds.
Barrio Bagel & Slice is Guerra’s next step to achieving his longtime mission of feeding the community and making wholesome, high-quality, healthy foods accessible to the entire community. A buildout from a previous Sonic Drive-In, evoking nostalgia of a simpler time when drive-thrus offered a different experience from what they do today, Barrio Bagel & Slice will be the first location to offer Barrio bread products baked fresh daily available for retail purchase.
