A mix of excitement, anxiety, and pride rushed through Arturo Enciso yesterday as he heard the name of his homegrown sourdough panadería, Gusto Bread, announced as a coveted finalist for the James Beard Awards at the ceremony held at the Conrad Hotel in downtown Los Angeles yesterday.
“I felt proud just to see ‘Long Beach’ up there on the screen next to all these other major cities,” he tells L.A. TACO. “We didn’t study business or baking, Ana [Salatino] and I just dove into it all with no experience, just romanticism for bread and passion for our community. So to be recognized nationally inspires us to keep going.”
Since first popping up in Salatino’s and Enciso’s former home equipped with an earthen oven in downtown Long Beach in 2017, the partners—in life and business—have learned the art of running a naturally leavened bakery by trial and error.
Enciso is originally from Lebec and Fort Tejon, the small mountainside community with a population of 1,200 people on top of the grapevine where Los Padres National Forest meets Angeles National Forest. They opened up their brick-and-mortar shop on 4th Street in 2020. Now, they employ 20 passionate workers and count on a full espresso bar with “Cafe Cuate” beans that Enciso roasts himself every Friday.
Enciso and Salatino celebrate the finalist nomination for a second year as a win. “We’ve never had any investors and have re-invested every penny we worked hard for, so this is a big deal for us and our team,” Enciso says.
When Enciso returned to his bakery after the announcement ceremony, he opened a bottle of Charles Dufour champagne and celebrated with a key lime pie from Fat & Flour. “This nomination reflects all the care our team takes with every piece of bread we bake and coffee we serve. Everyone takes pride in our work, and it all adds up.” He notes that being a finalist for the James Beard Awards brings new customers eager to try their offerings.
Enciso admits that at the James Beard Awards ceremony in Chicago last year, he felt very nervous and fantasized about not winning just to not go up on stage and have to give a speech to the hundreds of hospitality professionals who attended.
“I felt so nervous even though I’m a performer and musician. I had a fear of winning versus the excitement of it all,” he says.
They didn’t win last year, but this year feels different. He is hopeful but still cautiously optimistic. “I studied Buddhism, so I always try to practice having a beginner’s mind. Not being excited and not being sad, just being in the moment.”
Win or not, Enciso and Salatino are proud of what they’ve built and have no plans to expand anytime soon. “There’s still much to grow within our team and our products. We are happy just expanding on that front.”
The James Beard Awards winners will be announced at the Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony on Monday, June 16.
Gusto Bread
2710 E 4th St, Long Beach, CA 90814
